Tuesday I bought 900 lbs of feed for my deer feeders from Coffey Grain, Inc. (grain co-op) in Calumet, OK (northwest of El Reno).
The mix I ran with is 600 lbs of whole corn, 200 lbs of whole oats, and 100 lbs of alfalfa pellets. $127 out the door for everything, including bags, bagging, mixing, and 12 lbs of molasses.
Is this a good mix for deer feeders, giving them both fat, protein, and other nutrients to help grow antlers and survive hard winters?
The oats were more than the corn of course, and the alfalfa pellets were way more pricey.
My other choices besides these 3 were Wheat, Milo, and Barley. Prices per 100 lbs are as follows:
Wheat $7.60
Milo $7.65
Corn $7.99
Barley $9.93
Oats $12.88
Alfalfa Pellets $18.49
Other questions:
1. What other mixes should I consider, to get the best bang for my buck, in light of the fact that Milo and Wheat are the same (low) price as corn? Do milo & wheat have higher protein content than corn? Other valuable nutrients? Will they feed through a deer type feeder? Will they be more, less, or the same attractiveness to deer? My theory is that if you have *just one* thing, corn is the most attractive among the cheaper items, but perhaps corn plus X% of one of these others would be even more attractive to deer than plain corn, to give the them fat/taste of corn, but be attractive as containing another needed nutrient, too.
2. Which of these, if any, will absorb moisture to the point that they won't feed through a deer type feeder? Or are any of them just too big or too oblong of a shape to feed through?
3. Any other considerations to look at? I know most people just use pure corn. Any other ingredients I should try to find elsewhere and mix in, for health of the herd, and antler growth? I've heard of using cracked corn, rice bran, soybeans, and sunflower seeds, too, but they didn't have any of these, that I saw.
4. Any other feed stores near metro OKC with very good prices like these, and/or more selection? What about further from OKC in outlying counties? I've heard good about the feed store just outside the James Collins WMA in Pitt County - what's the deal with that one - why so good?
5. How long will this grain last before going bad in my house or garage, assuming I can keep the mice and bugs out? 6 months? 9 months? 1 year? 1.5 years? 2 years? More?
6. The good folks at Coffey said spray the bags with "Tempo" to keep the bugs out/off, if I don't use within a couple of months - what's the Lowe's equivalent of this product?
Not a farm kid here (to my chagrin). Thanks.
The mix I ran with is 600 lbs of whole corn, 200 lbs of whole oats, and 100 lbs of alfalfa pellets. $127 out the door for everything, including bags, bagging, mixing, and 12 lbs of molasses.
Is this a good mix for deer feeders, giving them both fat, protein, and other nutrients to help grow antlers and survive hard winters?
The oats were more than the corn of course, and the alfalfa pellets were way more pricey.
My other choices besides these 3 were Wheat, Milo, and Barley. Prices per 100 lbs are as follows:
Wheat $7.60
Milo $7.65
Corn $7.99
Barley $9.93
Oats $12.88
Alfalfa Pellets $18.49
Other questions:
1. What other mixes should I consider, to get the best bang for my buck, in light of the fact that Milo and Wheat are the same (low) price as corn? Do milo & wheat have higher protein content than corn? Other valuable nutrients? Will they feed through a deer type feeder? Will they be more, less, or the same attractiveness to deer? My theory is that if you have *just one* thing, corn is the most attractive among the cheaper items, but perhaps corn plus X% of one of these others would be even more attractive to deer than plain corn, to give the them fat/taste of corn, but be attractive as containing another needed nutrient, too.
2. Which of these, if any, will absorb moisture to the point that they won't feed through a deer type feeder? Or are any of them just too big or too oblong of a shape to feed through?
3. Any other considerations to look at? I know most people just use pure corn. Any other ingredients I should try to find elsewhere and mix in, for health of the herd, and antler growth? I've heard of using cracked corn, rice bran, soybeans, and sunflower seeds, too, but they didn't have any of these, that I saw.
4. Any other feed stores near metro OKC with very good prices like these, and/or more selection? What about further from OKC in outlying counties? I've heard good about the feed store just outside the James Collins WMA in Pitt County - what's the deal with that one - why so good?
5. How long will this grain last before going bad in my house or garage, assuming I can keep the mice and bugs out? 6 months? 9 months? 1 year? 1.5 years? 2 years? More?
6. The good folks at Coffey said spray the bags with "Tempo" to keep the bugs out/off, if I don't use within a couple of months - what's the Lowe's equivalent of this product?
Not a farm kid here (to my chagrin). Thanks.
