Toxic chemicals produced by molds, especially in moldy corn, can lower deer reproduction and also kill birds. At feeding stations in winter, deer numbers may be three to five times greater than normal. Since deer usually eat on their way to and from supplemental feed stations, browsing on landscape plants and gardens may increase. Deer can kill all vegetation in their reach and within a one-mile radius of a feeding station. This overbrowsing on native vegetation creates poor quality of habitat for deer, loss of forest regeneration, and loss of habitat for other wildlife, such as birds that nest near the ground and in the shrub layer of the forest.
Nature seeks a balance between populations of wildlife and their habitat.
When we interfere with this balance, at least in regard to deer, negative effects escalate. In Maine, deer in high quality habitat do not need supplemental feeding to prosper. These pages are currently being maintained from the Communications Office Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this web site. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.