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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Deer scat in compost pile

16 years ago

Should I worry about the deer using my compost pile as a bathroom? It is a free standing pile, so it's easy for them to get in there. I've never had a problem with deer visiting my yard until a few weeks ago, so I don't know much about this. Thanks for any advice.

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Comments (5)

bpgreen
16 years ago
Sounds like a free source of nitrogen to me.
reginacw
16 years ago
I suppose you could worry about parasite ova, of which there are almost certainly plenty in deer poop. But if you have deer on your property pooping on the ground, you have some of that already.

Wash your hands after gardening, and you should be fine. At least, I think so.
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gumby_ct
16 years ago
I would expect deer to scat while grazing. Could they have been eating something near the pile? Any signs of nibbling? Are you sure it is deer scat? Or could it be from a rabbit?

I just wouldn't expect a deer to climb a pile just to, well you know. Unless maybe it was sleeping on the pile? Is it a warm or cold pile? hmmm
Kimmsr
16 years ago
Deer droppings will be somewhat similar to those of sheep and goats and are fine in the compost pile. Like any other animal the manure could possibly contain pathogens. Most likely the manure does have many parasites, most of which are of little concern to humans.
anitamo
Original Author
16 years ago
Okay, thanks for the replies. It sounds like I don't have any worries for now. It is a cold pile, and I know it's deer scat and they were eating in my garden, then must of wandered over to the compost to eat whatever I had in there, too. I try to bury my veggie/fruit scraps, but maybe I didn't do it well enough.

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