Do Deer Eat Apples? [Secret Infos With Nutritional Chart]

Do you want to see animals eating fruit madly?

If yes, then arrange a treat of apples for deer. Don’t forget to take a lot of baskets as deer would like to eat more and more!

Do deer eat apples? Yes, deer like to eat apples. Apples are palatable fruit for deer. This animal can eat fruit, peels, fresh plants, leaves, and even foliage. They will eat up dozens of fruit fall off from branches in a moment. However, this fruit provides digestible energy and is not sufficient to serve alone as a proper diet. So, it is recommended to feed apples as a supplemental diet, not as a full diet.

Nowadays people throw fruit covers and seeds in the rubbish. The best way to recycle the fruit leftover is to feed these to wildlife. If you are a baker and make apple pies then collect all remaining parts of fruit in a bag and send it to the deer feeding area. In this way, you can please wildlife. Let’s see how is it possible:

Feeding Apples To Deer

Feeding apples is a totally different concept from eating apples. Eating is a natural process whereas feeding can be artificial. You may buy apples from the market and offer them as a treat to deer. For natural feeding, deer will itself stand on front legs along the tree, will pick fruit, and eat. It also loves grazing on fruit fallen on the ground.

Don’t worry if the season is off and you want to feed apples to deer. Just click and buy at the doorstep.

Keep one thing in your mind if you are using a supplemental apple diet, don’t exceed its prescribed amount. It may harm the animal digestive system. Deer eat pumpkins also.

Do Apples Attract Deer?

Yes, deer adore fleshy fruit like apples. It is very hard for farmers to grow apple gardens without a fence near deer areas. There are a few reasons for this attraction. Let’s see –

• They are easy to digest
• The red color of apples helps to grab deers’ attention from a distance.
• This fruit is super easy to bite as it is small in size
• There is no need to cut out from the middle like Pumpkin as the whole fruit is edible.
• Fleshy part is rich with nutrients 

What kind of apples do deer eat?

Deer have no concern about the types of apples. Whatever variety it may find in the yard it will eat up. Few varieties of this fruit that grow in Europe are different in color and size than those grow in America.

Ambrosia, gala fuji, Kiko, envy are larger in size and darker in colors. With an increase in fence fruit gardening trend, deer mostly rely on wild varieties. People who live near deer bedding areas should not throw peels in the dustbin. Deer love to feed on peels also. No matter what color fruit may be, deer are ready to bite both green and red.

Do Deer Like Apples?

Yes, apples are the number one choice of deer.

I performed a simple test by myself to prove this fact.

Once I offered corn, apples, pumpkins, and berries simultaneously to 4 zoo deer. To my surprise, three out of four deer went straight to the apple basket and one deer chose corn first. The majority liked eating fruit first. Through this, I thought deer like the sugary taste of apples. Further studies are needed to examine the sense of taste in deer. In my opinion, they prefer sweet over salty taste.

Can Deer Eat Apples?

Yes, off course. Deer can pluck both ripe and unripe fruit easily from the tree. Although the tree is high enough to reach yet deer manage to stand on hind legs. With just one or two bites it can devour the whole fruit. 

So, whenever you plan to treat deer with apples, always bring a lot of fruit. Only one or two apples can’t quench its hunger. If you want to please the animal then order dozens of apple baskets. If you want to invite deer to your backyard, spread a few apples and attach the camera device to the tree. They will not leave even a rotten apple behind.

Are Apples Healthy For Deer?

Always keep one thing in your mind that deer food requirements change with the season. For winter, it needs rich protein, fat and carbohydrate food. Apples are healthy but not fit to serve diet requirements in winter. So it is recommended to prepare a mix formula of fruit, veggies, browsers, and forage.

Deer get temporary energy from fruit sources as apples are rich in water and low in fiber and protein. 

Let’s see the nutritional value of serving per 100 grams of apples daily.

Table of Nutritional Value of 100 grams of Apples – 

Nutrients	Percentage	Vitamins	Percentage	Minerals	Percentage
Calories	52%	Vitamin A	1%	Calcium	0%
Fat 0.2 g	0%	Vitamin B-6	0%	Magnesium	1%
Carbohydrate14 g	4%	Vitamin C	7%	Cobalamin	0%
Dietary fiber 2.4 g	9%	Vitamin D	0%	Iron	0%
Protein 0.3 g	0%			Potassium 107 mg	3%

Do Deer Eat Apples in the Winter?

Yes, they do eat as a supplement diet but not as a proper diet. It mainly depends on when an apple grows on trees.

Appletree bears fruits mostly in November or December in hot areas. However, in snowy areas, it produces fruit from May to October.

Feeding fruits to deer in fall for wintering is a good trend these days. But remember apples alone cant serve as a proper diet to survive well in frosty cold.

Do deer eat apple trees?

Absolutely, Yes. It can even eat up the new young plants, foliage, tree, and fruit. For your apple garden, it can smash almost all harvest with antlers. So follow these tips to keep deer away from your garden –

•  Fence the planting area
• Install a hoop made of wire around each tree to hold the fruit up
• Tie branded soap with bars to drive away deer with its smell

If this creature enters your harvesting area then you may not be able to get a high yield. Best of luck for bundles of apples safe from deer!

Here is a video of deer eating apple like crazy.

Conclusion

I hope you already got the answer to the questions that do deer eat apples or not. you may get help before planning a proper diet for your animal. If you keep on feeding only fruit then deer will lose weight instantly. So, it is always advised to get the help of a veterinarian to prepare a diet for zoo animals. 

One thing more, save good memories of feeding animals in your camera as it helps in reducing stress levels. Whenever you feel bored, watch these videos of feeding and make your soul happy. If you like these details, don’t forget to share it with your friends. Without apple deer also eat pumpkins.