Fresh corn? Corn husks?

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Lately I've utilized the rabbits as a sort of kitchen-scraps garbage disposal. They seem to be thriving, lol.

My question is, can they eat fresh corn husks? Or fresh corn? Obviously not MUCH but a little? Can it be on the cob?

 

[ladysown]

yes. At least mine do well on it. they tend to eat them well for about three days and then say "meh".

But once corn season hits here once a week I hit the corn stands and ask for their husks.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Yes, yes, and yes. I wouldn't be too concerned about quantity, either, since they are getting other scraps.

The corn we eat is different from the field corn fed to livestock. Obviously, you don't want any mold on it, but I have never seen mold on fresh corn on the cob- perhaps a spot or three on the husks of corn that gets forgotten in the fridge, but that is about it.

I have always fed the husks to our goats and horses. Next up- the buns!

 

[CWD]

my rabbits love corn on the cob almost as much as I do!!
when they finish with it, if there is anything left over I give it to the chickens.

 

[Marinea]

Mine also love the corn stalks and leaves.

 

[Ivory]

Mine get lots of corn husks, and corn when I can get it. It has to be really fresh though, they won't touch it if it has started to dry out.

 

[Obsidian]

There still seems to be a bit of scientific controversy revolving around the idea of rabbits consuming corn. From what I have gathered, here are a few facts;

1. Yellow corn contains beta carotene, pro-vitamin A, which can be great for rabbits.
2. Dried corn is better than fresh corn, and even more digestible if it's broken up into tiny pieces.

However, there are some important details to take into consideration when feeding corn to rabbits;

1. Nearly ALL corn in the USA, whether human grade or livestock grade, is not 100% GMO free, meaning there is always that tiny chance for GMO related health issues down the road. Hence, one reason (among many) why you don't want corn in your pelleted mix. However, again, this can be a tiny factor.
2.The outer layer of corn kernels contain polysaccharides and lignin, which in large amounts, can be a little difficult for a rabbit to digest.
3. Fresh corn can be problematic, if eaten in large amounts. Because it is not dried, it can be swallowed without much chewing, leaving the hull intact. This could sequentially lead to minor intestinal impaction. For yet unknown reasons, a rabbit's bacterial flora has a difficult time breaking down corn hulls.

In conclusion, recent studies have shown that the consumption of corn has not lead to any significant changes in a rabbit's digestibility or ceacal PH.

Anyway, I hope this has helped a little in your decision

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Awesome. Thanks guys!!! Corn will be a small part of their "kitchen garbage" supplementation, they are still mostly pellet-fed, but I feel silly throwing away Romaine remnants, broccoli stems, carrot tops and corn husks when it should all be edible for the rabbits. Plus since the weather is nice, I have started grazing them a little in my single-rabbit tractor...my dad is skeptical about that but oh well.

The more of the lawn and kitchen garbage they eat, the better, I guess.

 

[Secuono]

I tossed whole green stocks of corn I grew last year to feed the GPs this past Fall. Gave them the husks and all that as well, rabbits didn't get any, just because they were on pasture still.

 

[Miss M]

My rabbits go nuts over stalks and leaves, and husks and cobs!

In summer, frozen corn cobs go over very nicely. I've never given them corn on the cob, just the cobs and the rest of the plant.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Another quick question...I was prepping some strawberries tonight and a few are under-ripe and I'm wondering if they can eat berries (in VERY small quantities!) too.

Or is it too "rich" for them? I don't want to go back to a diet that is fraught with diarrhea...haven't had that problem in a long time, would love to keep it that way!

 

[Miss M]

Rabbits can eat strawberries (you will be their best friend) and strawberry leaves. They can also eat mock strawberries (Potentilla indica) and their leaves with equal gusto.

I'm not sure why, because if you eat a mock strawberry, you will taste nothing.

I mean it.

Mock strawberry is a common lawn "weed". It looks like strawberry, but the flowers are yellow instead of white, and the fruits, rather than having seeds dimpled into the surface, have red seed-like things sticking out from the surface.

 

[Marinea]

My buns love the strawberry leaves, both real and mock, but want nothing to do with the berries.

 

[LauraNJ]

So corn doesn't increase cancer in rabbits as it does in mice and rats? I have avoided corn because I remember when my oldest son was breeding mice and he would pick out any stray piece of corn in the feed because it caused tumors/cancer.

My mini rexes will eat everything and anything. My beverens will not touch anything green except dandelions or apple or mulberry leaves. They also will not eat carrots or other rabbit type veggies. They will pick up the offending veggie and toss it away from their bowls. I keep trying but they are picky eaters.

 

[Miss M]

So corn doesn't increase cancer in rabbits as it does in mice and rats?

I have never heard of this being an issue in rabbits. Generally, in rabbits, the concerns are:

1 - a mycotoxin-producing mold that can grow on dried corn, if it is not properly kept
2 - the high sugar content
3 - GMO corn



#1 would include the vast majority of rabbit feed pellets, as most contain ground corn. There have been a few incidents of mold-contaminated feed on this board.

 

[LauraNJ]

Thanks Miss M. Just wanted to make sure corn was not a C causing food.

I remember the hours my son spent sorting through his mice feed. Funny thing was that his mice were bred to be snake food but he ended up with more unusual colors and people wanted to buy them so even the snake food mice never ate corn.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

.........is there any harm if they...eat a corncob? :x My doe Gem got a slice of corn on the cob...and she ate it all. ALL OF IT. Gone! She seems very perky and was eager for today's rations, which I take to be a good sign, and she's "fussing" and grumbling and basically acting like she wants to be bred, so.........she's acting okay...the devoured cob won't hurt her, will it?

Breezy got a treat, I got a fresh cornstalk sans corn and she got a little piece of that today...never seen a rabbit hoover up a snack like that!!! :lol: Imagine a pencil and an electric pencil sharpener and an overzealous person grinding it to dust...that's Breezy and her cornstalk!!!