There are a lot of myths out there about what deer do and do not eat. One common question is: do deer eat lettuce?
Yes, lettuce is one of the top favorite foods that deer love to eat. Deer love leafy greens that have high water content, and lettuce checks every box for them.
There’s a bit more to learn about deer eating lettuce which we’ll cover in today’s guide. Read on for more info.
Why Do Deer Eat Lettuce?
As we covered, deer will eat lettuce when they’ve got the chance.
But why do they do this?
Well, for one, deer are browsing animals, meaning they’ll eat almost anything they come across if they’re hungry enough.
They love leafy greens that are well-watered and fertilized, which makes lettuce a prime target for deer.
Your lettuce is most susceptible to deer when there are fewer other food choices around for them, and especially when the plants are young and the plants are tender.
Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like lettuce based on opportunity.
Check out this video of a deer mowing down lettuce in a backyard garden:
If you’re not convinced, leave some lettuce out for deer to eat (or plant some), and wait to see what happens!
Is Lettuce Deer Resistant?
No, lettuce is not deer resistant at all.
In fact, deer are attracted to lettuce because of the leafy greens, high water content, and easy availability.
Do Deer Eat Romaine Lettuce?
We’ll have homeowners, farmers, and gardeners ask: do deer eat Romaine lettuce, do deer eat iceberg lettuce, or another specific type they have on their property.
The short answer is, yes, deer will eat all types of lettuce including arugula, butterhead, coral, cress, endive, escarole, frisee, iceberg, little gem, looseleaf, mache, mesclun, oakleaf, radicchio, romaine, speckled, and stem lettuce.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Lettuce?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting lettuce from hungry deer: their habits, your scent, repellent options, and when you plant them.
Deer will eat nearly anything if they’re hungry enough, so your main goal is making your garden as least inviting to deer as possible.
Check out our guide on how to keep deer from eating plants where we cover 25 quick and easy tips for keeping hungry deer out of your garden.
Will My Lettuce Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
So a hungry deer snuck in your garden and had a feast on your lettuce. Will they grow back?
Lettuce can handle some damage from deer, provided that it’s still got 1-2” left from the base of the plant.
Try to trim off any damaged leaves using scissors or a sharp knife.
Continue to care for your lettuce including regular watering and fertilization until they’re back to good health.
If your lettuce plants don’t bounce back after a few weeks, you’ll need to remove them and start new plants.
Is Lettuce Good For Deer To Eat?
Lettuce contains highly digestible fiber, water, and a bit of carbs and protein, so it attracts deer easily.
Feeding deer lettuce provides them with the following vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Calcium
- Iron
These vitamins and minerals provide deer with many benefits.
For example, vitamin C will help protect deer against scurvy and vitamin assists in deer immune system function.
Deer need calcium for bone, teeth, and antler growth and health as well as other bodily functions like milk production and metabolism.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins For Deer
Vitamins A, D, E, K, and calcium are fat-soluble, so they can be stored in the deer’s fat and liver to be used later as needed.
This means that vitamin A content from deer eating lettuce can be “stored up” for later use, which is highly beneficial.
Water-Soluble Vitamins For Deer
Vitamin C, B Vitamins, niacin, folic acid, and potassium are all water-soluble, which means they cannot be stored, so they must be replaced continually.
So a deer that eats lettuce for the vitamin C content must continue to consume foods that contain these necessary vitamins to stay healthy.
Can I Feed Lettuce To Deer?
Feeding deer foods like lettuce occasionally is fine, as it is viewed as a rare treat and the deer will really enjoy it!
Feeding wild deer lettuce regularly poses a few problems, however.
Here’s why you shouldn’t feed lettuce to deer often.
Deer Need To Rely On Nature For Food
If you feed deer continuously, they may start relying on that food source, which will cause them to stop foraging in nature for foods that they need to survive.
Natural Foods Are Naturally Better For Deer
Feeding deer foods like lettuce can alter their diet significantly, depending on what you’re feeding them, increasing the chance of malnourishment.
Deer Should Have A Healthy Fear Of Humans
Second, it reduces a deer’s natural fear of humans, which can shorten their lifespan or put them in danger.
You May Attract Other (Unwanted) Wildlife
Putting extra food out for deer can also attract predators like coyotes, wolves, or mountain lions to the area, which put the deer (and potentially you) at risk.
You Can Increase The Transmission Of Diseases
If you have lots of deer in your area, think twice about putting out food continuously for them.
If you bring deer together at the same feeding site, it can increase their risk of contracting chronic wasting disease or other communicable diseases from each other.
How To Feed Deer Lettuce
Most gardeners and veggie growers want to keep deer away from their lettuce.
If you have extra lettuce or are looking to see if you can feed lettuce to deer in your backyard, this next part is for you.
There are a few things to keep in mind when feeding deer lettuce: the size of the portion and your scent.
Make sure to place the lettuce on the ground where they’re visible and can be easily reached by deer.
If you’ve got a winter food plot with lettuce growing in it, the deer will eat them right out of the ground.
If deer are not normally around your area in winter, don’t feed them leading up to winter as they will not migrate where and when they should.
This will lead to the deer relying on you as their food source and can result in starvation.
Should I Cut Up Lettuce For Deer To Eat?
Deer are used to eating leafy greens like lettuce and the plant is also very tender, so you do not need to cut up or shred lettuce when feeding it to deer.
Don’t Leave Your Scent On Deer Food
Deer have a keen sense of smell that allows them to smell human scent farther than bloodhounds can, and can smell up to six different scents at once.
Deer won’t eat food like lettuce if they have a strong human scent on them, so you should take care to minimize your trace.
You can do this by rinsing the lettuce and also washing your hands with antimicrobial soap.
Alternatively, you can put a few drops of apple cider vinegar on your hands when handling food you’ll be giving to the deer.
Another easy option is to use gloves when handling lettuce for deer to eat.
Consider The Amount Of Deer You’re Feeding
If you have lots of deer in your area, think twice about putting out food continuously for them.
If you bring deer together at the same feeding site, it can increase their risk of contracting chronic wasting disease or other communicable diseases from each other.
Do Deer Eat Lettuce? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat lettuce?
The answer is yes!
Deer absolutely love lettuce and will eat as much lettuce as possible whenever they get the chance.
Deer will eat all varieties of lettuce.
Fortunately there are many methods you can use and combine to keep deer away from your lettuce if you need to.
Try a few and see what works best for you.
Have any observations to add to the discussion? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Check our our other helpful wildlife guides while you’re here:
- Can deer eat orange peels?
- Do deer eat rutabaga?
- Do deer eat pumpkins?
- Do deer eat tomatoes?
- Do deer eat Morel mushrooms?
- Do deer eat oats?
- Do deer eat squash?
- Do deer eat jalapeno plants?
- Do deer eat corn?
- Do deer eat sweet potatoes?
- Do deer eat carrots?
- Do deer eat green beans?
- Do deer horseradish plants?
- Do deer eat pepper plants?
