The demand for energy is higher than any other nutrient in a whitetail’s diet. Doe lactation, antler production, hair molting, building of fat reserves and regaining lost body weight all require high amounts of energy.
This does not mean, however, that it is the most lacking in the diet when it comes to a nutritional management plan. Many forms of natural browse contain high amounts of energy as do high-quality food plots. For most of the year, energy is not a limiting nutrient.
Energy needs can be a concern during winter in cold climates. To help elevate an energy shortage, a good mix of high quality perennial food plots, along with specifically selected late-season annuals such as brassicas can be used to supply carbohydrates to your deer herd.
Lipids is the collective term for all fats and oils found in a deer’s diet. Lipids contain large amounts of energy but are not as efficiently utilized as carbohydrates. Lipids do play a role in the production of energy. They can be found in large amounts in hard mast, such as acorns and beechnuts. This is one of the main reasons why acorns are such a valuable fall and winter food source for deer.
Lipid digestion occurs in the rumen by lipolytic microbes. If any lipids escape or bypass rumen digestion, further digestion can occur farther down the digestive system in the abomasum and small intestine.
A common misconception is that an extremely high-fat diet
is an effective way to build energy reserves in white-tailed deer. Not true. Although fat can build energy reserves, extremely high levels can cause negative effects. Ruminants cannot use lipids to the extent that monogastrics (humans, hogs, dogs, cats, etc.) can.
In ruminants, excessively high fat levels can cause a build up of a fatty film on the papillae, which are found on the interior surface of the rumen (as explained in my Deer Biology article on rumination in the June 2008 issue of D&DH).
Papillae are elongated structures that increase the surface area of the rumen and house billions of microorganisms. The filmy material will adversely effect rumen microflora and thus negatively effect digestion. While an exact safety level is unknown, fat levels of 5 percent to 6 percent of the total diet is likely the maximum that can be utilized by deer.
Protein is the basic building block for muscle and bone. Protein is made of various configurations of substances called amino acids, which are nitrogen-containing compounds that bind together to form proteins of higher complexity.
Examples of amino acids are lysine, methionine, threonine and tryptophan. Protein is found in many different natural and agricultural food sources with the highest typically coming from legumes and forbs. Clover and alfalfa for example have high levels of protein as do soybeans. Most of the highest level protein sources can be found in food plot plantings that have been specifically designed to produce extremely high levels of digestible protein.
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