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Regular
Posts: 94
| Who feeds whole flax? I've heard so much conflicting info b/w ground and whole. I would much rather feed whole than grind if the benefits are still there...and how did your horses do on it?? |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
 
| I've done both and didn't really see a difference do I feed them whole. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
 
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I use to fee them whole also.
I do grind it for our dogs. |
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Regular
Posts: 94
| The place where I just ordered them for the 1st time warned me that they are hard as a rock... But I assume that's just how they are.. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | I have fed both types. feeding whole know and there is no diff then feeding ground. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| The brown ones aren't that hard. I was worried about feeding them whole until I tried them myself :) |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| I feed both ways and never saw a big difference....I buy Omega Horseshine and I"m not sure I see a difference with it other than it enhances their coat color. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | i feed whole.....
m |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | if they are whole, can you soak them before feeding if they are hard??? it would be something I'm interested in, where do you buy them at?
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Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | hoofs_in_motion - 2014-11-01 11:04 AM if they are whole, can you soak them before feeding if they are hard??? it would be something I'm interested in, where do you buy them at?
i dont soak it and i buy it by the 25kg bag from our seed cleaning plant..cost me about 35 to 40 bucks a bag
you guys have completly different stores in the states so somebody from down thata way will share im sure.............
p.s. soaking it is supposed to release a bad toxin or something..i read that on here but i dont have time to find it for you....if somebody could share it, it would be helpfull
m
Edited by mruggles 2014-10-31 12:11 PM
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Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | mruggles - 2014-10-31 12:09 PM hoofs_in_motion - 2014-11-01 11:04 AM if they are whole, can you soak them before feeding if they are hard??? it would be something I'm interested in, where do you buy them at?
i dont soak it and i buy it by the 25kg bag from our seed cleaning plant..cost me about 35 to 40 bucks a bag
you guys have completly different stores in the states so somebody from down thata way will share im sure.............
p.s. soaking it is supposed to release a bad toxin or something..i read that on here but i dont have time to find it for you....if somebody could share it, it would be helpfull
m
O GOSH! Okay i'll definitely stay away from soaking it |
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Regular
Posts: 90
| Flax can be fed whole. You can eat it yourself straight from the bag. I've gotten mine from the feed store and for myself, I usually buy bob's red mill or whatever that brand is and put those in my smoothie. They get ground that way but only because I mix everything together. I regularly eat them straight, unblended or whatever and have never had an issue with my animals eating them whole.
I believe the issue comes from grinding the seeds and not feeding them right away, like within a day or two. The oils in the seeds supposedly go rancid very quickly. I only say supposedly because I've never actually done any research on the topic since I've only ever fed it whole. |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | hoofs_in_motion - 2014-10-31 1:10 PM
mruggles - 2014-10-31 12:09 PM hoofs_in_motion - 2014-11-01 11:04 AM if they are whole, can you soak them before feeding if they are hard??? it would be something I'm interested in, where do you buy them at?
i dont soak it and i buy it by the 25kg bag from our seed cleaning plant..cost me about 35 to 40 bucks a bag
you guys have completly different stores in the states so somebody from down thata way will share im sure.............
p.s. soaking it is supposed to release a bad toxin or something..i read that on here but i dont have time to find it for you....if somebody could share it, it would be helpfull
m
It's more so if you boil it really as opposed to soaking. If you soak a horses feed and it has whole flax in it, I don't think you'll have an issue. I never did.
I feed it whole. It's easier and there isn't a difference. I've actually seen where the WHOLE seeds offer some good fiber benefits along with the oils benefits. I am all for another way to keep the sand out of my ponies. They seem to think it's some kind of seasoning........ |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | barrelracing? - 2014-10-30 5:08 PM Who feeds whole flax? I've heard so much conflicting info b/w ground and whole. I would much rather feed whole than grind if the benefits are still there...and how did your horses do on it??
If your horse has a good digestive system. whole works great |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | I have fed both ways. Cant tell the difference. If you soak whole...it turns into a jelly like slime, I think it is supposed to help pull sand out, but Iv never tested it, and maybe ground does the same thing. I love them. Eat them while Im feeding all the time. ;) |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| The way I understood it when I researched it was you can feed whole. Ground is "better" only because the horse does not have to break down the seed to get to the "good stuff" but if you grind it you have to feed it within a few hours. You shouldn't soak for longer than a few mins because the seeds will put out a toxic chemical similar to cyanide? But it is in very small amounts. Not omg you'll kill your horse, just don't do it lol.
When I fed it I fed whole. My horses broke the seed down fine because I never saw any whole in their poo.
To each their own :) |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I found a couple of articles that have said it is ok to soak whole flaxseeds gor 20 minutes but for sure less than an hour. Also not to boil them, that is when the toxins are released. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | 5 Facts About Flax
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/33616/5-facts-about-flax
Should I use whole or processed flax? Flaxseed can be fed whole to horses; however, due to its hard outer coating, digestibility of the nutrients—especially the fatty acids—is limited when fed whole. Ideally, flax should be fed ground to maximize nutrient digestion. A word of caution: To prevent rapid degradation of fatty acids and, thus, rancidity, either grind flaxseed fresh before each feeding, or use a stabilized flaxseed product. Also, avoid soaking or boiling whole flaxseed as this could alter its nutrient profile. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | We use ground, stabilized, non-gmo flax. If fed whole it moves too far down the system before it is broken down to the point of ideal digestion of the omega 3 fatty acids. You still capture most of the calories feeding whole. You just miss some of the other values. |
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 Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| My health food guru said is best to use a coffee grinder and if you don't use it right away to refrigerate it and won't get rancid for 3-4 days.. |
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 ...Dot Dot Dot...
Posts: 2062
Location: SW New Mexico | I eat a mouthful... myself.. as a part of my daily morning ritual, which includes yogurt, a apple, and my organic supplements.
I like the way it tastes.. and aside from them getting in between my teeth, lol...feel they are good for me... as well as for my horse..
He gets 1/4 cup 2 x daily, along with 1/2 cup rice bran, and 1/2 cup rolled oats.. That's all I give him.. along with grass/alfalfa hay.. He's 1.300# and 16.1 HH! LOL!
I like to keep it simple.
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 Ms. Manners
Posts: 1820
Location: Oklahoma | I started feeding flax seed because of a thread on this forum years ago. I feed 1/2 cup twice a day to my entire herd. I had to get a blender to grind it, which is more efficient than a small coffee grinder. To test out whether I needed to grind or not, I fed whole flax for four weeks . . . there was a difference in all 16 of the herd. My older girls get a lot more pep in their step from the inflamation fighting properties of Omega 3s and everyone keeps their weight better than before ground flax. I have excellent feet that do not chip and the hay lasts longer as well since there is quality fat going through their system. Their winter coats are shorter and shinier, yet they withstand the cold snapps significantly better. For me, using flax, and grinding it, made a significant difference for all my horses.
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Morab76 - 2014-11-03 11:57 AM
I started feeding flax seed because of a thread on this forum years ago. I feed 1/2 cup twice a day to my entire herd. I had to get a blender to grind it, which is more efficient than a small coffee grinder. To test out whether I needed to grind or not, I fed whole flax for four weeks . . . there was a difference in all 16 of the herd. My older girls get a lot more pep in their step from the inflamation fighting properties of Omega 3s and everyone keeps their weight better than before ground flax. I have excellent feet that do not chip and the hay lasts longer as well since there is quality fat going through their system. Their winter coats are shorter and shinier, yet they withstand the cold snapps significantly better. For me, using flax, and grinding it, made a significant difference for all my horses.
I am having a brain fart, so do you get more benefit from whole flaxseed or ground flaxseed? Sorry for my denseness today.  |
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Member
Posts: 29
| I have been feeding flax seed for years and I have come up with a very fast and easy approach to grinding after much trial and error. Let's see..I have used a blender, used a feed mill to grind it by the bag, and now finally what works best is a mini coffee grinder (hamilton beach I think and little black one that has a clear lid and a button for pulsing on lid) you can buy it for about 12 bucks at Wal-mart. This current one has lasted me about 3 years. I just scoop some up in the lid, grind with one hand (takes 20 seconds) and dump into bucket. Feeding ground flax is significantly more beneficial than whole. This whole process only adds about 1.5 minutes to my feeding time. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330
| Actually, ground flax doesn't go rancid in a short period of time, if stored at ambient temperatures.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11746-000-0038-0
"This study showed that milled flaxseed can be stored up to 4 mon at ambient temperatures without noticeable changes in quality."
So, leaving ground flax for several hours (provided its not in hot humid temperatures) isn't an issue.
That being said, I feed them whole because its easier - scoop and feed.
I have also fed ground stabilized flax in the past.
I have noticed no discernable difference between the whole or ground. My horses developed a shiny healthy coat on the whole just like they did the ground.
So I suppose my opinion would be - feed whole, why add time griding?
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 boon
Posts: 4
| I feed ground and whole and mix in a blender twice a day in my barn feedroom..I need to buy a new blender cause it is not very thorough. My mares are shiny and look great.
Learned about flax several years ago on this forum..I am also hoping it will clean out sand and stuff that makes those horrible rocks the vets sometimes have to take out of their guts. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | I feed whole only when I can't get it from the mill rolled. I have 5 head and a 50 pound bag of rolled doesn't go bad or smell funny before I get it fed up. As a side note, I have a bag of whole flax in my feed room, normally the horses can't get to the bag but sunday I had a brain fart when i was checking out a swollen leg on another horse and my 2 year old got his head stuck in the bag and ATE A LOT, and then he chokes and fortunately the vet was able to pass a tube after several tries, but what a scarey ordeal! Learn from my mistakes especially if you have a piggy for a horse :/ |
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Feeding Whole Flaxseed