Corn Popped Up Under Bird Feeder – Can I Eat The Corn?

Q: I have several small corn plants that have popped up under a bird feeder. Will this produce corn that I can eat? 

A: All seeds used in bird food (millet, wheat, corn, sunflower, peanut, etc.) are delectable to birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. If the seeds sprout, you’ll get more of the same. To my knowledge, all of these plants would be edible by humans. But you might not want to eat them, because the varieties used in birdseed might not be digestible by humans. Corn varieties, for example, vary from the small-kerneled type we buy at the grocery to the large, hard-kernel kinds used for corn meal, livestock feed and, you guessed it, birdseed. If you do get ears of corn, my recommendation is to leave them for the birds.