This deer blog will answer the major question, “Do deer eat sunflowers?” we will also discuss the major health benefits of consuming sunflowers for your deer, how you can protect your sunflowers from your deer, and what part of the sunflower plant your deer likes to eat.
Do deer eat sunflowers?
Yes, deer do eat sunflowers. It is healthy for your deer to eat sunflower because it has phosphorus and protein content which is healthy for your deer. Consuming more and more sunflowers can cause stomach upset in your deer. You should devise ways to protect the sunflowers in your garden.
What are the major health benefits of consuming sunflowers for your deer?
Following are the major health benefits of consuming sunflowers for your deer:
High protein content is healthy for deer
The first thing is the high protein content in the sunflower for your deer. Deer love to consume sunflower because it is rich in protein. Protein is needed for muscle build-up as deer need strong muscles to jump and run.
Deer are active animals and they like to run in the wild. In the wild, the deer is the favorite target of the lion and cheetah. They need to be very fast to protect themselves from the wild animals in the forest.
Protein is also a source of energy for your deer. Protein is utilized when the body runs out of carbohydrates and fats.
When the body is in need of energy, first the carbohydrates in the body are utilized to give energy. After the depletion of carbohydrates, fats are mobilized where they are stored in the adipose tissue cells. They give twice the unit of energy.
After the depletion of fats, protein is the next thing that is utilized but you need to keep in mind that there is a wastage of muscles when there is a prolonged dependency of the body on protein as a source of energy.
Phosphorus content is high in sunflowers for deer
The next thing is the phosphorus content which is very high in phosphorus. Phosphorus performs many functions in the body such as building strong bones and is required by the red blood cells because they maintain the cell membrane integrity as phospholipids are present in the cell membrane.
Phosphorus content is present in the bones of the body. Calcium and phosphorus are the two main components of bones. Calcium is present in higher amounts than phosphorus so it is needed in the diet more than phosphorus itself.
The phosphorus and calcium ratio is critical in preventing bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis.
Phosphorus is also present in the ATP molecule. When one phosphate bond breaks, it gives 7.3 kcal of energy. ATP is needed by all the cells for metabolism so you need to make sure that dietary phosphorus is present in your pet’s diet.
What parts of the sunflower plant are attractive to the deer?
Deer like to consume the growing parts of the sunflower plant. When the deer tries to eat the sunflower plant, it first attacks the leaves of the growing plant and after that, it attacks the sunflower.
Consuming more and more leaves can cause stomach upset in your cat which is difficult to maintain because deer have the capacity to eat more and more.
How can you protect your sunflower plant from your deer?
Following are the ways by which you can protect your sunflower plant from your deer:
Use sprays to keep deer away
The first thing you can do is to use deer repellent sprays. These sprays can keep the deer away from your sunflower. You should apply the sprays to the sunflower plant on all sides so that it can protect the sunflower plant from every angle and every side. These sprays are safe for sunflowers.
Use of loud noise-producing devices
The next thing is the use of loud noise-producing devices which can scare away the deer from the sunflower plant. The loud noise-producing devices should be set in such a way that they shouldn’t be damaged by the water sprinkles when you are watering your plant.
Use of high fences to keep the deer away
You should keep the fences high so that the deer cannot jump over them. The fences should be that high so that the deer cannot injure themselves. You should also dig the fences deep into the ground so that the deer cannot push the fence away from its original place.
Conclusion
In this deer blog, we entertained our important question, “Do deer eat sunflowers?” we also covered the major health benefits of consuming sunflowers for your deer, how you can protect your sunflowers from your deer, and what part of the sunflower plant your deer likes to consume.
References
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/sunflowers-keep-deer-eating-garden-98244.html
