Hey Fellas,

Decided to try a mix with soybeans and corn in a free choice feeder...then switch over to 100% soybeans. We did protein last year and could not keep the 300lb feeders full for more than 2 weeks. Any luck with soybeans out there? Good place to purchase soybeans (San Angelo or Dallas area)?

Thanks,

Casey

Most feed stores have soybeans or can get you soybeans. As for any luck with soybeans, well, I would personally stick with the protein feed as it is better for them and seems to hold deer in a general area bettter. Now if you plant soybean then that would be a great alternative/supplement to their feeding!!!

You might want to try to locate a mix called STAMPEDE. It is a corn/soybean mix and has done well at my lease!

We do a corn/soybean mix - it is has worked for us as well.

Did you self feed the mix? I have a feeling the deer would have those cleaned out in no time...

You might check with your supplier of soybeans before going 100%.

I nearly fainted when mine quoted ton price on soybeans, good protein deer feed was much less $

The STAMPEDE mix runs about $10.35/50lbs bag and most of the Micobe Feed stores carry it.

Soybeans are good and all but you can get protein cheaper and it provides more vitamins and minerals for the deer than soybeans. Planting them would be a good idea though!

Well...here is what I am thinking: the deer will not eat 100% soybeans as quickly (they would clean out 5-300lb feeders in a matter of 2 weeks). So, the extra cost of soybeans may be cheaper in the long run???

Yeah but the object is to make the deer better overall right? So with that being said ya gotta make a committment to give them what they need. So if they wont eat that much soybean then how are ya helping them that much? I know its hard and at times i wander why i do it but in the end you see the difference.

5909, I have fed both soy bean and black eye peas in gravity feeders over the years. Once the deer get a taste for either of them they will devour them every bit as fast as your protein.

A few other downsides to them are that the non-target animals continue to eat them and you will add almost every type of bird to your buffet. During late July and August, both types will be harder for your dealer to locate. And finally, some of the soybeans will get up in 30% protein range and if your animals do not have enough adequate roughage, they may founder or burn their gut.

Thanks for all the good ideas and suggestions...maybe a soybean/protein mix would be good? That or just spin the feeder all year to keep them around (but this wont benefit the animals. We also added water to all feeder locations, so this should help see some results.

What percent protein are you feeding with this. At what percent do the deer start loosing the extra and is a 5/32 cattle feed with a 16% protein just as good for the deer

The water will help with seeing deer but as far as antler growth, to successfully grow bigger deer you will need to feed free choice from January through September, best if you can do it year round imo, as the deer will be in better shape throughout the whole year. You can check into whole cottonseed as well. Mix that with dairy cattle mineral and you will be good to go, if they eat it. They eat it up on our place down south.

I figured the water would help since we have no water in the pastures...when feeding protein, they claim water must be abundant for proper feeding? Any mineral suggestions as well, figured that could not hurt any?

Purina Mills makes several types of minerals...we mix the dairy cattle mineral with cottonseed, its high in Ca and P which helps horn growth. Works good as free choice as well when feeding protein pellets. Protein pellets give them the all around nutrition with vitamins and minerals and then dairy mineral gives them a boost in the Ca and P department.