Can cows survive on corn

Answer 1

No, cow corn isn't good as far as palatability is concerned (at least for human consumers, not cows: cows will readily eat "cow corn"). It is less better to eat than sweet corn, specifically created by plant breeders to meet the consumer demand for corn and its various derivatived products found on your grocery store's shelves.

Answer 2

They certainly can! However, the question for some is not necessarily if they can, but if they will. Past experience with eating such material often determine if those cows will actually dig in or simply turn up their noses and refuse to eat it.

Answer 3

If you are referring to corn as in grain corn, no. This is an unnatural diet for cattle, and this can be seen when feedlot managers have to mix in antibiotics with the feed to prevent the cows from getting acidosis or bloat when on a corn diet. Corn, like any grain fed to cattle, is too high in starch and carbohydrates and too low in fibre, cellulose and hemicellulose to be considered a good diet for cattle. Cattle, like all wild ruminants, are built to eat grass.

Now if you were referring to corn as in the whole plant, then yes. But there are exceptions: If cattle are set to eat a corn plant that has the corn kernels still attached, there still is a higher risk of them bloating than if they were set to eat corn AFTER the kernels have been harvested.

Answer 4

They can, but it's not like the cultivar of corn that is grown for human consumption. Corn for cattle is a bit more tougher, doughy and slightly bitter than the sweeter varieties.

Answer 5

Yes, but it doesn't taste nearly as good as sweet corn, the altogether different cultivar of corn specifically grown for human consumption.