Are deer chewing up your garden again? Are you at your wit's end with these adorable woodland creatures? Well, you’ve come to the right place! A natural, homemade repellent from putrefied eggs can be the perfect trick to keep the deer away from your plants. Keep reading to learn how to putrefy eggs for a DIY deer repellent.

Ingredients

  • 1-2 eggs
  • 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water
  • 1 cup (128 g) of milk or yogurt
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) of garlic powder (optional)

Makes 1 gallon (3.8 L)

1

Mix a whole egg inside a bucket.

  1. Egg is the base of the deer repellent and will give it a pungent smell. Use your hand or a fork to scramble the egg, shell and all.[1] If you want your deer repellent to be extra potent, add another egg.
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2

Pour 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water into a bucket.

  1. The amount of water you use will yield the same amount of repellent. Because this repellent uses water as it’s primarily liquid, it’s safe to pour on your plants and won’t harm the wildlife.[2]
3

Pour 1 cup (128 g) of milk into the egg and water mixture.

  1. Dairy makes the egg putrefy faster and smell even worse. Some farmers and gardeners make their repellent without milk, but the the worse your repellent smells, the better![3]
    • 1 cup (128 g) of yogurt also works. Just make sure you’re using dairy-based milk or yogurt.
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4

Add at least 2 tsp (10 mL) of cayenne pepper to the mixture.

  1. Deer are naturally irritated by the spicy, smokey smell of cayenne. This spice isn’t a necessary ingredient to a putrefied egg repellent, but it can deter the deer even more. Plus, it doesn’t harm plants or animals.[4]
5

Toss at least 2 tsp (10 mL) of garlic powder into the mixture.

  1. Like cayenne pepper, garlic irritates a deer’s sensitive smell. Although this ingredient is optional, the garlic smell can help keep deer away.[5]
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6

Stir the mixture together.

  1. Slosh the ingredients around in the bucket until they’re mixed. This is where having a large bucket comes in handy.[6] If you’re using something smaller, stir with a stick or spoon.
8

Apply the repellent to plants with a paintbrush or spray bottle.

  1. Focus on the area where the deer hang out the most. This DIY repellent won’t harm your plants as it’s made with all-natural and biodegradable materials, so you can put it directly on a deer-loving plant.[8] Spray it for easier and more wide-spread application on flowers.[9] But, it’s best to keep it away from any plants you eat.[10]
    • If adding the repellent to a spray bottle, drain out any chunks before filling. This will help the spray nozzle from clogging.
9

Reapply the repellent after several days or heavy rain.

  1. The repellent can lose its smell or wash away with time. If there’s a heavy rainstorm or the plants have grown, add more repellent.[11] Watch to see if the deer come back, and keep applying repellent wherever they’re not wanted.
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Things You’ll Need

About This Article

Aly Rusciano
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano. Aly Rusciano is a Creative Writer based outside of Nashville, Tennessee. She has over ten years of experience in creative, academic, and professional writing. Aly’s writing has been nationally recognized in the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and featured in Blue Marble Review, The Sunshine Review, PopMatters, and Cathartic Literary Magazine. She graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin with a BA in English, focusing in Creative Writing and minoring in Theatre. This article has been viewed 2,983 times.
4 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: June 14, 2022
Views: 2,983
Categories: Pest Control
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