Built a pin and put a throw feeder in it. Deer came and ate from it within 3 days. Moved the throw feeder to another spot and put the gravity feeder in the pin two weeks ago and haven't seen a deer eat from it. Only time I get deer back to the pin is if I throw some corn on the ground below the feeder. Meanwhile the throw feeder which is half a mile away is getting plenty of action. Just too many hogs without the pin. Does this take a while for the deer to get used to or am I doing it wrong. Thanks!

Depends on what you're feeding in the gravity feeder. Assuming it's protein?

Have had similar results. Our ETX deer seem to prefer corn on the ground vs protein pellets in gravity feeder

Watchful Ag said:

---

Depends on what you're feeding in the gravity feeder. Assuming it's protein?

---

It's not protein. I will add protein but right now it's just corn.

I got a new lease recently and set up two different small gravity feeders in the same feed pen to see if they would use them and see what they would eat. One had sweet feed and one had a corn/soybean/protein mix. After 3 weeks they still haven't eaten any of the sweet feed from the one feeder. The other one had deer eating out of it within 1 day and they had cleaned it out within a week.

Yesterday said:

---

Watchful Ag said:

---

Depends on what you're feeding in the gravity feeder. Assuming it's protein?

---

It's not protein. I will add protein but right now it's just corn.

---

That is strange ... Can you provide some info on your gravity feeder? Clearly they don't like something about it.

Pen, not pin, right?

08N.Ftw.Ag said:

---

Have had similar results. Our ETX deer seem to prefer corn on the ground vs protein pellets in gravity feeder

---

Same

Our ETX deer won't come near a feeder of any kind but have no problem coming to corn on the ground.

Watchful Ag said:

---

Yesterday said:

---

Watchful Ag said:

---

Depends on what you're feeding in the gravity feeder. Assuming it's protein?

---

It's not protein. I will add protein but right now it's just corn.

---

That is strange ... Can you provide some info on your gravity feeder? Clearly they don't like something about it.

---

Just a tripod 55 gallon metal drum with a game winner gravity feed attachement. You can see it in the picture. Deer will gobble up the corn on the ground but won't touch it in the feeder.

they have to wait their turn after the coons are done.

Deer are natural grazing animals. It is not natural for them to eat out of troughs... they have to learn it. Corn is basically a " candy" for deer.... has about a 6% protein level but high in carbs. Corn helps put on fat in the cold months but is actually bad for the deer in hot months.
Range conditions and available browse and forbes will also determine use at a feeder. If the range is great they will eat natural foods over pellets.
Deer also like to be able and see well while they are feeding. Some of the bulk feeders block their vision and this deters them versus picking it up off the ground with good sight distances.
When range conditions decline...like after the first freeze or drought they will be more apt to feed at bulk feeders.

Yep. They'll take care of getting that corn on the ground. And yes, that's the same pin (pen).

Looks like they figured it out a couple of days ago
.