Do deers eat sweet potatoes? Most people are confused with the deer eating habits, their likes and dislikes.
The presence of a deer in the woodland and garden evokes a sense of beauty. Deer are herbivores, i.e., they only consume plant matter to survive.
Deers become very active during the nighttime. But you can see them even in the daytime. They wander everywhere for vegetation.
Deers have an excellent sense of smell, which helps them to find food. But do deers eat sweet potatoes? Yes, deers love to eat sweet potatoes as they are rich in nutrients and sweet in taste. Let’s explore this topic in detail.
Do Deers Eat Raw Sweet potatoes?
Most of us love to eat sweet potatoes. They are even more tasty when you grow them in your garden.
Sodo deers eat sweet potatoes? Yes, deers can eat both raw and cooked sweet potatoes. It gives them lasting energy and hydrates their body, essential during scorching summer. Sometimes, the deer is so hungry that they eat the vine of sweet potatoes.
You need to be very careful while giving cooked sweet potatoes. Don’t give the cooked ones if you have seasoned them with salt or chilies. It can hamper the digestive system of the deer.
Again, don’t keep the cooked sweet potatoes outside for a long time, for two to three days, for the deer to come and eat in your backyard. The sweet potatoes can rot within two to three days. If the deer consumes rotten sweet potatoes, it can badly hamper its health.
Why Do Deers Love To Eat Sweet Potatoes?
Deers can feed on grasses, apples, cereal grains, and more. They can even eat sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are appealing to deer because of the following reasons.
1. Nutritional Benefits
Sweet potatoes comprise protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and fat essential for deer growth and development.
For example, it contains vitamin C, which helps the deer boost immunity and protect against scurvy. Sweet potatoes contain Magnesium, which is beneficial for antler growth.
2. Water Content
Approximately 100 grams of sweet potatoes consume 77 percent of water. When deer consume sweet potatoes, then it hydrates their body. It is particularly beneficial during summer when the deer find a rare water source.
3. Accessibility
Sweet potatoes are easily accessible as they are grown underground. Deers can easily dig the soil and find them.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating Sweet potatoes?
Have you grown sweet potatoes in your garden? If yes, then it can attract deer to your backyard.
If you want to harvest sweet potatoes for yourself, you must protect them from the deer. These wild animals will dig the soil to eat as much sweet potatoes as possible. They may damage your entire crop.
A hungry deer will eat almost everything, like trees, shrubs, barks, leaves, and flowers like lilies in your garden.
They can even damage your backyard’s woody plants, especially in the winter when food is scarce everywhere. Hence you need to take precautions if deer usually visit your locality.
1. Build Fence
It’s good to build a fence against the deer, so the wild animal cannot enter your backyard. You have to close your entire backyard with a fence.
The fence should have a height of at least 8 feet. There are even some deers who will try to jump eight 8-foot fences to get their food. Hence try to have thorny shrubs or angled fences to create an obstacle.
You can even opt for an opaque wall a few feet high so the deer cannot see what is inside the backyard. It doesn’t need to be 8 feet high. The deer cannot see, so it will not try jumping and finding plants or trees for consumption.
2. Netting
Netting is another good strategy if you want to protect your crops like sweet potatoes in your backyard. Gardners can use the net or metal stakes to create a temporary fence and protect sweet potatoes in their garden.
3. Use Noise Deterrents
You can keep deer away from your backyard by using noise deterrents like whistles, wind chimes, and radios.
4. Use Deer Deterrent Sprays
There are various deer deterrent sprays available on the market. We will recommend them as they contain chemicals.
You can prepare a deer deterrent spray at home, like hot pepper spray or egg spray, and then spray it over the entire backyard and plants. But you must apply the deer repellants within a few days. Again frequent rainfall can even wash it away.
We recommend building a fence and applying the repellants in your backyard to protect plants, vegetables, and sweet potatoes. You need to even change the repellants from time to time. It will prevent deer from getting acquainted with one taste or smell.
What are the Other Plants That Deer Will Eat?
1. Yam
Deers can eat Mexican yam. But It is not as tasty as sweet potatoes. They have less starch content but a good amount of calcium and Magnesium, essential for deer growth and development.
Some deer can even nibble yam leaves. Hence, you need to avoid planting yams in your backyard, especially if you stay in deer-infested areas.
2. Tomato
Have you grown tomatoes in your garden? If yes then it will surely attract deer to your backyard. Deer loves to eat ripened tomatoes and their green leaves.
Conclusion
Do deer eat sweet potatoes? Yes, deer eat sweet potatoes. They are good in nutrients and have a sweet taste.
Deers eat sweet potatoes mainly when all other food sources are limited.If you have grown sweet potatoes in your backyard and don’t want deer to devastate the crops, then building a fence 8 feet high is good.
