any takes on its benefits to deer nutrition? killed very healthy animal in san angelo in the edge of a cotton field. ive been hearing a little bit about it...

not sure of the "actual" benfits, but i do know its good feed. we used to feed it to cows and sheep. would always see deer around the feed piles. deer will hit cotton fields when the plant is in certain stages.

Welcome to the THF.

Lots of really good folks on here with lots of really good information.

This topic has ran thru here before, and it always ends up the same way.

Some folks believe in feeding cottonseed, others don't.

The thing many folks don't grasp is that just because a deer is a ruminant like a cow/sheep/goat, they have different nutritional requirements.

It is like out on the ranch where I do my Javelina hunts.

The rancher has several hundred acres of irrigated alfalfa.

The white tails do wonderful on it, but young mule deer will die if on the stuff too long, too much protein.

From what I hear and read, from folks that I believe know their business quite well, while a deer will eat cottonseed, in fact relish the stuff, no one knows for sure where the line is, as to how much is too much.

Deerfeeder, one of the members here on the site has had some experience dealing with this subject, maybe he will chime in here in a little while.

I own goats and they will eat it and prosper and goats and deer have a lto in common. Some outfitters out here (West Texas, west of San Angelo) feed it and mule deer and whitetails both will eat it. They roll chicken wire up and stake it to a T post and then fill the middle with cotton seed hulls, cotton, etc. whatever is left from the cotton process. Look at these mule deer from last week on this site under photos and all you see in the background, if you can see through all of those horns is cottonfields.
www.mwwildlifestudio.com

We feed cottonseed on our ranch from january to august. We also feed protein. In my opinion it really helps the deer. Sometimes they want one or the other and sometimes a little bit of both. We have consistently killed deer every year field dressing over 200 pounds.

Some of the protein pens get dominated by bucks. The cottonseed allows does and fawns the chance to get some supplemental feed. I think this is where it benefits the most. Here is a link to a recent study that shows no ill effects from feeding whole cottonseed.

http://ckwri.tamuk.edu/fileadmin/user_up...2008_Poster.pdf

State is doing a study now and I saw an article that was titled " Is coyyonseed the next great deer feed" The finiding so far center around the fact that whitetails actually love the cottonseed which is extremely hig in fiber. Study pens have shown 30-40 less weight on deer that have cottonseed but no protein but an actual increase in weight of deer that have both versus just protein. There was some concern over a toxin in cottonseed that some animals have trouble with. Deer apparently tolerate it with no ill effects. Bottom line, it is a great additional supplement but not a lone source of supplementing feed.

I shot my 10 point and the doe that was with him in a cotton field. They were eating the seeds.

Been feeding cottonseed for 10+ years with no problems. Some areas have protein feed and others do not.

i did the same thing, killed doe and eight point in the cotton field. both VERY heavy deer.

Cotton seed is a good feed for deer but it does have one downside. It can make bucks temporarily sterile. We feed it on our high fenced ranch until october to ensure that it is out of their system before the rut starts. Our Fawn crops are usally over 100 % so we have determined that it is a risk willing to take for the benefit of a feed that is cheap and full of protein.

how do you feed the cotton seed mill. In feeders, or just poor it on the ground.

We use hog panel that is 1 foot by 4 feet and two t-posts. Just make a rectangle and tie each side together with baleing wire. Then stuff dariy quality cotton seed in it. We dont use mill.

The only downside with cottonseed is that it is hard to handle and dispense. I have seen some inventive methods using a short roll of fence as a feeder. But you can shovel it on the ground.

Great nutritonal value, and it use to be fed out at the place I run hunts on. One of the arguments that goes on is if it makes the bucks sterile due to the pesticide spraying, prior to the feeding. Texas AM did a study a few years back and they found that it did not contribute to sterile bucks. That is one argument against it out here in west Tx. At one time it was the cheapest and best way to use cotton seed as a supplement. Now a days it is up there in price, just like other feeds.

Were do you get it?
is it availible at feed stores?

For many years cattle ranchers have fed cotton seed and cotton seed hulls to their cattle in the days before going to auction, the protein values are pretty high and the animal is more likely to hold weight a little longer. I work in the oilfield and we keep cotton seed hulls on location and many times if we put the pallets far enough away we will have does and fawns come in after the cows have ripped the sacks open and feed on open sacks.

<edit> NM, question already answered.

Last time I checked it was 235.00 per ton and that was last year

It has gone way up, but still cheaper then pellets

Alfalfa for me, 12.00 ea 80lbs good protien plus it gives them something green to munch on