EFFECTS OF DIETARY ENERGY AND PROTEIN RESTRICTION ON NUTRITIONAL INDEXES OF FEMALE WHITE-TAILED DEER

Several physical and physiological indices have been used to assess wh ite-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) nutritional condition and hab itat quality. We tested whether indices reflected inferred nutritional circumstances under controlled conditions of dietary protein and ener gy at 2 time scales. Our study used adult female deer that were captur ed in southern Texas and placed in captivity. We randomly assigned dee r (n = 51) in the long-term study to 4 diet groups representing a fact orial combination of 2 levels each of crude protein (CP) and energy fo r 6 months. We assigned deer (n = 31) in the short-term study to 6 die ts (a factorial combination of 3 levels of CP and 2 levels of energy) for 60 days. At the end of the experimental periods, we sacrificed dee r and assessed their nutritional status from serum (n = 11), ruminal ( n = 3), fecal (n = 4), fat (n = 7), and carcass (n = 7) indices. Prote in-energy interaction effects (P < 0.05) were observed for serum (calc ium [Ca], phosphorus [P]), ruminal (neutral detergent fiber [NDF]), an d fecal (NDF, dry matter) indices in both experiments. Six-month trial s also had protein-energy interactions (P < 0.05) for serum (urea nitr ogen, creatinine), ruminal digestible energy (DE), and fecal nitrogen. Sixty-day trials had protein-energy interactions (P < 0.05) for serum alkaline phosphatase, kidney mass (KM), relative KM, back fat depth, and eviscerated body mass (EBM). Nutritional indices in all categories (e.g., fecal, ruminal, carcass) varied (P < 0.05) by dietary protein status, dietary energy status, or protein-energy interactions. Multipl e indices are recommended to assess deer herd condition and habitat qu ality. However, because multiple indices may not be available because of limited availability and resources, we provided variables in each i ndex category that discriminate among nutritional levels.