Using corn to feed rabbits allows you to achieve excellent results. This product contains many vitamins and microelements that saturate the animals’ bodies with valuable substances and contribute to their full development. At the same time, it is necessary to introduce grain into the diet of animals very carefully. Violation of the basic recommendations of specialists will lead to negative health consequences.
Is it possible to feed rabbits corn?
The beneficial properties of corn are due to its composition. The grains of this plant contain the following components:
- vitamin E;
- B vitamins;
- ascorbic acid;
- retinol;
- vitamin PP.
Corn contains many minerals. These include potassium, copper, chlorine. The product also includes sulfur and selenium. The nutritional value of 100 grams of corn grains is 337 kilocalories. When introducing the product into the diet of rabbits, it is possible to provide the animals with energy. This helps to increase body weight. The culture is often used to fatten animals before slaughter. At the same time, different fragments of the plant are suitable for feeding the animals.
Leaves and stems
Corn leaves are often used to make silage. It is important to use young foliage. It contains maximum juice and is of great benefit to rabbits.
You can give corn leaves to animals fresh, slightly drying them in the shade. To prepare the product for the winter, it needs to be dried for several days. It is recommended to do this in the shade.
You can start giving shoots to animals from 2.5-3 months. At the same time, they need to be cut into pieces to make it easier for rabbits to eat. Only young stems are suitable for animal feeding. At the same time, it is important to remember a sense of proportion. Excess stems provoke dysfunction of the digestive organs. Adult pets can be given 60-80 grams of chopped corn stalks. It is recommended to mix them with vegetables.
cobs
Young cobs can be given to animals directly from the beds. This must be done fresh. Moreover, the cobs do not have to be cleaned of leaves. Thanks to the use of such food, it will be possible to improve weight gain in the autumn season - before slaughtering animals for meat.
The cobs can also be pre-treated. To do this, it is recommended to clear them of leaves, wash them under running water and dry them thoroughly.Then the cobs should be given to the rabbits whole or cut into several parts. It is also recommended to wash, dry and feed the leaves separately from the grains. Store-bought cobs must be thoroughly washed and scalded with boiling water to get rid of pathogenic bacteria.
Corn
It is recommended to soak dry corn for 2-4 hours before feeding the animals. It is worth considering that this product does not contain too much protein. Therefore, it is recommended to combine it with other leguminous crops.
How and how much to give?
Feeding animals with corn has a number of features. This cereal can be given to animals from an early age. However, it is necessary to take into account the stages of animal development.
For young animals
In the first 1.5-2 months, rabbits eat only mother's milk. At the same time, from the 7th week of life, additional products are allowed to be introduced into their diet. Corn must be strictly dosed. It is recommended to give the product in small quantities. This can be done a maximum of 1-2 times a week.
It is recommended to introduce corn cobs gradually. Experienced farmers advise postponing this type of complementary feeding until 4 months.
For adults
Feeding adult animals is of particular importance at the stage of preparing animals for slaughter. To achieve a rapid gain in live weight, 1.5-2 months before slaughtering rabbits they need to be given 60-150 grams of grains. It is recommended to gradually increase the amount of this product.
At other times, the volume of corn in the animals’ diet should not be more than 10-15%. This helps prevent the development of obesity and other diseases.
Baby rabbits
Starting from the 4th week of pregnancy, it is recommended to feed pregnant rabbits a large amount of corn.At this time, the internal organs of the fetus are formed, and its intensive growth begins. Thanks to the high nutritional value of the product, it is possible to accelerate the formation of embryos and achieve the birth of large rabbits.
At the same time, during the mating period, corn must be completely removed from the animals’ diet. Such food makes the animals sluggish and lazy. This negatively affects the reproductive functions of rabbits. After birth, it is permissible to keep the grain in the rabbit’s diet for some time. This helps improve the nutritional characteristics of the milk. However, from the 8th day after birth, the amount of this product is gradually reduced. This is done to prevent female obesity.
When is corn bad for you?
It is prohibited to use corn as the main food for rabbits, otherwise it can cause serious harm to the animals. The main disadvantages of the product include the following:
- High calorie content. Excess grain in the diet of rabbits provokes the development of obesity. This is due to the high content of sugar, fat and starch.
- Insufficient amount of calcium in the plant. Therefore, it must be combined with other grains.
- Lack of protein components in cereals. To provide rabbits with proteins, corn must be combined with other foods.
- Risk of developing allergies and digestive disorders. Cereals most often provoke such side effects in young animals. This problem occurs especially often when introducing a large amount of product into the diet.
Corn is considered a very healthy food, which is definitely recommended to be given to rabbits. In this case, the grain must be introduced gradually and the animal’s reaction must be monitored. Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve maximum benefits and avoid negative consequences for the health of the animals.
