If you’ve ever looked at a bag of deer feed and noticed molasses on the ingredient list, you might wonder why it’s there. Molasses is a thick, sweet by product of sugar production, and its strong aroma and flavour can make formulated feeds more palatable. It can also provide readily available energy and help reduce dust in certain feed mixtures.
What Is Molasses?
Molasses is produced during the sugar-making process. In animal feeds, it can serve several purposes beyond simply adding sweetness. It provides carbohydrates for energy, can improve palatability and can help bind fine ingredients together, making some feed mixtures less dusty.
This makes molasses a useful ingredient in a variety of formulated animal feeds.
Why Are Deer Attracted to Molasses?
Deer rely heavily on their senses of smell and taste when exploring potential food sources. Because molasses has a noticeable sweet smell and flavour, a feed containing it may be particularly appealing.
Molasses is also rich in sugar, providing a concentrated source of energy when included as part of a properly formulated feed.
When Do a Deer’s Nutritional Needs Change?
A deer’s natural diet changes throughout the year as different foods become available. During spring and summer, deer browse on fresh leaves, shoots, grasses and other vegetation. As fall arrives, their available food sources begin to change, and during winter they rely more heavily on woody browse such as twigs and buds.
Because their natural diet changes seasonally, deer are adapted to eating a variety of plant materials rather than relying on one food source.
Where Is Molasses Used?
Molasses is generally mixed into a formulated feed with grains and other ingredients rather than being offered by itself. It can help improve the taste and texture of the overall mixture while contributing energy.
This is why you may come across commercial deer-feed products that specifically mention molasses as part of the formulation.
Why Not Just Give Deer Molasses or Feed?
Just because deer are attracted to something doesn’t necessarily mean we should put it out for wild deer.
Ontario discourages supplemental feeding of wild deer. Feeding can bring multiple animals into the same area, increasing concerns around disease transmission and creating potential human-wildlife conflicts. Ontario also cautions that suddenly providing large amounts of foods such as corn, grain or pellets can cause serious digestive problems for deer.
For wild deer, supporting natural habitat and naturally available food sources is a better approach than routinely providing supplemental feed.
So, why do deer like molasses? Its sweet taste, noticeable aroma and energy content can make molasses-containing feed appealing. In formulated feeds, molasses can also improve palatability, add energy and help reduce dust.
Understanding why an ingredient is included in a feed can help you better understand the product itself. When it comes to wild deer in Ontario, however, it’s best to appreciate them from a distance and allow them to rely on their natural seasonal diet.
Looking for more information about animal feeds? Visit Ritchie Feed & Seed and speak with our team about the feed products we carry. https://www.ritchiefeed.com/
