Feeding Flax

[PamnReba]

I could use some input on feeding flax to my girls (four mares - two older, two younger). All four are getting one cup of alfalfa pellets (roughly 1/2 lb) per twice-daily feeding, the two air ferns are getting just that, but the other two (yearling filly and my riding mare) are also getting the weight-appropriate amount of Triple Crown 30% Ration Balancer. I bought a bag of TC Ground Flax as well, after reading on here how beneficial it can be. I have added it to each feeding, but one mare (air fern) won’t eat it. That’s fine, she’s not usually picky but whatever. The other three love it, but at various times I have noticed all three having what I can only describe as “trouble” with eating it - in that that they quit eating about halfway through the meal, stand there occasionally licking and swallowing, until apparently whatever was bothering them clears enough for them to be comfortable enough to finish eating. They aren’t, or don’t act like they are, choking, per se, just… I don’t know exactly, I’m guessing that maybe it packs in their mouth or something since it seems to really get gooey when it’s wet? I have tried varying the amounts I’m feeding, thinking maybe it was just too much, but it doesn’t seem to matter. I have also tried grinding the alfalfa pellets, as they are kinda big and hard (Standlee is the brand), thinking that would keep it from making a glob, but that didn’t change anything either.

If it was just one horse, I would suspect something with their teeth, but all three have done it - though not all at once, and not all the time. It’s just rather odd and I am not sure what to think. I’ve considered soaking it all, but that’s a time suck in the mornings that I just can’t afford. So right now I’m not feeding it at all, and no one is having any issues.

Really just curious if anyone else has noticed their horses doing anything similar? I’d like to resume feeding it, especially for one mare that has some skin issues - but I don’t know if what I’m seeing is normal, and more importantly, if it’s making them uncomfortable. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

[BoyleHeightsKid]

How much are you feeding?? Both of my boys get 6oz which is about a cup of whole flax, that I grind daily. Maybe just give them a smaller amount and slowly work your way up to the desired amount. Soaking the alfalfa pellets and stirring the flax in with that should really help too.

[WildLittleWren]

I know I will only feed flax ground fresh daily. If the flax has already been ground (and is bagged or whatever), it has already lost a lot of its nutritional benefit. I buy flax whole, and grind it fresh daily to put in their feed. I do know ground flax can become rancid quickly, but I am not familiar with the TC Ground Flax, how its preserved, so I can’t comment on that. I just keep a coffee grinder in the feed room and grind it fresh before each meal.

I’m sure other posters will chime in with more thoughts. Good luck OP!

[WildLittleWren]

Wanted to add, perhaps they are turning their nose up at it because it isn’t quite right? Is it just this bag? Or have you fed it prior?

[PamnReba]

@WildLittleWren

Wanted to add, perhaps they are turning their nose up at it because it isn’t quite right? Is it just this bag? Or have you fed it prior?

This is the first bag I have fed, and they will readily (and messily!) eat it out of my hand - and most of the time finish their feed without issue. It’s just every once in a while I see them stop eating, and then resume again after a bit. They haven’t done that at all since I removed the flax, and that’s why I think it’s a texture/gumminess/wadding/whatever kind of situation in their mouth or top part of the throat, more than it being off. I don’t remember the exact date on the bag, but I am always careful about that and know it was good, and staying good for a while, when I bought it maybe a month or so ago.

[PamnReba]

@BoyleHeightsKid

How much are you feeding?? Both of my boys get 6oz which is about a cup of whole flax, that I grind daily. Maybe just give them a smaller amount and slowly work your way up to the desired amount. Soaking the alfalfa pellets and stirring the flax in with that should really help too.

That’s how much I want to work up to, but I started at half that and first noticed the issue. So I tried a slightly smaller amount, but again saw them stop mid-meal. At that point I just quit feeding it.

I have time for soaking the evening meal, but not morning. The alfalfa pellets take FOREVER to break down. The ground ones should go faster, so maybe I’ll try that and see how long it takes. The TC also takes a few minutes to get mushy. Trying to do that for four will be …interesting? I feed in rubber floor feeders, and mix their rations in individual buckets and then carry the stack o’ buckets through the barn to each horse’s stall and dump it. I have soaked feed before for one horse, and after dumping have a wet bucket that needs to be rinsed and then allowed to air dry upside down. Is there an easier/better way to do that?

[Weezer]

I suggest adding more water. I used to feed flax and add boiled water to the whole meal. That would turn it into a sort of porridge that they had no trouble eating it. I was feeding about half a cup of flax and would add about 1/3 cup of water.

[Obsidian_Fire]

Flax can get very gummy. I have always added mine to wet feed - and find I need to use more water than without flax.
You can start your breakfast pellets soaking at night; it’s what I do for an oldie who can’t have hay. I just keep it in a cool area.
As for rinsing buckets, well I haven’t found a better way. It’s just how it is.

[PamnReba]

@Weezer

I suggest adding more water. I used to feed flax and add boiled water to the whole meal. That would turn it into a sort of porridge that they had no trouble eating it. I was feeding about half a cup of flax and would add about 1/3 cup of water.

I was feeding it dry, maybe that’s the issue? Is it supposed to be fed as part of a mash? Everything I read said “top-dress,” so I assumed that meant just mix it with their regular feed.

Is there a reason you stopped feeding it?

[PamnReba]

@Obsidian Fire

Flax can get very gummy.

Okay, so it’s not just me and I’m not imagining things!

You can start your breakfast pellets soaking at night; it’s what I do for an oldie who can’t have hay. I just keep it in a cool area.

I thought about soaking overnight, but that means bringing it in the house, 'cause, well, Texas - the devil’s armpit.

As for rinsing buckets, well I haven’t found a better way. It’s just how it is.

Well rats! :lol:

[candyappy]

My horses didn’t like ground flax. It was just too powdery. It is also too expensive to buy for the amount you get. Try feeding whole flax. I get 50 pounds for $ 21 and it lasts a long time and it keeps in all weather. My 3 get 3/4ths of a cup in with their RB and eat every piece. None sprouting in the manure pile either.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@PamnReba

That’s how much I want to work up to, but I started at half that and first noticed the issue. So I tried a slightly smaller amount, but again saw them stop mid-meal. At that point I just quit feeding it.

I have time for soaking the evening meal, but not morning. The alfalfa pellets take FOREVER to break down. The ground ones should go faster, so maybe I’ll try that and see how long it takes. The TC also takes a few minutes to get mushy. Trying to do that for four will be …interesting? I feed in rubber floor feeders, and mix their rations in individual buckets and then carry the stack o’ buckets through the barn to each horse’s stall and dump it. I have soaked feed before for one horse, and after dumping have a wet bucket that needs to be rinsed and then allowed to air dry upside down. Is there an easier/better way to do that?

I rinse buckets afterward too… you have to or they get nasty.

When I get breakfast/dinner ready, I start soaking their (I use) timothy pellets for the next feeding that way they have soaked all day and there is no waiting. So I have 2 sets of buckets, one for each feeding… this way you can mix the flax in it so it doesn’t gum up in their mouth.

[Scribbler]

I feed a cup of whole flax in a mash of beet pulp and alfalfa cubes. I add the flax just before serving it. I think flax would be hard to eat dry unless it was diluted by a much larger quanityt of pellets, etc. It really does stick to the mouth in an unpleasant way

[PamnReba]

@Scribbler

I think flax would be hard to eat dry unless it was diluted by a much larger quantity of pellets, etc. It really does stick to the mouth in an unpleasant way

Thank you, you all have validated what I thought I was seeing and I was correct in thinking it was just gumming up in their mouths. Rats.

Looks like I’ll have to get creative. I like the idea of feeding it whole, as also suggested, but I can’t remember ever seeing it locally. I’ll have to see what I can find.

Are there any supplements that would work as a suitable replacement that contain flax but maybe go down easier? I look but then I start going down rabbit holes left and right. Omega Horseshine is one I found, but it looks like it might be just as sticky. I’m a little gun-shy of anything powdered now.

[seabreeze]

@PamnReba

I have time for soaking the evening meal, but not morning. The alfalfa pellets take FOREVER to break down. The ground ones should go faster, so maybe I’ll try that and see how long it takes. The TC also takes a few minutes to get mushy. Trying to do that for four will be …interesting?

Alfalfa pellets and feed softens really quickly with warm/hot water (minutes). I don’t have hot water on tap in the barn, but I use a couple of electric teakettles. It takes about 5 minutes to boil the water and then my pellets soften in about 3 minutes. Pretty quick.

Hope that helps!

[stressgirl37]

“I was feeding it dry, maybe that’s the issue? Is it supposed to be fed as part of a mash? Everything I read said “top-dress,” so I assumed that meant just mix it with their regular feed.”

Oh, you need to wet it. Think of trying to swallow a teaspoon of dry cocoa powder! I feed ground flax with a little beet pulp, Outlast, and vitamin pellets all soaked to make a nice “mush”. But my crew doesn’t need much other than hay.

To the poster that said ground flax has lot its nutritional value- well that’s true if it’s not stabilized. Triple Crown Ground Golden Flax is stabilized and has a two year shelf life.

[stb]

I definitely think flax is easier to eat and more palatable when mixed with water. Also, one of my horses will pick through and leave the flax if it isn’t wet. I also like to feed quickly and not wait around forever for pellets to take up water. I also live in the south so soaking ahead of time is only practical in the winter. I have found that Standlee pellets take forever to soak. I don’t know if you can get Seminole pellets in Texas, but if you can you may want to try them. I often use their Timothy pellets and they soak very quickly. I put the pellets in the buckets first, add water, then add the rest of the meal on top. By the time I am done portioning out 3 meals the pellets are soft enough to feed. Seminole’s alfalfa pellets don’t soak quite as quickly as their Timothy pellets, but they do soften considerably faster than Standlee.

If you can’t get Seminole and are interested in using Timothy, I have found that Triple Crown’s Timothy Balance cubes soak up super fast - again, in the time it takes to finish out the buckets with the other feed.

Also, I will say that my horses have never found TC 30% very palatable. They do, however, like TC’s new Balancer Gold. The protein level is lower in the Gold Balancer, but it sure smells better than the 30% and my horses look amazing on it.

I have fed both TC’s ground flax and Omega Horseshine. I feel like the horses like the Horseshine more than the straight flax but the Horseshine is more expensive.

As far as rinsing out the buckets goes - it is a royal pain and I hate it. I much prefer to just dump dry feed and go, but I do think wet food is better, both for general health and for getting all of the goodies in my horses.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@PamnReba

Thank you, you all have validated what I thought I was seeing and I was correct in thinking it was just gumming up in their mouths. Rats.

Looks like I’ll have to get creative. I like the idea of feeding it whole, as also suggested, but I can’t remember ever seeing it locally. I’ll have to see what I can find.

Are there any supplements that would work as a suitable replacement that contain flax but maybe go down easier? I look but then I start going down rabbit holes left and right. Omega Horseshine is one I found, but it looks like it might be just as sticky. I’m a little gun-shy of anything powdered now.

Try your local feed mill… I get 50# whole flax for $30 and I grind it before each feeding. Whole flax when wet will stick to everything.

Before that I fed Omega Horseshine mixed in unsoaked feed without an issue.

[PamnReba]

@stb

I definitely think flax is easier to eat and more palatable when mixed with water. Also, one of my horses will pick through and leave the flax if it isn’t wet. I also like to feed quickly and not wait around forever for pellets to take up water. I also live in the south so soaking ahead of time is only practical in the winter. I have found that Standlee pellets take forever to soak.

Sounds like we have a lot in common! The Standlee alfalfa pellets are indeed the brand I’m feeding, so I’m glad you feel my pain with how long they take to soak. And how leaving it overnight is not really an option, due to the heat and humidity.

Also, I will say that my horses have never found TC 30% very palatable. They do, however, like TC’s new Balancer Gold. The protein level is lower in the Gold Balancer, but it sure smells better than the 30% and my horses look amazing on it.

I had considered trying the Balancer Gold, but they haven’t been on the regular version all that long and I’m hesitant to make yet another feed switch. If I do, though, that’s where I’ll head next. I had read that some horses didn’t care for TC30, so that’s the whole reason I added the alfalfa pellets to it. Now that I have them, I like giving a cupful to the two easy keepers.

I have fed both TC’s ground flax and Omega Horseshine. I feel like the horses like the Horseshine more than the straight flax but the Horseshine is more expensive.

As far as rinsing out the buckets goes - it is a royal pain and I hate it. I much prefer to just dump dry feed and go, but I do think wet food is better, both for general health and for getting all of the goodies in my horses.

I have to say I like knowing that they are getting good hydration with their meals by feeding it wet. And the price on the Horseshine did raise my eyebrows a bit, when considering feeding it to four. Just giving it to two of them may make it slightly less expensive, but still, the TC flax is $38 for 25 lbs. Definitely cheaper.

[PamnReba]

@BoyleHeightsKid

Before that I fed Omega Horseshine mixed in unsoaked feed without an issue.

Thanks! In the event I decide to switch, this is good to know.