Feeding Flax: Ground, Seed or Oil?

[HoneyOnAHony]

For those who feed flax - what form do you prefer to feed in, how much of it do you feed daily, and why do you use it in the form you do? Are there any advantages to feeding flax in one form over another that you are aware of? I've done a search but I am looking for comparisons to flax OIL specifically.

[cloudyandcallie]

I prefer whole seed, but after feeding it to Cloudy and Callie for almost a year, over the recommendations of the seminole nutritionist (seminole distributes 50 pound bags of Canadian flax at a good price) I found out he was right, flax seeds like tomato seeds go straight thru without being digested (except the few that are crushed in chewing). I ended up with a lot of flax plants growing out of the manure of my 2 horses.:lol:
It tastes better whole, nutty and good. But I switched to stablished ground seed 4 years ago.
Now I'm going to try chia, like the recent thread suggested.

[partlycloudy]

I found a wonderful source of cold pressed flax oil at a good price. wonderful stuff. I also feed some of the pellets that are a by-product of the oil. (6% fat)
The horses gobble it up and the coats are shedding out to a mirror-like shine.

[Foxtrot's]

Just read of a study by the University of Guelph, that addressed the problem of sweet itch, an allergy to the bite of midges or no-see-ums.

Ground flax seed.

The article was published in the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research and reported a "significant decrease in the area of allergic reaction when horses received the supplemented flaxseed."

A previous study using linseed oil showed no effect (done by Friberg research group).

Speculated that the seed containes phytochemicals and compounds not present in the extracted oil. Administering whole seeds has no effect, either. In the Guelph clinical trial veterinary researchers ground their own seeds.

After 21 days of treatment horses consuming flax seed showed a significant redution in the inflammatory processes.

The drawback to feeding flax seed to horses is the potential risk of cyanide poisoning: flax seed is widely suspected to be potentially toxic. That is why flax seed is usually boiled for an hour to release the highly volatile cyanide before it is processed. Blood tests did not reveal any signs of toxicity or changes in biochemistry in the blood of test subjects after consuming ground flax for a period of 42 days, however.

(with thanks to Anne Patterson for the article)

Therefore, I would feed ground flax seed.

[deltawave]

Flax seed and flax oil are quite different. Flax seed has protein, minerals and fiber that the oil just doesn't have, it being "just the fat, ma'am". :)

If I feed it, I feed the whole seed. Grinding seems to me to be a waste of time--that's why horses have teeth and stomach acid. Ever seen what happens to flax when you soak it in just plain water? I'm not worried about a few stray seeds showing up in the poop--the vast majority of it gets utilized when it's ingested. No worries about cyanide here. Nothing I've read from reputable sources indicates this is a real concern.

[eventmom]

So, do you buy it ground, or do you grind it yourselves? How long does it last if you buy it ground? How often do you grind batches if you do it yourself?
We just got a little pony that my girls are working on for a re-sale project. Very cute, but her skin is horrid! Just the crud all over. Dandruff, scabby, etc... my first thought was flax seed, but I don't know how to do it.
We have always given it to our horses with their beet pulp.....soaked. I don't want to add beet pulp to her diet as she is already fat enough!
I would LOVE to give it to her whole, but I am afraid she would not enjoy the benefits.
Thanks!

[deltawave]

Why are you afraid? I've fed it whole (up to 2 cups a day) for years and never had a problem, with very shiny coats to show for my (lack of) trouble. :) If you really feel like you must grind it, a coffee grinder works fine.

[Foxtrot's]

It comes ground, too, but a sack does not have a very long shelf life, I'm told.

[rugbygirl]

We feed it ground. Coffee grinder, or hand mill (we mill our oats too). Flax is like vitamin C...a little is great, but more isn't necessarily better. The benefit you gain doesn't increase the more you feed. We give the horses less than half a cup a day each.

In the context of the horse's digestive system, the seeds are small and quite tough. They mostly pass through completely undigested. The flax plant population counts on this ;)

[BornToRide]

I'd be careful with feeding flax, espcially to mares because it is high in phytoestrogens. I personally know of 2 mares who did not do well on it - made them more frazzled - it probbaly negatively affected their hormone levels. they improved once the flacx was taken away!

[Dazednconfused]

It comes ground, too, but a sack does not have a very long shelf life, I'm told.

That's why it's necessary to get Stabilized flax if you buy it already ground.

My preference is the oil. I've fed it just for shine/weight gain, not for allergies or anything else, though. It's much easier than having to grind the seeds...

[ksojerio]

I buy 50# bags of whole flax at the feed store.

I use a blender to grind about 4 days worth at one time. I store the ground flax in a covered container and feed 1 c per horse per day.

The shine they get from flax is incredible.

[WhisperHeart]

i feed Omega Horseshine which is a flax supplement that's stabalized. all my horses are super shiny and slick and smooth when they shed out.

i buy the 20lb bags from TSC and at 1/2 cup/per horse/per day the bag lasts me 2 months or so(have 4 horses). i once bought the 50lb sack of OHS when i only had two horses and wont buy that amount again...stuff lasts forever and i ended up throwing out the last couple pounds cause it was starting to smell weird...i had had the stuff for over a year when i threw that last bit out.


i love flax and will continue to feed it to my horses.

[cloudyandcallie]

We feed it ground. Coffee grinder, or hand mill (we mill our oats too). Flax is like vitamin C...a little is great, but more isn't necessarily better. The benefit you gain doesn't increase the more you feed. We give the horses less than half a cup a day each.

In the context of the horse's digestive system, the seeds are small and quite tough. They mostly pass through completely undigested. The flax plant population counts on this ;)

Yes I disputed this with the feed co. nutritionist, so I bought the whole seed thru the feed co., they sell both ground and whole. Then come spring, all the seeds I fed thru the winter sprouted in the manure.

And for the poster who asked about how long the ground seeds last, the type I buy is stablized and has a shelf life of one year. There are several Canadian companies who distribute their flax seed thru American distributors.
I've been told (but don't know for a fact) that the oil is not as good as the seeds, so I'd suggest that everyone check with your feed co. nutritionist (and follow his/her advice so you won't waste months as I did. When only the seeds that my horses ground up with their teeth were utilitzed.)

[cyberbay]

How long does ground flax (DIY grinding) stay fresh?

I grind my own flax seed, and add it to my supplement baggies, doing about 7 days' worth at a time. I feed from 1/2C to 1C per day.

I don't worry about the ground flaxseed going bad in the cool/cold weather, but do worry about this in the summertime. I've been told ground f'seed is good for about a week. Is this true? ? (kept in a cool, dark place, of course).