Do Deer Eat Apple?
Deer are fascinating creatures. A survey once hailed them as the most observed animals in North America. And truly, they are a beauty to behold. Their elegant leap through tall barriers, their quick and graceful movements can keep you watching them for hours on end. Knowing what to feed these animals may prove a bit of a headache if you do not have prior knowledge of what they love to eat. Also, finding the right food to attract them when on a bait hunting trip, will determine to a large extent if you will end up with a prize game for your troubles. So, do deer eat apples?
Deer eat a wide range of food that sometimes, it becomes difficult trying to differentiate what they love to eat and what they tend to avoid. For many people whose homes are situated near woody areas or farmlands and who have deer frequenting their homes, feeding these deer to their satisfaction is possible.
What Deer Love to Eat?
You may wonder if deer eat fruits, especially apples. Deer love fruits and nuts. Typical fruits they cherish include apples, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. Other fruits such as bananas, berries, oranges, pears and watermelons account for their feeding habits.
They also loved vegetables. Once they are able to access your gardens, they will head straight to your flowers, vegetables and ornamental trees. This can be surprising for most homeowners. Like the grazing, nocturnal herbivores that they are, they eat a wide range of plant foods. While it is good you allow them into your yard, if your garden is not properly secured against invaders, these deer may trespass and cause devastating harm to your garden.
Other Common Food Items
As outlined earlier, the food choice of deer can seem inexhaustible. Deer prefer green foliage, clover leaves, grasses and edges. Their varied food taste means they never linger in one place for long periods while feeding. This feeding habit served as a precaution against the stealthy antics of predators who might want to swoop on them unawares.
Apple as Food for Deer
Deer love apples and other vegetables and fruits. The ample nutrients and tasty flavor contained in apples provide their nutritional needs and keep them healthy. Whether these apples are fresh or rotten is not really a factor for these deer. The high water content in fruits and vegetables, their low protein nature and high giver makes them suitable food choice for deer. However, woody brows remain the best food items for deer. The microorganisms in the digestive system of deer make them more suitable to digest these woody brows.
It is important to note that the feeding behavior of deer is ever changing, more so as the seasons change periodically. Feeding on apples occurs during late winter or early spring do the deer.
Overall, do deer eat apples? Yes, they do. It is suitably safe for them and can also be included in their feeders. However, the digestive system of deer makes them incapable of properly digesting apples, so, although it is generally okay for deer to eat apples, they are never the foremost food choices for these deer.