Photo courtesy of texas agricultural experiment station the gossypol study was done with fallow deer a species native to the mediterranean region of.
Cottonseed meal feed for deer.
Feeding cottonseed will increase deer body condition help improve annual fawn production and allow for increased antler development in bucks but as a feed it should not be considered a complete ration for white tailed deer.
It s not a one stop shop but whole cottonseed is a great supplement for whitetail.
However cottonseed contains a compound known as gossypol a toxic pigment the plant naturally produces and is believed to discourage consumption by animals.
The gossypol study was done with fallow deer a species native to the mediterranean region of europe and asia minor and grown on deer farms throughout texas.
Currently it seems the deer prefer feeding on cottonseed over the protein pellets.
The use of cottonseed by those involved in deer management programs has increase the price in recent years but it is high in protein 20 percent plus high in fat and also in fiber and is as close to a complete feed as one can get but lacks key minerals.
A lot of ranches use it and deer will come to love it.
Several sources of alternative protein include crop seeds such as soybeans and whole cottonseed.
Feeding cottonseed meal to female fallow deer safe at low rates.
However one veterinarian researcher says more study is needed.
In addition to being a veterinarian hilton who also has degrees in wildlife science is the director of veterinary technology at texas a m university.
Whole cottonseed lacks many of the micro and macro nutrients that protein pellets contain.
In fact deer continue to hammer these sites even after all the corn is gone.
To start them feeding on the cottonseed we added corn to about 5 cages and they have been hit the hardest.
That was the gist of the message offered by dr.
Feeding cottonseed to deer.
Clay hilton dvm at the caesar kleberg wildlife research institute s deer associates annual gathering here earlier this year.
Many properties feed it from february through september and have zero problems during the rut.
Although protein pellets ranging from 16 to 20 protein are often offered in free choice feeders people often consider other sources of protein for diet supplementation.
As for whitetail deer use of the cottonseed some feeders are being hit very hard while others have not been touched at all.
