Forages Corn Husks

charliecharlie · May 14, 2009

Hi all,

In a few of the older posts I've come across, I've read about how we can feed corn husks to our piggies. This is news to me.

Well, I believe I may have hit the piggie corn husk jackpot. Last night, I walked into the Super Walmart and by their corn section, they had a HUGE garbage pail of the husks left by shoppers. You have no idea how excited I was to see this. To the mortification of my stepdaughter, :eye-poppi I grabbed a husk from the bin, took it home, washed them, cleaned them of silk, dried them and gave 4 little leaves to CharleyCharley. He LOVED them!
He popcorned all over the place last night. I think this site and all the info I'm finding has made him happier, too!

I'm so excited, that I'm going to ask a manager at Wally World to allow me to take home a bag of their corn husks. Maybe other Wally Worlds do this near you and it's a free source of food.

I guess my questions are:
*Can I give husks every day? If so, how many?
*Am I cleaning them properly?
*Is there anything I need to worry about regarding husks?
*I read somewhere on here that someone stores husks for winter eating. How can I do that? Is there a special way to store the husks so that they do not mold, etc.? Do you store it in tupperware? Do you put paper towels between them?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Ly&Pigs · May 14, 2009

I guess my questions are:
*Can I give husks every day? If so, how many?

Yes, but start slow with just a few pieces and add another piece in daily until they are more used to them.

*Am I cleaning them properly?

Washing them is all you need to do. You don't need to remove the silk unless it's brown. They can have the silks too.

*Is there anything I need to worry about regarding husks?

Nope.

*I read somewhere on here that someone stores husks for winter eating. How can I do that? Is there a special way to store the husks so that they do not mold, etc.? Do you store it in tupperware? Do you put paper towels between them?

Don't store them, they dry out. They need to be fed fresh.

SheriMartini · May 14, 2009

I was concerned that silk would be a choking hazard. Should the husks and silk be chopped up tiny? Or can you give bigger pieces?

BabyBellie · May 14, 2009

My pigs love husks too but it just occured to me, do the husks count as greens or are they more like regular veggies.

I don't know if they have to be chopped up but i feed mine in palm size pieces simply so it goes around more and they don't fight over them.

Ly&Pigs · May 14, 2009

I consider husks/silks to be in the forage category. They are the outer leaves of a veggie but not a veggie themselves.

Silks are fine and soft therefore they do not pose any type of choking risk unlike celery strings which are harder and not so fine. You can rip the husks into more managable strips if you'd like but it's not necessary to chop them up.

lissie · May 15, 2009

Can I store them in the fridge? If so, how long?

blackarrow · May 15, 2009

charliecharlie said:
Well, I believe I may have hit the piggie corn husk jackpot. Last night, I walked into the Super Walmart and by their corn section, they had a HUGE garbage pail of the husks left by shoppers. You have no idea how excited I was to see this. To the mortification of my stepdaughter, :eye-poppi I grabbed a husk from the bin, took it home, washed them, cleaned them of silk, dried them and gave 4 little leaves to CharleyCharley.

So it's not just me that's doing this, LOL. Here, the pail is in all the regular grocery stores too, and no one cares if I take 'em, they're tossing them anyhow. I just make sure I take the ones that look the freshest. I'm even doing a little educating while I'm at it! I always explain that I'm taking them home for my guinea pigs to eat, and right behind me in the store the other day was a woman who has a guinea at home, and she didn't know they could eat 'em either. She said she always gives hers yogurt drops for treats, so we ended up having a chat about how those actually aren't healthy. She was really tickled to find out that there's something better for them that is free!

charliecharlie · May 15, 2009

Thanks, Ly, for the answers to my questions.

Blackarrow, that's great. I imagine that to happen to me as well when I go back to get some more husks. I LOVE sharing a great deal and some information--and, well, you can't beat "FREE" with a stick!

AND, I'm glad to hear they can eat the silk too. I was concerned about them choking on the strings also, but if that is not a problem, then CharleyCharley has another treat coming to him!

ferndalezoo · May 15, 2009

THe last time I bought sweet corn for my family (to grill), Everyone around me was husking their corn right there. I just stripped enough of mine to check that it was good, and put them, husk and all, into the bag. I got the funniest look til I explained why. Everyone at that store already knows that if I walk out having bought a zillion different greens and veggies, much of it is not actually intended for human consumption. Between my bird, my iguana, and my piggies........

Wheek Weak · May 15, 2009

We've been feeding corn husk once, or twice, a day year-round for almost four years now.

Our piggies prefer fresh, but over the summer I dry two large paper grocery bags of husks for feeding over the winter (when fresh corn isn't available).

I store fresh, cleaned husks in the refrigerator in a zip-lock bag with a few sprinkles of water added to keep them moist. They stay fresh about 3-days.

Dried husks get stored in open paper bags.

I make sure all the corn that I buy is totally free of any sign of being (or having been) molded. Corn mold is deadly to guinea pigs, so even if I suspect an ear of corn has had any mold on it...I pitch it and wash my hands thoroughly.

To dry husks for winter use - just peel, clean, and trim the husk like you normally do. Then lay out individually on clean white or brown paper for about 24 hours to dry. That's it...then simply store it in a paper bag where it will have plenty of ventilation to stay dry. Don't store it in plastic of any kind (it could mold).

Our piggies love the silk too. I just give it to them fresh off the cob (after trimming any brown or dry areas off). It's soft enough that you don't have to cut it.

Milkingit · May 15, 2009

This is great information, my girlfriend and I are corn nuts, we eat it constantly during the spring/summer. Her grandfather actually has a farm with corn. Looks like our girls are gonna be getting some new things to try. Can we feed them the actual corn too?

charliecharlie · May 15, 2009

Thanks, Wheek Weak!! That's great news on the mold and how to store it for the winter. I'm going to get a HUGE bag from Wally World and CharleyCharley is going to be set!

I'm so excited to see if he likes the silk. He is one spoiled piggie!

It's so much fun learning all this new stuff about guineas. I've taken so many of the things I've learned on here and put them to use already.

So far I've:
*built a cavy playpen in our living room
*used a shoe box for a hidey hole in his play pen
*stuffed a toilet paper roll with hay
*found out CC LOVES corn husks
*planned on making a C&C cage to house both guineas (CC and the one I plan to adopt in June)
*used a soda box for a hidey tunnel
*adopted fleece as the new and improved bedding alternative

CharleyCharley is one happy piggie. Thanks, y'all!

Wheek Weak · May 15, 2009

Milkingit said:
This is great information, my girlfriend and I are corn nuts, we eat it constantly during the spring/summer. Her grandfather actually has a farm with corn. Looks like our girls are gonna be getting some new things to try. Can we feed them the actual corn too?

According to Ly's chart...you can feed them one medium ear of corn 1-2 times per week. https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...-pigs-diet-read-me-nutrition-charts-info.html

Our piggies don't care for the corn itself, but they do like to nibble on a piece of the cob after the corn is cut off.

Wheek Weak · May 15, 2009

charliecharlie said:
Thanks, Wheek Weak!! That's great news on the mold and how to store it for the winter. I'm going to get a HUGE bag from Wally World and CharleyCharley is going to be set! I'm so excited to see if he likes the silk. He is one spoiled piggie!

CharleyCharley is one happy piggie. Thanks, y'all!

You're welcome!

One of the many good things about this website is how to spoil your guinea pig rotten! All of our rescues have been (and are) spoiled beyond belief...and we wouldn't have it any other way!

It sounds like you're on the right track. Just keep reading, reading, reading everything you possibly can on this site, and GuineaLynx, to insure the best possible life for your piggies. Good luck and happy spoiling!

4piggers · May 15, 2009

ferndalezoo said:
THe last time I bought sweet corn for my family (to grill), Everyone around me was husking their corn right there. I just stripped enough of mine to check that it was good, and put them, husk and all, into the bag. I got the funniest look til I explained why. Everyone at that store already knows that if I walk out having bought a zillion different greens and veggies, much of it is not actually intended for human consumption. Between my bird, my iguana, and my piggies........

You sound like me....lol

shamrockmommy · May 23, 2009

ferndalezoo said:
THe last time I bought sweet corn for my family (to grill), Everyone around me was husking their corn right there. I just stripped enough of mine to check that it was good, and put them, husk and all, into the bag. I got the funniest look til I explained why. Everyone at that store already knows that if I walk out having bought a zillion different greens and veggies, much of it is not actually intended for human consumption. Between my bird, my iguana, and my piggies........

Me too. I have gotten "WoW! You eat SO healthy!" many many times because of all the fresh veggies and such that I buy for the pigs and my dogs> But our family is also big veggie eaters as well, so when I go shopping it's a huge load of fresh produce and lean meats.

werevamper · May 27, 2009

I'm not a big veggie eater at all since I'm really picky. So I get the same thing when I get my veggies. I even almost got an avacado for free the other night until I told them they can't eat those.

teatea121 · Jul 3, 2009

So I discovered some corn husk, and my piggies loved it. But how much should I feed per day? Such as how many leaves?

Thank you!

Wheek Weak · Jul 4, 2009

I give our piggies one large husk (or a couple of small ones) per day.

I don't include it in their food diet since it's a forage item. I just give it as a treat after I do their evening spot cleaning (when the piggies are in a playful mood and very active).

piggiecrazy · Jul 5, 2009

I started feeding my piggies corn husks and silks last year. After seeing how much they loved it I tried to freeze some and see how it stayed. I used my seal a meal and packaged up serving size portions. When I wanted to feed it to the piggies I just cut open the package and gave it to them right out of the freezer. They absolutely love it. I plan on doing the same thing towards the end of season again. Now I just give them the fresh everyday. It is great having a farmers market and wally world right around my house, so I just go get fresh when my supply runs low. Will start to freeze some in the next few weeks. That way its fresh and available year round for them. Hope you'll try it for yourselfs. Enjoy!

Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Forages Corn Husks

charliecharlie

Active Member

Ly&Pigs

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator

SheriMartini

Well-known Member

BabyBellie

Well-known Member

Ly&Pigs

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator

lissie

Well-known Member

blackarrow

Well-known Member

charliecharlie

Active Member

ferndalezoo

Well-known Member

Wheek Weak

Well-known Member

Milkingit

Well-known Member

charliecharlie

Active Member

Wheek Weak

Well-known Member

Wheek Weak

Well-known Member

4piggers

Well-known Member

shamrockmommy

Well-known Member

werevamper

Well-known Member

teatea121

Well-known Member

Wheek Weak

Well-known Member

piggiecrazy

Well-known Member

Similar threads

Share this Page

Newest members

Online statistics

Key Resources

Members online