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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| I have been feeding 3 of my horses flax seed for 3 months now.
-One is pregnant (due next week) and needed some weight on as well as hoping to improve her feet. She gets 1/2 cup at night as I heard a rumor that it can cause early labor or something like that?
-The second is 8, has great feet and a mane to die for but I like to keep it healthy and growing so shes been getting it too. She gets 3/4 cup at dinner.
-Last is a 13 year old gelding who isn't skinny but isn't a super hard keeper and also doesnt have the greatest feet so I figured it wouldn't hurt to put him on it either. He gets 3/4 cup at dinner
It's been three months now of them getting whole flax seed (because everything I've read has said not to grind it) and I think they've had some mane growth as I can see the sun bleached parts growing out but I'm not sure if it's from the flax. I was curious about the whole vs ground flax so I put each of their poop in seperate ice cream pails and mixed them with water. Poured them on the cement and let it dry and when it was it was FILLED with flax seeds. To me it looks like they didn't digest any of it and all of the WHOLE pieces are in their poo-- none are broken down and it looks to be all of what they ate the night before. Thoughts?? |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
 
| I fed it 60 days and really didn't see much of a difference either. I ground mine in a coffee grinder however. |
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
 
Location: Texas | I had mine on it for a year, whole flax, never noticed a difference |
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| Whole flax seeds will not be digested or very little amounts. It is a waste of money to feed. You need to mill it or grind it. I use a coffee grinder. The only problem with milled flax is if not stored right it will lose it's nutritional value over time. So either milll it yourself or buy stabilized flaxseed. I love flax because it is super high in omega 3's (and other goodies too) (plus fiber and fat for energy). |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| Thanks for the responses guys, I was told not to grind it because it didn't make a difference and was only good for about 20 min after grinding (meaning you have to do it everyday). It was only $25 for the bag and I'm still not finished with it so it was a good test I guess! I wanted it for the Omega-3's as I heard you should balance it with the 6's or something like that and I'm always open to trying new things and learning! Maybe for the rest of the bag I will try grinding it.  |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | Feeding the whole flax seeds is good for their gut and works much like feeding a sand clear. They ARE digesting a good amount of the whole flax and flax is high in omega 3's. Do yourself a favor and just google "Feeding horses whole flax seed". |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | ThreeCorners - 2016-04-07 7:38 AM Feeding the whole flax seeds is good for their gut and works much like feeding a sand clear. They ARE digesting a good amount of the whole flax and flax is high in omega 3's. Do yourself a favor and just google "Feeding horses whole flax seed".
I agree with this  |
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 Expert
Posts: 2335
Location: IL | SmokinGirlie - 2016-04-07 8:02 AM ThreeCorners - 2016-04-07 7:38 AM Feeding the whole flax seeds is good for their gut and works much like feeding a sand clear. They ARE digesting a good amount of the whole flax and flax is high in omega 3's. Do yourself a favor and just google "Feeding horses whole flax seed". I agree with this
I totally agree with this ^^^^ Just because they are still in seed form doesn't mean they aren't getting the benefits. I love flaxseeds, my horses look great. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| My interpretation of Flax seed is that it is mostly just good for added fiber? It does have some Omega fatty acids but unless you break it down I dont see that as a benefit. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| merdth6 - 2016-04-07 8:39 AM SmokinGirlie - 2016-04-07 8:02 AM ThreeCorners - 2016-04-07 7:38 AM Feeding the whole flax seeds is good for their gut and works much like feeding a sand clear. They ARE digesting a good amount of the whole flax and flax is high in omega 3's. Do yourself a favor and just google "Feeding horses whole flax seed". I agree with this
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Expert
Posts: 2335
Location: IL | FlyingJT - 2016-04-07 9:28 AM merdth6 - 2016-04-07 8:39 AM SmokinGirlie - 2016-04-07 8:02 AM ThreeCorners - 2016-04-07 7:38 AM Feeding the whole flax seeds is good for their gut and works much like feeding a sand clear. They ARE digesting a good amount of the whole flax and flax is high in omega 3's. Do yourself a favor and just google "Feeding horses whole flax seed". I agree with this
Read this article, if corn is fed it will come out whole too, but that doesn't mean the digestive system isn't getting the nutrients from it.
http://www.understanding-horse-nutrition.com/flax-seed.html |
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Expert
Posts: 2335
Location: IL | Here is more on Flaxseed:
- Some facts about flax…
Flax seed, which is also known as linseed, is a small, amber-brown seed with a very hard outer
shell. It may be fed as an oil, either as flax seed oil or linseed oil. Oil may be mechanically extruded
from flax seed and is pale in color and is relatively tasteless and odorless. This is known as feed
grade oil. It may be heat extruded or solvent extruded. Neither of the latter two is recommended for
animal consumption since heat destroys much of the nutritional value of the seed and solvent
extrusion contains residual solvent, and is better utilized as a wood stain or treatment. Flax seed
may be fed as a meal, which is the remaining product after oil extrusion. Again, only meal from
mechanically extruded flax seed is of a feed grade quality. Flax seed may be ground. However, it
loses it nutritional value quickly after grinding, so it either needs to be ground and fed the same
day, or it needs to be stabilized with a preservative, which virtually all commercially prepared flax
seed products are.
When feeding the whole, unprocessed seed, it was generally thought that flax seed needed some
sort of processing to extract the nutrients from the hard outer shell. Some people boiled it, some
ground it. But recent studies have shown that the normal mastication process of the horse is
ample processing of the seed to enable the horse to utilize the nutritional value. Even whole seeds
remaining in the stool were void of most of their nutritional content when tested, indicating the
horses ability to digest the whole seed. Feeding whole flax seed takes away all the speculative
hassle involved in how to go about feeding it; whether to grind or boil or feed meal. Most
nutritionists are recommending four to eight ounces per day. I would add to this that here is one
more good reason to insure the integrity of the horse’s teeth. A visit to a good equine dentist…I
said a good equine dentist…might prove to be the difference in a horse’s ability to properly
masticate and digest whole flax seed. A Thesis on Flaxseed by:
Frank J Schweighart |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I think it is similar to oats. I feed whole oats from Woodys. One of the best cleanest brands of oats. I do see some in their poo, but not the 1/2 coffee can that I gave them. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| wyoming barrel racer - 2016-04-07 10:36 AM
I think it is similar to oats. I feed whole oats from Woodys. One of the best cleanest brands of oats. I do see some in their poo, but not the 1/2 coffee can that I gave them.
Same here. I feed a full cup of flax with their oats and between what they drop, spill, and lately, the wind blows away, I figure they are getting about 1/2 C total. I can really tell a difference on 2 of my horses toplines when they are getting it vs when they are not. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2013
Location: Piedmont, OK | It's kind of like us eating corn! LOL. Sorry to go there.  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | If you live in an area that sells Omnis CP, then that is my recommendation for feeding whole flax. It is the best of both worlds. Whole for the nutrients, shelf life, and fiber and in a cube form for convenience, slower consumption, and better digestibility.
Edited by Tdove 2016-04-07 11:23 AM
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Tdove - 2016-04-07 11:20 AM
If you live in an area that sells Omnis CP, then that is my recommendation for feeding whole flax. It is the best of both worlds. Whole for the nutrients, shelf life, and fiber and in a cube form for convenience, slower consumption, and better digestibility.
I second this. If you can get them, do. My horse was a terrible gobbler. I was always afraid of him choking. Since I have fed him the Omni cubes, he chews his food slowly and no longer crams as much feed in his mouth as he can. He has really slowed down on his eating time and looks great. There is another perk - The birds used to be terrible around the horses, leaving their poop every where. Now we don't have a black bird problem because their is no grain in their poop for them to pick out, I guess. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | GLP. A little off topic but it works the same for the oats in the cubes as well. It's a little harder to do with the flax, due to the small size, but very easy to see with the oats. If you will break open a cube and examine an oat, you will see it still in its whole form. This locks the nutrients inside and increases shelf life. If you will just take your fingers and roll the oat around, you will see how soft the hull has become and it will just disintegrate in your fingers. Now compare that with a whole oat from a bag. The reason for this is the steam and pressure of cube around the oat tenderizes the hull, making it more digestible. When this tenderization is combined with slower, even consumption, more saliva production, and longer chew time, you can see how this is a major breakthrough in whole food digestion and increased nutrient uptake vs traditional processing. The same exact thing happens with the flax. This means that you can feed whole flax for the nutrient content and still increase digestibility. This is why foals and geriatric horses can digest the whole oats and flax in Omnis with great results, while they would not be able to effectively get the same benefit from whole, bagged oats and flax. I am not sure many people are aware of this added benefit. Many people feed alfalfa, oats, and flax, not realizing that putting in the cube has a major added health and digestion benefit vs. separate ingredient feeding, in addition to the extreme convenience factor.
This is even true for the alfalfa portion, being chopped and chewed more. Better digestion and nutrition uptake over baled alfalfa hays.
Edited by Tdove 2016-04-07 11:56 AM
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Tdove - 2016-04-07 11:53 AM
GLP. A little off topic but it works the same for the oats in the cubes as well. It's a little harder to do with the flax, due to the small size, but very easy to see with the oats. If you will break open a cube and examine an oat, you will see it still in its whole form. This locks the nutrients inside and increases shelf life. If you will just take your fingers and roll the oat around, you will see how soft the hull has become and it will just disintegrate in your fingers. Now compare that with a whole oat from a bag. The reason for this is the steam and pressure of cube around the oat tenderizes the hull, making it more digestible. When this tenderization is combined with slower, even consumption, more saliva production, and longer chew time, you can see how this is a major breakthrough in whole food digestion and increased nutrient uptake vs traditional processing. The same exact thing happens with the flax. This means that you can feed whole flax for the nutrient content and still increase digestibility. This is why foals and geriatric horses can digest the whole oats and flax in Omnis with great results, while they would not be able to effectively get the same benefit from whole, bagged oats and flax. I am not sure many people are aware of this added benefit. Many people feed alfalfa, oats, and flax, not realizing that putting in the cube has a major added health and digestion benefit vs. separate ingredient feeding, in addition to the extreme convenience factor.
This is even true for the alfalfa portion, being chopped and chewed more. Better digestion and nutrition uptake over baled alfalfa hays.
I didn't know this. Thanks for the info. I absolutely love this feed. I drive 2 hours one way to get it, but to me it is worth it. Now when people tell me down here "its just another cube but with oats and flax in it" I will have an explanation for why it is not. |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | soonergirl98 - 2016-04-07 10:08 AM It's kind of like us eating corn! LOL. Sorry to go there.
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Blessed 
Location: Here | ThreeCorners - 2016-04-07 7:38 AM Feeding the whole flax seeds is good for their gut and works much like feeding a sand clear. They ARE digesting a good amount of the whole flax and flax is high in omega 3's. Do yourself a favor and just google "Feeding horses whole flax seed".
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| Wow, thank you everyone! I am learning lots :) I like the fact that it can kind of act as a sand clear so maybe I'll stick with it a little longer as it's cheap and lasts a long time! |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | merdth6 - 2016-04-07 10:22 AM
Here is more on Flaxseed:
- Some facts about flax…
Flax seed, which is also known as linseed, is a small, amber-brown seed with a very hard outer
shell. It may be fed as an oil, either as flax seed oil or linseed oil. Oil may be mechanically extruded
from flax seed and is pale in color and is relatively tasteless and odorless. This is known as feed
grade oil. It may be heat extruded or solvent extruded. Neither of the latter two is recommended for
animal consumption since heat destroys much of the nutritional value of the seed and solvent
extrusion contains residual solvent, and is better utilized as a wood stain or treatment. Flax seed
may be fed as a meal, which is the remaining product after oil extrusion. Again, only meal from
mechanically extruded flax seed is of a feed grade quality. Flax seed may be ground. However, it
loses it nutritional value quickly after grinding, so it either needs to be ground and fed the same
day, or it needs to be stabilized with a preservative, which virtually all commercially prepared flax
seed products are.
When feeding the whole, unprocessed seed, it was generally thought that flax seed needed some
sort of processing to extract the nutrients from the hard outer shell. Some people boiled it, some
ground it. But recent studies have shown that the normal mastication process of the horse is
ample processing of the seed to enable the horse to utilize the nutritional value. Even whole seeds
remaining in the stool were void of most of their nutritional content when tested, indicating the
horses ability to digest the whole seed. Feeding whole flax seed takes away all the speculative
hassle involved in how to go about feeding it; whether to grind or boil or feed meal. Most
nutritionists are recommending four to eight ounces per day. I would add to this that here is one
more good reason to insure the integrity of the horse’s teeth. A visit to a good equine dentist…I
said a good equine dentist…might prove to be the difference in a horse’s ability to properly
masticate and digest whole flax seed. A Thesis on Flaxseed by:
Frank J Schweighart
The is an interesting series of statements, some of which are not too accurate. I am a believer in Fax, I use it in my formulations. I agree that some whole, unprocessed flax can be digested and be of value in some diets. The actual percentage utilized by the horse, in my opinion, in that form is pretty low. You need to think about some of what is said here. The comment that somehow the whole flax seeds that pass through the system have magically had the nutrition sucked out of them while remaining in tact is ridiculous. There may be pieces of outer husk that looks like whole flax in the manure, but that is not whole flax. Also, it is not true that all stabilized flax is treated with chemical preservatives. Studies have shown that some of the whole flax can be broken down in the digestive system, but I don't think much is actually properly chewed up in the mouth. Because of the very small seed size, most is swallowed whole. Flax, once ground, if not stabilized (mechanical process, not chemical) does have a very short shelf life before becoming rancid. I have not fed the blended cube that Tdove sells, but agree that there may be an advantage to those cubes over adding whole flax seed to a diet for the reasons that he stated. The Omega 3 / Omega 6 relationship, and the need for flax to address that in every diet is a whole other conversation. There is a real advantage in some diets (high grain based concentrates fed along with straight grass hay), and not needed in others. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | I have fed it ground (in a coffee grinder) and whole. Did not see a difference. Either way though I saw a big difference in hoof growth and over all shine.
Side benefits were, I actually feed it for sand clearing as much as anything else. When you put whole seeds into a glass of water (not sure if this is true with ground but probably) it turns into a gel, like a gooy substance. That is supposed to help pick up sand in the gut and keep it moving through the system. Since I live in Sandy Florida, sand issues is always a big part of my feed thinking. When I test for sand, my horses have very little if any.
Also, this I learned accidentally. . . I have to dump my 100 gallon water tubs about every 3 months or sooner because of algea issues. It's really bad here in the summer and once a month is even necessary. Several years ago I went to dump the tub and it was covered in a green plant. When I picked them up I could see they were flax seeds growing across the whole surface of the tub, so I threw them off and noticed the tub had no algae. ALMOST NONE. So I did some tests and the horse tubs with flax growing grow almost none, the cow tubs are full of algae. So now I put a hand full in every tub every few months and only have to dump my tubs every 5 or 6 months. I use it for that if nothing else.
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They Don't Know Me
Posts: 3299
Location: Bastrop, TX | Tdove - 2016-04-07 11:20 AM
If you live in an area that sells Omnis CP, then that is my recommendation for feeding whole flax. It is the best of both worlds. Whole for the nutrients, shelf life, and fiber and in a cube form for convenience, slower consumption, and better digestibility.
Started 4 of mine on the Omnis CF Friday. Highly recommend it. I took pictures of the 4 I put on it so in a few weeks will take more and compare. It has really slowed down the gulping, and eating too fast. They seem to be content longer. |
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 Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | bobbyjosocks - 2016-04-10 9:15 PM Tdove - 2016-04-07 11:20 AM If you live in an area that sells Omnis CP, then that is my recommendation for feeding whole flax. It is the best of both worlds. Whole for the nutrients, shelf life, and fiber and in a cube form for convenience, slower consumption, and better digestibility. Started 4 of mine on the Omnis CF Friday. Highly recommend it. I took pictures of the 4 I put on it so in a few weeks will take more and compare. It has really slowed down the gulping, and eating too fast. They seem to be content longer.
That's exactly the word that I've used several times..."content". Our little cribber is so much calmer and happier now that she's on 100% Omnis :) |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Tdove - 2016-04-07 11:20 AM
If you live in an area that sells Omnis CP, then that is my recommendation for feeding whole flax. It is the best of both worlds. Whole for the nutrients, shelf life, and fiber and in a cube form for convenience, slower consumption, and better digestibility.
What is Omni CP? Is there a difference in it and the Omni Cubes? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | It is the same. The name for Omnis is Omnis Complete Performance. CP is just short for that. Make sure you are aware there is an "s" at the end of Omnis. ;) |
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I did the "poop test" for Flax seed