Body Composition of White-Tailed Deer

Twenty-three captive white-tailed deer ranging in weight from 6.01 to 67.2 kg were sacrificed from June through October to determine the composition of the ingesta-free body. The estimated dry matter weight of the winter hair coat, determined by shaving one-half of the carcass, increased curvilinearly with increasing body weight. Protein and energy retention for hair growth ranged from 5.4 to 13.0 g protein/ day and from 35.0 to 79.2 kcal/day as the ingesta-free body weight increased from 25 to 60 kilograms. The ingesta-free body of all males analyzed averaged 20.50 +- 0.28% protein and 4.61 ± 0.86% ash and all females 20.18 ± 0.72% protein and 4.70 ± 0.67% ash. When corrected for the hair the ingesta-free body of males averaged 19.38 ± 0.19% protein and 4.12 ± 0.67% ash and females 19.13 ± 0.65% protein and 4.48 − 0.46% ash. Fat and water content were inversely related with fat increasing and water decreasing as body weight increased. The estimated caloric content of body protein and fat were 5.413 kcal/g and 9.490 kcal/g. Female fawns were higher in fat and energy content than males, but males and females over the wider range of weights were quite similar in fat and energy content.