Any recipes for homemade deer repellent ?

[elf]

Noticed one of my old pricey deer repellent containers showed putrescent egg solids as a main ingredient. I now have chickens, thus excess eggs. Any good recipes, or can I just bust some eggs around perimeter to rot - wait, that would attract even more coons & possums & skunks, so how does that work?

 

[dragonlaurel]

If you have any zoos nearby, you could ask for a little of the used bedding from the wolf, coyote or mountain lions cage for your garden. That would smell scary to the deer. Don't do this too close to your house of course.

fixed typo

 

[Rosalind]

Ingredients:
1 30-0-6 rifle or 30-30 shotgun
1-5 shells/bullets, to taste
3-20 hour hunter safety course completion certificate
1 ugly orange jacket
1 massive pot coffee, sugar & cream to taste

 

[digitS']

Here is a link to a Colorado State University Extension study on Preventing Deer Damage.

The comparison of products and the homemade egg spray is at the very bottom of the page.

I've only read what other gardeners have said about using it. One pointed out that, used immediately from the blender, a 20% egg to 80% water mix did not plug her sprayer. That would be frustrating, otherwise. Notice what CSU says, "To prevent the sprayer from clogging, remove the chalaza or white membrane attached to the yolk before mixing the eggs."

No personal experience other than setting the dog on deer and living with damage. I have no idea about attracting unwanted wildlife with a deer repellent.

Steve

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I am with Rosalind - I load my own shells.

I wonder if the whole hair thing is true (never tried it or know someone that has). They claim human hair, very lightly spread (I guess for the smell) keeps them out of places. Are they getting you in the dark? Maybe a motion light would help? They have solar ones.

 

[journey11]

Hi Elf, here's a recipe from an ag ext agent in my area. I posted the recipe to my blog after seeing it on our local news. I had just dewormed my chickens and had stockpiles of eggs I was going to have to throw out, so it was very timely! (You know, I've still got most of those eggs sitting on a shelf in my chicken barn and they haven't exploded yet! )

http://journey11.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/homemade-deer-repellant/

 

[boggybranch]

I am with Rosalind - I load my own shells.

I wonder if the whole hair thing is true (never tried it or know someone that has). They claim human hair, very lightly spread (I guess for the smell) keeps them out of places. Are they getting you in the dark? Maybe a motion light would help? They have solar ones.

I know a long time deer hunter, down here, that would go to the barbershop and pickup the swept up hair and spread it around the deer stands of folks hunting on the land next to his "lease". Told me that he never heard a shot coming from the direction of those stands.....all season. He hunted every day of the season.

 

[HunkieDorie23]

I have heard that deer won't go near rosemary. Some people plant it as a barrier for deer. I don't know of a recipe that uses it as a repellent but I don't think it would draw coons or skunks or any unfriendlies. Maybe just boil some in water and spray it around and see what happens. I wouldn't think that it would be unpleasant and anything with eggs just might be.

 

[elf]

I am with Rosalind - I load my own shells.

I wonder if the whole hair thing is true (never tried it or know someone that has). They claim human hair, very lightly spread (I guess for the smell) keeps them out of places. Are they getting you in the dark? Maybe a motion light would help? They have solar ones.

Actually, I've only gardened at this location on small scale last summer, and we had plenty of rain. Oddly enough, no deer damage. Only thing used was Sweeney's deer repellant cylinder things on sticks from Lowe's. And some human urine. Not even a fence or dog. Don't know if that had anything to do with results. From exp. at my old homesite, deer come most when drought sets in, so the rain has been great in so many ways. At my previous home 30 min. away we gave up on garden due to deer, fireants, drought, sloped garden by giant oak, city water, being on rented property. We are in overpopulated deer area. After the depression, there weren't many, as folks ate anything they could shoot. Then the gov. caught and released them here, and now they are out of balance, causing numerous auto accidents, disease carrying ticks, and farm destruction. Even folks in subdivisions have problems there since you can't shoot in town. Anyway, I've tried hair from beauty shops and deodorant soap. Works for awhile if not in drought, then they adapt. I'm planning on growing as much as I have time for, now that I finally have my own place in the country( WITH A DEEP WELL!) And we've planted corn. If that doesn't draw wildlife nothing will. Gonna try the Sweeney's again, elec. fence, shotgun, maybe one of those predator lights, and perhaps the egg spray. Don't know if the egg spray would really attract wildlife or not. My old bought spray didn't smell like egg to me. Just know I'm baiting my don't Havahart with eggs and have in last two weeks caught 2 possums, one coon, and accidentally scared away one skulking skunk. We have hooded and striped. My neighbor shot 8 last winter in daylight. Don't know if they're a garden problem, but dig under to get into my barn and sprayed one end which drifted into other sections. Also, leave a scent just walking around yard.

 

[elf]

Thanks for the egg recipes, folks. Got lots of eggs getting too old to sell or give away. Just what I wanted. Maybe I'll soak some rosemary twigs and hot peppers in there, too. As to the bottles of urine my husband has saved up for some time now,...well, I think I'll just dump that around the perimeter. And thanks, Journey, cuz I also may at some point need that info. about chicken worming on same page..