Maximum amount of protein absorbed

[txsteele]

I was using 20% purina antler max at $11 a bag. I found another brand at 16% for $8 a bag that my deer like just as well.

Isn't 16% all they can digest anyway??

[30-30]

Not certain, but when deer mix in browse, forbs, and corn wouldn't that decrease the overall protein content of everything they eat?

[Russ]

30-30 alot of that browse has alot of protein! Of course some things they eat will reduce it, but every little helps, IMO.

TX I have no idea how much they can absorb. Thats a good question!

[Russ]

I would think they would be like humans and only be able to absorb a certain amount per sitting.

My work out buddy says we can only absorb 20g per hour or something like that.

[scissorhands]

I forgot where I read it, but 13-16% sounds about right.

Rob

[justincorbell]

i have a book by al brother's and it says between 16-17 is the most they can benefit from......so no reason to pay more for less

[Archery1st]

The answer is it depends on the individual protein. Some are more digestable than others. 4% is not going to make any difference. On middle aged to mature deer. However I do believe it can make a big difference with deer that have eaten it since they were fawns.

[qzilla]

The only way to know is to take fecal samples and send them to a lab and see what they need to know what they can use.

Anything else is pure speculation.

[ctburt0n]

I talked to a vet. He told me all they digest is 16%. He told me to try and start feeding creep feed. Gonna start that in January. As soon as you put "deer" on the feed bag price goes up

[Codypatt1]

we use 1 bag of protein to 2 bags of creep feed.

[bowhuntertex]

I talked to a vet. He told me all they digest is 16%. He told me to try and start feeding creep feed. Gonna start that in January. As soon as you put "deer" on the feed bag price goes up

Exactly.....creep feed, range cubes, deer feed are basically the exact same things in different bags........

[txsteele]

I talked to a vet. He told me all they digest is 16%. He told me to try and start feeding creep feed. Gonna start that in January. As soon as you put "deer" on the feed bag price goes up

What is creep feed and how much does it roughly cost???

[Encinal]

Quad do you have a copy of that study or can you get it from your "people"?

I want to know how they calculated the percentage... I assume it was done by Kerr either on the initial science or on Peer Review.

I know just from observation that 20% seems to make a larger impact that 16%.

Is 16% all they can process as a percentage of their diet? Were they studying DIFFERENT TYPES of protein when they did the study?

Regardless it seems to me that telling someone that 16% protein feed is all that should be used is pretty dumb... deer eat other things besides protein in a wild setting...

In a great year when things are growing and there is tons of rain their browse+mast+forbes are very rich in protein and comprise a large % of their diet vs feed... in a bad year their mast+browse+(no forbes) is much lower in protein and on a fed place would comprise a much smaller percentage...

I think you need balanced feed that will assure that in good times and bad they peg their max protein usage. You need a protein feed whos weighted average will make the contents of their stomach 16-17% or whatever it is... (assuming all deer are created equal in the protein processing department which I also question)

Of course... you can't sell a really hot protein to the general public willy nilly... or you shouldn't...

[jmac2410]

I read somewhere that the way the digestive system of a deer works, food passes through I believe it was a rumen (sp?) and also through the gut before it gets to the intestines. The intestines (according to what I read) is where most of the absorption of protein occurs, but some of the food has been broken down from passing through the rumen and gut first, so that 16% isn't quite 16% once it gets to the intestine to be utilized. I don't know if that makes sense, but basically the main point was you want to feed at least 20% to maximize potential utilization.