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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 outerÂ
shell.  It may be fed as an oil, either as flax seed oil or linseed oil.  Oil may be mechanically extrudedÂ
from flax seed and is pale in color and is relatively tasteless and odorless.  This is known as feedÂ
grade oil.  It may be heat extruded or solvent extruded.  Neither of the latter two is recommended forÂ
animal consumption since heat destroys much of the nutritional value of the seed and solventÂ
extrusion contains residual solvent, and is better utilized as a wood stain or treatment.  Flax seedÂ
may be fed as a meal, which is the remaining product after oil extrusion.  Again, only meal fromÂ
mechanically extruded flax seed is of a feed grade quality.  Flax seed may be ground.  However, itÂ
loses it nutritional value quickly after grinding, so it either needs to be ground and fed the sameÂ
day, or it needs to be stabilized with a preservative, which virtually all commercially prepared flaxÂ
seed products are.
When feeding the whole, unprocessed seed, it was generally thought that flax seed needed someÂ
sort of processing to extract the nutrients from the hard outer shell.   Some people boiled it, someÂ
ground it.  But recent studies have shown that the normal mastication process of the horse isÂ
ample processing of the seed to enable the horse to utilize the nutritional value.  Even whole seedsÂ
remaining in the stool were void of most of their nutritional content when tested, indicating theÂ
horses ability to digest the whole seed.  Feeding whole flax seed takes away all the speculativeÂ
hassle involved in how to go about feeding it; whether to grind or boil or feed meal.  MostÂ
nutritionists are recommending four to eight ounces per day.  I would add to this that here is oneÂ
more good reason to insure the integrity of the horse’s teeth.  A visit to a good equine dentist…IÂ
said a good equine dentist…might prove to be the difference in a horse’s ability to properlyÂ
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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