Calling Stxranchman

You asked about what was in the bryant 16% deer pellet I asked about.
Here it is, please tell me what you think

Crude protein (min) 16%
Crude fat (min). 5%
Crude fiber (max). 10%
Calcium(min). .75%
Calcium(max). 1.25%
Phosphers(min). .60%
Copper(min). 5ppm
Copper(max). 15ppm
Zinc. 150ppm
Selenium(min). .25ppm
VitaminA (min). 20000iu/lb

Ingredients
Processed grain by products, grain products, dehydrated alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, molasses product, soybean oil, calcium carbonate, salt, mono calcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, yeast culture, zinc methionine complex, ferrous sulfate, manganous oxide, zine oxide, vitamin supplement, vitamin d3 supplement, vitamin e supplement, sodium selenit, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, cobalt carbonate .

cost per ton delivered?
the fiber is filler

IMO it is very low in minerals and trace minerals, which add a lot of cost to feeds. Those are as important or more than the protein %. What is it costing you per bag? If you have good natural browse and forb growth then it would be cheaper to just supplement a very good mineral since this feed is so weak in them.

Do you recommend a block like Trophy Rock or mix your own and make a lick?

Looks a little weak but should be cheap. Lol

One of the best deer minerals I have found and good folks to deal with as well.

http://www.southwesternlivestockmineral.com/minerals/deer/

Big swing in the Calcium %, I bet it hoovers more on the low end from what they state. You want a consistent calcium ratio IMO, like 1-1/2+ times more calcium than phosphorus, or 2 to one calcium to phosphorus. That tag leave it pretty vague.

I can buy it from bryant feed in aledo for $10 a 50lb, it's 4 or 5 dollars cheaper than other proteins I have found. The rancher plants 100+ acres of winter wheat for us. There is quite a bit of natural forage from what I have seen so far. I ended up buying 600lbs of it to try and see how they take to it. If it is so low in minerals, what would you recommend.

Have you seen the MFM Game Pro™ 16% products near you? (Martindale Feed Mill) That is what I get here local, has trace minerals and solid calcium to Ph ratio, I pay around $10.50-11.50 per bag. I also keep a cattle mineral salt block out (they are usually brown in color) for some trace minerals. Something to look into/consider while you feed the pellet you have.

http://www.martindalefeed.com/locatedealer.html
MFM GAME PRO™ 16% DEER & GAME FEED
Ration for Deer and Game Animals.
-
Guaranteed Analysis
-
Crude Protein (Min) . . . . . . . 16.00%
Crude Fat (Min) . . . . . . .. . 4.00%
Crude Fiber (Max) . . . . . . .. 15.50%
Calcium (Min) . . . . . . . . . . 1.20%
Calcium (Max) . . . . . . . . . .1.60%
Phosphorus (Min) . . . . . . . . 0.70%
Salt (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . 0.60%
Salt (Max) . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.80%
Copper (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ppm
Zinc (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 ppm
Selenium (Min) . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 ppm
Vitamin A (Min) . . . . . . . . . . 15,000 IU/LB
Vitamin D (Min) . . . . . . . . . . 2,500 IU/LB
Vitamin E (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . 50 IU/LB

Thanks, will look into that

Compare these 2 feed labels to what you are buying and you will see the difference in minerals and trace mineral. I prefer a 1.5 to 1 calcium to phosphorous ratio(generally we have a lot of calcium available in most areas of Texas). Phosphorous is expensive to add and adding to much can act as a limiter due to taste of it. Phosphorous, zinc, and copper are very important. What is more important with some minerals is their ratio(amount) to each other.
I can buy this feed for around $10 or less per bag:
http://www.lefeeds.com/Images/DeerFeeds/Tags/deer16.pdf
I can buy this feed for around $11 or less per bag:
http://www.lefeeds.com/Images/DeerFeeds/Tags/20PERCENTPELLETS.png

we used the Lyssy feed for years but they were having trouble getting it delivered in bulk in a timely manner. It is a little more expensive but we switched to the Purina Antler Max through Mummes because they deliver within a day or two of ordering. We have been very pleased with it

I would look for a mineral(block or loose granular) that has a good mineral package in it for deer and then what % of it is salt in the mineral. A lot of "deer" minerals with be mainly salt as a filler, salt is cheap and they will charge you $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for that mineral with it in it. Acco, Purina, and several regional feed mills will have a good mineral for deer. A mineral for lactating dairy cows will work very well for deer. I have always fed free choice deer pellets year round that have a great mineral package in it and any extra mineral I tried got minimal use.

Good TP&W article, even though it is dated, has some good information throughout.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0033.pdf

Since we're on the subject, does anyone have an opinion on the yellow sulfur blocks sold at T/C? Our deer like them a lot. Do they really do anything for antlers though?

sulfur is always an important mineral.. big boost in building amino acids.. I don't say it affects the antlers directly but it does effect overall health and that in return affects antler growth.

If they like it and are hitting it hard it may not be as available to them in your area so cant hurt to keep it out

You can get a mix of mineral though with everything in moderation and not just pay for one mineral

May be an old wives tale, but ive heard it can help with fleas ticks mites etc.

my bad its already been stated lol

There is truth... it makes the skin produce a smell that keeps fleas and ticks away.... but were not just talkin about a pinch here and there... it needs to be daily

Sulfur blocks help with bugs on cattle, or it seemed they "helped" with mine, but I doubt deer would utilize enough to get any benefit. That is why I use the Brown mineral/salt block, they can use as needed/wanted.

BTW IIRC, Salt is like the 3rd ingredient in antler after calcium and Phosphorus?

On one lease the well has a pretty high sulfur content. The LOs say they never have a problem with tick or chiggers. Their 2 dogs that also get the well water to drink never have ticks or fleas without using any commercial tick or flea prevention.

Is this any good?

That is 40-45% salt but very high in several minerals/vitamins compared to the deer mineral. Here is a label off of Purina Deer Mineral for comparison(notice the difference in Salt and others):
http://wildlife.purinamills.com/stellent/groups/public/@purinawildlife/documents/web_content/ecmd2-0063606.pdf

This is what I have out for my Ibex and the deer also eat it. Anything in it that would be bad for the deer? A lot of salt but maybe that is a good attractant to get them to eat the minerals.

The Ash has me curious, I know there is Ash salt, basically a cheaper, less flavorful colored lite salt. Then there is Ash mineral? The same thing?

Got his off Google, not sure if it applies here.

"Ash = total inorganic matter
Ash is a measure of the total mineral content
of the feed, but it does not tell us how much
of each mineral is present.
Ash is not digestible by animals. High ash
content of feeds may dilute the amount of
nutrients available to the animal. Bone con­
tent of feeds of animal origin can contribute
to ash content. If a plant feed is high in ash
content, it may be due to soil contamination
during harvest of the plant material.
Although minerals are not digested by ani­mals, some are essential to their health

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/livestock_feed_analysis.pdf

It tells you the total mineral % of the content

I know, it is in Red above. Curious if it also has a salt content.

Salt is a mineral so its added into the ash count... its more of a measurement than anything

[quote=Junebug]You asked about what was in the bryant 16% deer pellet I asked about.
Here it is, please tell me what you think

Crude protein (min) 16%
Crude fat (min). 5%
Crude fiber (max). 10%
Calcium(min). .75%
Calcium(max). 1.25%
Phosphers(min). .60%
Copper(min). 5ppm
Copper(max). 15ppm
Zinc. 150ppm
Selenium(min). .25ppm
VitaminA (min). 20000iu/lb


I guess I need to compare mine to the Southwest

quote]Calcium (min) 13.00%
Calcium (max) 13.60%
Phosphorous (min) 10.00%
Salt (min) 20.00%
Salt (max) 21.25%
Magnesium (min) 0.75%
Potassium (min) 0.80%
Copper (min) 38.0 ppm
Copper (max) 40.0 ppm
Selenium (min) 19.5 ppm
Zinc (min) 5698 ppm
Vitamin A (min) 82,000IU/lb

Yes, I just wonder if the salt in the ash, is also measure in the stated salts %, if not, the % would be even higher.

Yup the salt content would be a higher % in the ash measurement

Deer will eat something because there is something in it they need. I have seen deer at cattle mineral sites. Mineral packages for some livestock and whitetais will be specific for their individual needs. Not to say that an animal can get a benefit from the other mineral. Salt can either be an attractant or limiter in minerals/feeds. Texas soils and plants have a lot of salt in it in many areas.