Tdove - 2016-04-21 10:23 AM

I am not familiar with every brand of oil out there but here is some basic info, from my prospective.

All feed ingredients contain fatty acids in their fat content. Furthermore, all oils and fats contains Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids (this is really a shameful marketing tactic when it says "Contains Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids"). Omega 6 cause inflammation and Omega 3 control inflammation. Both are necessary for health, but because most feed sources are higher in Omega 6 than 3, I think it very important for an oil or fat source to be higher in Omega 3 than 6. There are "very" few oils that have this property: fish oil, flax oil and seeds, chia seeds, camelina oil, mainly. "ALL other fats and oils are high in Omega 6 fatty acids and can contribute to inflammation" Some are worse than others with corn oil generally being the worst. Another point to make here is that oils contain very little nutrients in general, compared to ingredients where the oils are derived from in the first place. I am not a big high fat fan and like my fats to come from food sources instead of just the oil itself, for higher nutrition values.

Generally, oil supplements are expensive ($/calorie) and high Omega 3 oils are more expensive than high Omega 6 oils. This is why "Most" oils are a combination of oils with the majority being a vegetable oil of some sort. This is done to cut down the cost, to boost margin, or a combination of both. Often times marginal amounts of high omega 3 oils will be added (usually flax), but this is simply for marketing purposes as there is little benefit to the overall oil for doing so. For example, I believe Healthy Coat is mostly soybean oil with an overall 7:1 Omega 6:3 ratio. I would not recommend this oil or other like it, most oils. There are a few oils that are out there with favorable Omega 3:6 ratios. Many of them are pure flax or camelina oil.

The downside to all oils is there relatively high expense, low nutrient content, and only minor effectiveness (specifically weight gain) due to low feeding rates of 1 to 2 ounces. I find it much more nutritional and cost effective to feed a high fat source such as flax seeds. Other sources of fat such as Rice bran are also higher in Omega 6 than 3. Coconut oil is also a much better choice than vegetable oils, although it does not contain Omega fatty acids.