What is in deer feed pellets and howoes it differ from turkey feed?

[Celie]

A friend of mine had some deer feed left in his truck the other day that was 18% protein. He said he bought it from Accadamy and it is called Pro-Rack plus. He said it was very high in protein and he wasn't going back to the deer Field anytime soon, so he gave it to me to throw to the chickens. It was a large light colored pellet and the first ones to gobble it down, besides the chickens, were the turkeys, who eat like pigs. I now why they are called GOBBLERS! Is this any good for turkeys? It is a lot cheaper than flock-raiser! Any ideas out there, as feed is getting too darn pricey ! He said he pays about half the cost of flock-raiser.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Well there are cautions regarding deer corn and alfatoxins. You might check the label to see if it mentions the alfatoxin content??? Sorry I don't have turkeys but I have read about deer corn having problems. Don't know what is in the deer feed, though.

 

[Celie]

It does have Dehrydrated Alfalfa Meal listed in the ingrediants. Is that bad?

 

[Narragansett]

If deer feed were able to provide all of the nutrients that turkeys need, then they'd market it as such. There's no harm in using up an extra bag or two, but long term it doesn't have what they need to develop properly and remain healthy. Think about it. With the cost of feed, if some company could make a deer feed, but slap a label on it for tukeys, they'd make a killing, but it won't happen because the long term results will not be healthy, normal turkeys. The average consumer does not have the knowledge or resources to effectively out think the many animal nutritionists which devote their careers to developing animal feeds specific for a certain species. If the many turkey farmers who make their living from it could develop a more cost effective way to feed, they'd have discovered such a great cost saving idea way before an average Joe with a few pet birds.

 

[poultrypalacewhidbey]

narragansett is right. I dont know what is in deer food but i can guarantee you that it does not have the proper vitamin and mineral levels for turkeys, most layer feeds dont unless you buy from a mill that makes a gamebird layer food. Dont be temped to feed your birds something just because it is cheap. Yes its fine to throw them something like deer food occasionally as long as it is a small percentage of their diet (although you always want to check the label for any medications that could be poisonous to turkeys). I know someone who went to feeding straight barley, simply because it was over $100 cheaper per ton than any poultry feed. Worked fine for awhile until the birds started to get nutrient deprived, then they had many birds with malnutrition problems and had an increase in illness in their flock. People dont like to hear it but if you cant afford the proper feed for your animals then you need to have less animals. I have done it myself because even if the animal is a beloved pet, you are not doing it any favors by not providing for its basic needs.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

It does have Dehrydrated Alfalfa Meal listed in the ingrediants. Is that bad?

The other posters sound very wise...sorry I have nothing more to contribute- but I do know that alfalfa meal is good for chickens.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Alfalfa is good feed because it contains a good percentage of protein. However, it is for grazing animals. It's good feed for geese. Geese are grazing birds. But turkeys are not really grazing birds. Turkeys need a much higher protein. The level of protein that they need indicates that they are basically bug eaters. OK, they will eat anything, but they need that high protein level.

My opinion is that 18% is a bit on the low side for turkeys and a deer pellet would be formulated to bait deer, not even be a balanced diet for deer. I think an alfalfa based pellet would be fine as a treat but not as a regular feed. Personally, I would not feed it if it contained a lot of corn and without seeing the label, I have no opinion on the particular deer pellet that you are feeding

 

[Celie]

it has processed grains, some bi products, plant protein monocalciem phosphate, calcium, zinc oxide,vitamins E and A, alfalfa meal, crude fiber,mineral salt,potassium, copper, but I cannot read the rest of the label and let everyone know what else it has. It is manufactured by Wildgame innovations, 101 Cason road, Broussard, Louisiana. The turkeys get a lot of bugs and crickets and my neighbor is a fisherman and has offered me a lot of fresh fish, is this safe? I know fish contains protein? We have a lot of acorns and they are gobbling them up too. Turkeys comstantly peck at the ground and especcially the compost for grubs and worms. Are acorns and nuts good for them, we have a lot of pecan trees in our area. What is the protein in a high protein turkey feed made of? I give them kitchen scraps, when available and am growing sunflowers this summer for their protein value, They get all the scraps from the garden. If I knew what kind of protein make up the protein in the high protein I could supplement their flock raiser, too? Turkey feed is not available in my area. They also kill and eat field mice when they can catch them. I was offered a pig, and am often given deer sausage with pork in it. We do not eat pork, so would this be safe to r=grind up and feed to them as a source of animal protein? They get plenty of bugs from foraging, but I want to make sure they get all the protein they need. They forage over 5 acres and peck at the ground and grass constantly. especially when it rains. I see them dig up grubs under the trees.
any advise? Please??

 

[Narragansett]

The advice is the same as already given. You can't improve or even come close to developing a diet that meets their needs, like the nutritionists at the feed companies already have. All of those extras that you mention are nice, but they don't take the place of a complete diet. I don't know how much simpler it can be stated. I have a hard time believing that some form of turkey feed is not available anywhere in the US.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Celie, your turkeys are going to be delicious!

My turkey pellets (20%) are basically whole wheat and soybean with added minerals and vitamins. I start my turkeys on a 28% game bird/ pheasant food. It's expensive, so once they are well started, I switch to the 20% food. I'll have to go out and see if the tag is still on the last bag of game bird feed. I would prefer to keep them on the game bird feed, but the budget just won't stretch.

How about this? Do you have a place to feed out of the weather? Put out a feeder of the deer pellets and a different feeder of a good turkey or game bird feed and let them choose. As long as they are well fed, they tend to pick out what will balance their diet. They will probably eat more of the turkey food and less of the deer pellets, but there might be something in the deer pellets they need.

Warning: they should not be fed salt (except in miniscule amounts) and there might be a lot of salt in the deer pellets, because salt attracts deer. That would make them a poor choice for turkeys.

Cooked pork would probably be OK. Perhaps as 10% of the diet. As for fish, I don't know if that would flavor the meat or not, but they can have fish while they are younger. Then take it away when you get closet to butchering.

My guys love cat food. I can get cat food that is 38% protein, but it is way to expensive to feed it as anything but treats.

I grow snow pea plants for them and they get peas and plants and all. there is good protein in pea plants. My guys also eat clover, which contains protein. Those are treats, not a balanced diet.

Best luck to you.