Corn on the cob and watermelon

[workindog]

Possibly stupid question here. I picked up 3 extra ears of corn on the cob tonight just for our chickens. Last time i gave them our left over (boiled) corn on the cob and they LOVEDDDDDD it. My stupid question is, is it better for them to eat it raw or should i boil it? Will they eat the silk and husk too or is that a no no?

Also, we bought a whole watermelon tonight. I cut it all up but saved the rind for them. Would the whole rind be too much if i divide it up to last about 3 or 4 days? Just not sure how much is too much..

Thanks in advance for your help

PS im new to feeding chickens so i hope no one minds when i pop in with some random questions lol

 

[Tiana's chickens]

I'm sure I've asked plenty of silly things so don't worry lol.

I don't think it'll make a difference for the corn to be raw or boiled. Ive tried giving corn husks before but mine didn't eat the husks. Not sure if silk and husks are a no no, I've never thought about that.

You should probably divide the watermelon rind to last a few days so the chooks are still eating their layer food. But I don't think I'll matter too much either way.
And if they don't want to eat it all, I'd just compost it

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I'm sure I've asked plenty of silly things so don't worry lol.

I don't think it'll make a difference for the corn to be raw or boiled. Ive tried giving corn husks before but mine didn't eat the husks. Not sure if silk and husks are a no no, I've never thought about that.

You should probably divide the watermelon rind to last a few days so the chooks are still eating their layer food. But I don't think I'll matter too much either way.
And if they don't want to eat it all, I'd just compost it

Possibly stupid question here. I picked up 3 extra ears of corn on the cob tonight just for our chickens. Last time i gave them our left over (boiled) corn on the cob and they LOVEDDDDDD it. My stupid question is, is it better for them to eat it raw or should i boil it? Will they eat the silk and husk too or is that a no no?

Also, we bought a whole watermelon tonight. I cut it all up but saved the rind for them. Would the whole rind be too much if i divide it up to last about 3 or 4 days? Just not sure how much is too much..

Thanks in advance for your help

PS im new to feeding chickens so i hope no one minds when i pop in with some random questions lol

I just try not to give them too much. Corn and watermelon are kind of watery and then they get diarrhea and then I have to give butt baths

 

[rosemarythyme]

They won't eat the husks but I throw them out there anyhow since they're fine in a deep litter type setup.

Raw corn and watermelon is fine, dunno about silk. Just don't overtreat as they'd rather gorge on this stuff than eat their feed.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

As noted, all things in moderation. Husks, stripped cobs and silk are all part of my deep litter.....we put up enough freezer corn for four households each year and I split the "waste" with my sister as we both deep litter. The birds pick all the bits off the cobs..and get the entire "bad ears" ... have never had any issues with silk, never noticed them having any interest in ingesting it.
Melon rinds and uneaten melon get tossed out as we have them, the rind gets stripped clean and becomes part of the litter.

 

[Beccazon]

I think all questions are legitimate. I'm glad you asked. I would not have thought rinds would be interesting or good for them. But now I know! Cobs too! Mine LOVE a head of broccoli to pick at and drag around. I bet they would super enjoy corn on the cob. Who doesn't?! Right? Lol. And in asking, you have gotten responses that make me ask questions so...off to drop a new thread! Lol

 

[chkva]

My chickens won't even bother with the rinds. They only eat the actual fruit part and stop at the rind. Corn I feed steamed then cooled down just because it seems to be the way they like it since I've tried all other ways. I don't do corn in the hotter months though because corn creates more heat from digestion so I only feed it in cooler months. If they don't eat it, you can always compost it.

 

[workindog]

Ty everyone for your replies. Definitely will do in moderation

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We let the chickens clean up the watermelon rinds and cooked cobs, whatever's left disappears into the dirt and I guess the worms take care of it. We throw the husks with the silks over the fence to the neighbor's cows, they always seem happy to have them. Gracie the Sheltie also gets a cob to chew on, I'm sure she loves it more for the butter than anything else, lol.

Edit. Sigh, I always miss at least one typo.

 

[so lucky]

My chickens used to love watermelon rinds. I would save them, freeze them, then give them a couple pieces on a hot day. They would eat down to about a half inch thick. Then I could compost the rest.
The other thing, slightly gross, is they loved Japanese Beetles. I would use JB traps, freeze them by the gallon bag, and have a handful of beetles to give them on winter days when no other bugs could be scavenged in the yard.