Oh boy it ' s almost as if those with a children ' s hobby are emotionally stunted . <| sep |> Thank you , you are very right ! I will change it . <| sep |> That ' s awesome . I ' d also like to point out you ' re very well spoken . <| sep |> Can they eat corn ? ? SureThey can ' t naturally digest itWell . which is it ? Edit since I have time to actually answer nowI ' ve watched food inc , as much as I could stomach of it anyways . It ' s very biased , and presented in such a way that while there are truths included , they ' re either hyperbolic to drive the agenda , or only mentioned in passing to give the appearance of being unbiased . Back to corn and cattle digestion the reason that there are issues in cattle fed grains has little to do with what they ' re fed , but rather the proportions they are fed . Cattle need roughage such as hay , or grass . In the feedlot environment , cattle are fed a ration , which is formulated in order to provide maximum growth . Providing maximum growth , as evidenced in the poultry industry , is not always best for the animal . A hot ration , or a ration high in protein such as a mix with a high level of soy or corn in it is problematic for a few reasons that tie together . For starters , corn is typically fed as flaked corn , known to us as frosted flaked without the frosting . This corn is very high in surface area and allows for easy digestion by the ruminal microbes . So it travels into the rumen where it ' s fermented very rapidly , lowering the pH which ideally is 6 . 57 by creating volatile fatty acids . So , this lowered pH has the effect of killing fiber fermenting microbes , which digest the roughage . Since these fiber fermenting microbes are gone , there ' s more room for the amylolytic microbes . They can then reproduce , ferment starch even faster , and the cycle continues . This is known as acidosis , and can be fatal to the animal if not treated . Things typically don ' t get to that point though , but we do see some issues with bacteria eating their way through the rumen because the pH is not ideal . These bacteria then travel to the liver , and cause liver abcesses . Now , remember how I mentioned that the lowered pH kills the fiber fermenting microbes ? Let ' s go back to that . Corn is digested so quickly because its nutrients are easily accessible . They ' re available as carbohydrates and can be broken down into sugarssimplified , but it ' s not important here , and absorbed in the small intestine . In roughage like grass however , those nutrients are all bound up behind cell walls and between lignin , which can ' t be digested . So it takes time to break these things down , there ' s a lot of work that goes into cracking open a cell wall , akin to you opening a coconut with your hands . It can take up to 2 days for fibrous feedstuffs to travel through the rumen , depending on lignin levels . Contrast this with a few hours for feedlot rations , and we can see the issue . I hope this clears up some misconceptions . I know it ' s a lot to read , but it ' s important to get all of it . This issue cannot be pressed into small easily digestible pieces unless you want to hear , yes it ' s fine . and take it as the gospel .