{"id":1391,"date":"2023-07-07T19:03:34","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/?p=1391"},"modified":"2023-08-01T13:39:21","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T13:39:21","slug":"do-deer-eat-corn-cobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Deer Eat Corn Cobs?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What to feed deer and how to feed deer are interesting topics that open the door to all kinds of questions related to those two activities. One deer food-related question that seems to cause a great deal of confusion is this one: do deer eat corn cobs?<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#What_is_a_Corn_Cob\" title=\"What is a Corn Cob?\">What is a Corn Cob?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#Can_or_Will_Deer_Consume_the_Cob_from_a_Corn_Cob\" title=\"Can or Will Deer Consume the Cob from a Corn Cob?\">Can or Will Deer Consume the Cob from a Corn Cob?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#Nutritional_Value_of_a_Cob_of_Corn\" title=\"Nutritional Value of a Cob of Corn\">Nutritional Value of a Cob of Corn<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#Is_it_Safe_for_Deer_to_Consume_Bare_Corn_Cobs\" title=\"Is it Safe for Deer to Consume Bare Corn Cobs?\">Is it Safe for Deer to Consume Bare Corn Cobs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#Should_Deer_Be_Fed_Empty_Corn_Cobs\" title=\"Should Deer Be Fed Empty Corn Cobs?\">Should Deer Be Fed Empty Corn Cobs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#FAQS\" title=\"FAQS\">FAQS<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#Will_deer_eat_corn_on_the_cob\" title=\"Will deer eat corn on the cob?\">Will deer eat corn on the cob?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#Can_deer_eat_the_corn_and_the_cob_off_an_ear_of_corn\" title=\"Can deer eat the corn and the cob off an ear of corn?\">Can deer eat the corn and the cob off an ear of corn?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-cobs\/#If_my_family_eats_corn_on_the_cob_can_I_leave_the_empty_cobs_out_for_the_deer_living_behind_my_house\" title=\"If my family eats corn on the cob, can I leave the empty cobs out for the deer living behind my house?\">If my family eats corn on the cob, can I leave the empty cobs out for the deer living behind my house?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>The confusion seems to originate with how the question is interpreted. Is the question asking if deer can eat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/engineering\/corn-cob\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/engineering\/corn-cob\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">corn on the cob<\/a> or if deer can eat the corn cob itself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking at how the question is framed, I will try to answer it from the perspective of whitetails consuming the corn cob as a standalone food item.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image_c64bc7-36 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image_c64bc7-36\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Do-Deer-Eat-Corn-Cobs.jpg\" alt=\"Do Deer Eat Corn Cobs\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-1392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Do-Deer-Eat-Corn-Cobs.jpg 700w, https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Do-Deer-Eat-Corn-Cobs-300x185.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"affiliate-style-3559442f-aafc-4a8d-b5d0-85d2a971657c\" class=\"affiliate-block-undefined affiliate-notice-wrapper layout1\"><div class=\"affiliate-notice-inner affiliate-block-advanced-list\"><div class=\"affiliate-notice-title\"><i class=\"affiliate-notice-icon fas fa-info-circle\"><\/i><p id=\"key-takeaways\">Key Takeaways<\/p><\/div><div class=\"affiliate-notice-cntn-wrapper\"><p class=\"affiliate-notice-content\">&#8211; Most species of deer will eat corn off the cob and the cob by itself.<br>&#8211; The cob has little nutritional value for deer, other than a few carbohydrates.<br>&#8211; The cob itself seems safe to feed deer in small amounts.<br>&#8211; Most whitetail deer will only consume the cob when other food options have been depleted. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_Corn_Cob\"><\/span>What is a Corn Cob?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For the purposes of this post, I\u2019m defining a corn cob as the cob portion of an ear of corn that exists after all the <a href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-like-cracked-corn-or-whole-corn-better\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1476\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">corn nuggets<\/a> have been removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, I\u2019m focusing on answering the question about deer consuming the cob itself, so I call an ear of corn that still has corn on it a cob of corn or corn on the cob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_or_Will_Deer_Consume_the_Cob_from_a_Corn_Cob\"><\/span>Can or Will Deer Consume the Cob from a Corn Cob?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To be clear, I have seen whitetail deer eat the empty cob (as in a cob without any corn) on several occasions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, in my experience, whitetails seem to only consume the naked cob for consumption in times when other natural food sources are hard to come by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I observed this behavior in person or on a trail camera, it was usually during late winter or when snow was on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In one instance, I was in a ground blind with a teenager, and his father with the teen trying to bag his first deer. I\u2019ve mentioned this in other parts of the site; I donate some time each year trying to introduce kids or teenagers to hunting or ones that are interested in taking their first deer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this situation, it was late December in North Carolina, with deer season ending in a few days. I was hosting the teen and his father as the teen was chasing his first deer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We were sitting in a ground blind on the edge of two fields where I had observed some deer activity on trail cameras. A group of three does came into one end of the field and started foraging for food. They were a bit out of range for the teen\u2019s comfort level, so we just watched them and hoped they would move our way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I noticed they were feeding on something, so I pulled up my binoculars to take a look. I was surprised to see them eating old corn cobs without any corn attached. The old cobs were remnants of a corn pile I had set out at the beginning of the season. I observed all three does eat several old cobs each and then meander back into the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve also observed this behavior in other states, especially when the ground was covered in snow.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image_e9c3c7-0e .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image_e9c3c7-0e\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Whitetail-Doe-Eating-a-Cob-of-Corn.jpg\" alt=\"Whitetail Doe Eating a Cob of Corn\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-1393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Whitetail-Doe-Eating-a-Cob-of-Corn.jpg 700w, https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Whitetail-Doe-Eating-a-Cob-of-Corn-300x261.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nutritional_Value_of_a_Cob_of_Corn\"><\/span>Nutritional Value of a Cob of Corn<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve discussed this topic with a deer biologist for the state, and the general consensus seems to be that the cob portion of a corn ear has very little nutritional value other than some basic carbohydrates and a few minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, when food is hard to come by for deer, every little bit of food helps. The carbohydrates help provide the energy necessary to continue foraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The average deer needs to eat between 6% and 8% of its body weight daily, so any food source is better than nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_it_Safe_for_Deer_to_Consume_Bare_Corn_Cobs\"><\/span>Is it Safe for Deer to Consume Bare Corn Cobs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While deer researchers and biologists theorize that a bare corn cob doesn\u2019t taste nearly as good as corn itself, no existing data indicates that eating the cob itself poses any hazard to most deer species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some concerns that eating a diet excessively high in carbohydrates can lead to digestive issues, including a potentially serious problem called acidosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_Deer_Be_Fed_Empty_Corn_Cobs\"><\/span>Should Deer Be Fed Empty Corn Cobs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the bare cobs don\u2019t seem to pose any potential health issues for deer, you can potentially offer the empty cobs to whitetails in small amounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wouldn\u2019t suggest offering a large number of cobs as over consumption of them could lead to some carbohydrate-based issues. In addition, the cobs don\u2019t really provide any significant nutritional value for deer either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you wanted to offer the local whitetail deer something to eat, there are food source items that offer better nutrition compared to a bare corn cob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples of better food options for deer include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Oats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rye<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clover<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image_a5a432-15 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image_a5a432-15\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"454\" src=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Mix-of-corn-on-the-cob-and-cornless-cobs.jpg\" alt=\"Mix of corn on the cob and cornless cobs\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-1394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Mix-of-corn-on-the-cob-and-cornless-cobs.jpg 700w, https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Mix-of-corn-on-the-cob-and-cornless-cobs-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQS\"><\/span>FAQS<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some frequently asked questions related to deer eating the bare cob from an ear of corn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_deer_eat_corn_on_the_cob\"><\/span>Will deer eat corn on the cob?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I actually did a separate post about <a href=\"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/do-deer-eat-corn-on-the-cob\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1354\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">whitetail deer consuming corn right off the cob (which can be seen here)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_deer_eat_the_corn_and_the_cob_off_an_ear_of_corn\"><\/span>Can deer eat the corn and the cob off an ear of corn?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Deer have no trouble eating the corn from the cob and the cob itself. However, they prefer the corn over the bare cob and will typically only consume the bare cob when other food is hard to locate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_my_family_eats_corn_on_the_cob_can_I_leave_the_empty_cobs_out_for_the_deer_living_behind_my_house\"><\/span>If my family eats corn on the cob, can I leave the empty cobs out for the deer living behind my house?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While deer corn on the cob and the empty cob is fine to leave out for deer, most deer biologists don\u2019t recommend offering the empty cob from ears of corn grown for human consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The corn grown for human consumption has a different nutritional value compared to deer corn and may be cooked or treated in materials like oil or butter that may be detrimental to a deer\u2019s health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What to feed deer and how to feed deer are interesting topics that open the door to all kinds of questions related to those two activities. One deer food-related question that seems to cause a great deal of confusion is this one: do deer eat corn cobs? The confusion seems to originate with how the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-nofeaturedimage.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1485,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1391\/revisions\/1485"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1391"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deer-feeder.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=1391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}