What to Feed Young Deer

Fawns do their best on the milk of their mothers. Weaned young deer begin to eat tender plants and grasses in the spring, often before they are fully weaned. Deer tend to eat a variety of plant matter, grain, nuts, fruits and even mushrooms.
Deer are ruminants, which allows them to eat foods that other animals cannot. Even more woody and fibrous material can be digested, but these foods are not preferential as they have lower food value.

Vines

Honeysuckle vine sustains deer throughout several seasons. The vine is an aggressive grower and retains its leaves, which can be found easily even in winter snows. Deer enjoy many varieties of vine as they prefer tender shoots when they can find them; deer may be attracted to grape vines for their fruit as well as the shoots sent out by the vines.

Agricultural Crops

Soybeans, corn, and some garden plants attract deer and provide an easy and plentiful food source during the growing seasons. Some people leave crops in the field specifically for the purpose of feeding deer.
Many people who actively manage their land will plant what is referred to as a fence around their crop. The fence consists of alfalfa or clover which rings the crops deer like to browse. With this, farmers hope to minimize crop damage as the deer will eat from the leguminous and herbaceous plants before encountering the beans or corn on an empty stomach.

Trees

White cedar is one of the most favored of natural foods for deer. Dogwood is sought in the winter months. Sumac, with its distinctive look mimicking the antlers of the deer, is another favorite. The red maple is better food than the sugar maple, but either will suffice as a source of food.
Wooded areas provide a variety of types of trees for consumption and the trees provide cover for the deer as they forage. Deer prefer the tender parts of the tree, especially new buds and branches that appear in the spring, after a tree has been cut, or when trees are damaged and new growth begins to branch out.

Pasture

Clover and alfalfa, both wild and grown as crops, are popular sources of food. They are readily available in farmed fields, where livestock is fed, or growing wild throughout the countryside.
Bales can be left accessible to deer populations or deer may approach the feeding areas for commercial livestock, particularly in harsh conditions or in winter when their food sources are limited and starvation is a problem.

Acorns

Deer will eat the buds of oak trees, but the value of the food they provide is middling. Deer love the delicious acorns oak trees produce and these are a high quality food, one of the most nutritious foods available for them.
Acorns are not produced in large supply by oaks every year. The amount of acorns provided may vary greatly from tree to tree as well as year to year.

Commercial Feed

The same feed that is given to cows can be fed to deer, but this should not exclusively form their diet. Deer Chow is a product manufactured specifically for the feeding of deer. Any blend of corn, beans, grain, and even a sweetening and binding agent, is going to be adequate and welcome to a population.
Deer should have access to grassy pasture and plant material (hay or grass) in addition to rich grains. Certain deer breeds may be more accepting of other foods such as fruits, beans or melons.

References

• Forest Foods Deer Eat
• Deer Farming
• Managing Your Woodland for White-Tailed Deer

Resources

• The Ultimate Guide for Planting Food for Deer & Other Wildlife