Deer feeding in midwinter

[LexieA]

Does anyone know, apart from corn, what you can do to help the deer in very cold mid winter? Corn apparently is not a good thing to do if they haven't been having it. Plus I'd prefer not to give that stuff to any creature personally. They've been eating bits of bird seed that's on the ground, but I was going to put extra for them but now it seems that's not such a good idea. Or only in very small amounts scattered about the yard so they don't get too much. I read about cutting branches so they hang down but that was for March when they have buds. Would it help in January? I'll do that if it will. I don't know what to do. I feel really bad for them. They go to all the deciduous trees at night and must be eating the bark. There are lots of scraggly trees along the dirt road that I could cut branches from but I'm not sure if it would help them. There's one apple tree. Would some of those branches help? Do they need water?

 

[Ennis-TX]

Produce waste from your kitchen IE celery butts, carrot tops, apple cores, seeds form melons/squash, and melon/squash rinds.  Also hay is nice, I know many give grazing animals alfalfa for treats espesially during winter months.
 

[kareng]

A feed store will have deer food

[LexieA]

What about small amounts of apples or sweet potatoes? Not a lot but little bits? It would freeze at some point but they come at dusk and keep returning so I could throw stuff out just before that time. I guess alfalfa is a bad idea too if they've not been having any. So carrots are okay too? I've got tons of produce waste.

Oh, there's deer food? It never occurred to me. I just want to be careful because the info I read said they take 2 weeks to be able to digest a new food (I can relate) but you can put small amounts till they get used to it.

Thank you. I'll give them some kitchen scraps tomorrow and see about deer food. 

[Jmg]

On 1/15/2018 at 5:53 PM, Ennis_TX said:

Produce waste from your kitchen IE celery butts, carrot tops, apple cores, seeds form melons/squash, and melon/squash rinds.  Also hay is nice, I know many give grazing animals alfalfa for treats espesially during winter months.
 

I try and compost those sorts of things or stick them in a stock pot. I wish I had some Deer nearby instead!