Forages Question about corn husks and silks

[Delias]

We are in full swing of sweet corn season in my area. I've saved the silks and husks from a half dozen ears of people corn that were husked and fed the equivalent of one ear at a time.

I'm not sure how long the silks will keep in the fridge, and less then a week seemed long enough. I was planning on going to a fresh Veg stand this weekend for people and cavy supplies and I know I can pick up a large stash of unwanted husks and silks. Since I know a large amount is just a quick drive away I started thinking about ways to preserve them for later

Is there a health reason to NOT dry the husks and feed at a later date? Has anyone tried freezing the silks and feeding at a later date? Do the silks thaw well, or not at all?

I was originally just going to pick up the amount of silks I thought could be eaten in a few days and not go bad in the fridge.

FWIW, any husk and silks given are meant as a treat and given in that volume after hat/pellets/greens/forages

 

[sdpiggylvr]

I've fed the husks, not the silks, but I think it's better to keep in mind that variety is key. You may have access to this great free vegetable (who doesn't like that?), but I think too much of anything isn't going to be good for the guinea pigs. In other words, I don't think it's worth it to save all the husks and silks. You never want to feed too much of or too frequently any vegetable. I think it's better to feed only what will last fresh in the fridge and stick to the fresh greens.

I would think the guinea pigs wouldn't want to eat dried husks or frozen silks. I've never tried it, but maybe others have.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

They always need fresh foods. Never dried or frozen. I have kept husks and silks in the fridge for a week or so. If the husks feel too dry, I would wet them a little before feeding. They are a pretty good forage that can be fed daily as a nice treat. My girls loved them.

The primary diet is hay, followed by veggies and forages then pellets. Pellets are the least part of the diet. I've always considered husks and silks to be forages and forages are a good addition to any pigs diet.

 

[Delias]

After thawing out the silks, they were like I suspected they would be. They lost most of their crunch, still "edible"** but definitely not fresh.

I thought husks and silks were considered forages and there for a food item that was okay for every day. The main reason I was looking at ways to extend the husk/silk season, is this guy will step over fresh apples to open up husks to get to the silks rolled inside.



**FWIW, (and to CMA) I'll mention that I did not actually feed any thawed silks to any guinea pig. It was an experiment to see how freezing would affect the silks and if they were still edible afterwards or suitable to feed. I would suspect that a large enough clump given to an enthusiastic pig has great potential to cause choking.