Abstract
Abstract Previous experiments designed to estimate daily digestible energy requirements for body-mass maintenance in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were conducted using deer adapted to northern environments. However, animals adapted to warmer, drier environments may have lower metabolic requirements than their temperate conspecifics. We conducted a feeding trial to estimate digestible energy requirements for maintenance of body mass of white-tailed deer in southern Texas and to determine if those requirements vary over time. By restricting dietary levels of digestible energy and measuring deer body mass every 3 days for a 30-day period, we developed a model relating digestible energy intake and change in body mass over time for 11 adult, nongravid females during autumn. Predicted daily digestible energy intake requirements for body-mass maintenance (kJ/kg body mass0.75) ranged from 820 ± 168 SE at trial initiation to 357 ± 42 at trial completion. Our experiment demonstrated that daily digestib...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
