Corn is NOT high in protein. Its high in starch = energy.
This is a quote from a PhD in horse nutrition, but corn has basically the same effect in rabbits. If you feed corn, it needs to be introduced gradually, and fed with PLENTY of fiber (hay) to avoid enterotoxemia and death. I'm not saying not to feed it, or that it cannot be fed to rabbits successfully, just do some research and learn the basics of animal nutrition if you want to try to balance your own ration to feed livestock that are confined and kept at a high rate of production.
QUOTE: Corn sometimes has a bad reputation as a horse feed, for good reasons. Corn is more energy dense and heavier than oats, so a direct can-for-can substitution of corn for oats will lead to overfeeding. Also, corn is not balanced for nutrients, containing about 71% starch, 8% protein, 4% fat and only 2% fiber. And, worst of all, most of the starch in corn is not digested in the foregut, unless the corn is ground and pelleted or extruded. Most of the starch (72%) from whole or cracked corn is not digested in the foregut and proceeds to the hindgut where it is rapidly fermented. That process results in the production of lactic acid, which lowers the hindgut pH and kills many beneficial fiber-digesting bacteria. Dying bacteria release toxins, and the result can be a horse with colic and/or laminitis resulting in founder. For these reasons, corn should be processed for all horses, and it should not be more than 25% of a pelleted feed. Also, corn screenings often contain potentially lethal mycotoxins and should never be used in horse feeds. :QUOTE
This is a quote from a PhD in horse nutrition, but corn has basically the same effect in rabbits. If you feed corn, it needs to be introduced gradually, and fed with PLENTY of fiber (hay) to avoid enterotoxemia and death. I'm not saying not to feed it, or that it cannot be fed to rabbits successfully, just do some research and learn the basics of animal nutrition if you want to try to balance your own ration to feed livestock that are confined and kept at a high rate of production.
QUOTE: Corn sometimes has a bad reputation as a horse feed, for good reasons. Corn is more energy dense and heavier than oats, so a direct can-for-can substitution of corn for oats will lead to overfeeding. Also, corn is not balanced for nutrients, containing about 71% starch, 8% protein, 4% fat and only 2% fiber. And, worst of all, most of the starch in corn is not digested in the foregut, unless the corn is ground and pelleted or extruded. Most of the starch (72%) from whole or cracked corn is not digested in the foregut and proceeds to the hindgut where it is rapidly fermented. That process results in the production of lactic acid, which lowers the hindgut pH and kills many beneficial fiber-digesting bacteria. Dying bacteria release toxins, and the result can be a horse with colic and/or laminitis resulting in founder. For these reasons, corn should be processed for all horses, and it should not be more than 25% of a pelleted feed. Also, corn screenings often contain potentially lethal mycotoxins and should never be used in horse feeds. :QUOTE
