Whole Flax Issues

[downen]

So I’ve come to rely on COTH for their collective knowledge of all things feed, so here we go:

I was a Horseshine feeder until a year or so ago when I switched to whole flax. I had switched all of my boys (A 11 yo OTTB, 19 yo Holsteiner, 35+ yo QH cross) to Triple Crown 30 and felt the Horseshine had a bit of overlap in vitamins and minerals, and whole flax was probably healthier in that it has more fiber. My boys all look like a million bucks with super shiny coats and relatively good feet (the Holsteiner needs Biotin to keep his healthy).

My dilemma is that the whole flax I’m purchasing from a local feed store is sketchy quality. Last summer I had three bags that were horrible, and the last batch I got is getting returned. By horrible, I mean tons of little stems that are almost sticks (up to 1/8" diameter). This last batch also had a bunch of mystery seeds (I think), about the size of peas. Even the “good” batches had a fair amount of chaff.

I would prefer to keep the boys on whole flax but am now gun shy on buying this brand again. It comes in a plain brown bag from a Sun Bird, Inc. in Huron, SD.

A quick online search shows me that buying bulk whole flax online would probably be cost-prohibitive due to shipping. So, do I go back to Horseshine? Triple Crown ground flax (this looks pretty pricey)? Any other ideas? Oh, I’m in No. Illinois.

TIA!

[Tee]

Not sure if you have one, but Winco is pretty decent for flax prices. Not quite feed store decent, but not bad.

[ryansgirl]

I use Triple Crown’s ground flax - it’s only about $30 a bag and lasts for quite awhile. Simple to feed and my incredibly picky mare eats it right up. Every bag I’ve used over the past few years or so has been consistently the same - never had an issue.

[ASB_Stars]

I have done fresh ground whole flax (I grind it as I use it) for many years. Recently, I got lazy, and bought Tractor Supply’s version of Horse shine- which is significantly less expensive. I will probably go back to grinding my flaxseed this Spring, but meantime, I recommend the TSC product.

[Jillofalltrades]

In my experience, getting whole flax and grinding it per feeding gets the best results. If you feed whole without grinding, much of it passes right through without being utilized. But pre-ground flax either goes bad too quickly or contains preservatives and I would rather avoid preservatives. It takes about 15 seconds in a cheap coffee grinder to do. I was getting my flax from OBS, good quality and cheap. But you can also get whole flax at Wal-Mart, Sprouts, and Whole Foods. We were feeding 20 horses flax so it made more sense to get it at OBS, but if you are only feeding a couple of horses a maintenance dose, Wal-Mart, Sprouts, or Whole Foods may be an option for you.

[cloudyandcallie]

Whole flax went through my horses and bloomed in the manure pile just as the nutritionist at Seminole feeds warned me So I switched to stabilized. Buy it from a feed dealer like Seminole

[downen]

Thanks for all of the ideas! I had no idea about whole flax, I read about feeding it on this forum and this is the first time I remember seeing the pass-through issue. While I love the idea of grinding fresh, I think my current life plate is so full right now that an extra step like that might put me over the edge, lol.

@ASB Stars , I checked the Tractor Supply website but don’t see the flax product you mentioned.

@ryansgirl, the Triple Crown ground flax may be a good option as my feed store carries it. I thought it was pricier, but according to the feed store website it looks to be the same price as I’m paying for the crappy whole flax.

@Jillofalltrades, what is OBS? The prices on WalMart for flax seems high even for my small herd, and I don’t have a Whole Foods handy.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in so far! Any more ideas are welcome!

[Bogie]

I’ve been feeding whole flax for probably 15 years. No flax plants in my paddocks. I do soak their grain before feeding so maybe that makes a difference but I had two nutritionists tell me it wasn’t a problem.

[beau159]

Flax is much better digested (humans or our equine counterparts) if it is ground up, and not whole.

Might not be cost effective to feed your horse, but the flax seed HULLS are actually more nutritious than the flax seed itself.

My parents raise flax (among other crops) and we actually have a farmer in the neighboring town who does sell flax seed hulls.

Food for thought. :yes:

[Seagram]

I have always fed whole flax seeds (well, for about 8 yrs?) and have never had any issues. They might not digest as much as you would think, but the same with oats. I see way more oats in the manure, and out in the field (my chickens love scratching through it for the seeds!) and yes, I do occasionally look through their manure

[Amy3996]

I used the Triple Crown ground flax and really liked it. Yes, it’s a little pricey, but a 25lb bag lasted me quite a while feeding one horse a cup per day, so $25 for 3-4 months worth worked out to be pretty reasonable.

[MissAriel]

@Jillofalltrades

But pre-ground flax either goes bad too quickly or contains preservatives and I would rather avoid preservatives.

All the stabilized ground flax I have seen is stabilized through the processing method, not through the addition of preservatives.

I used to feed whole flax I got at Smart and Final in the bulk foods section. I never had any problem with it, and never found more than a few seeds in the manure (which could have been hulls only)

The TC ground flax at my feed store is just over $1/lb, which was around the best I could get bulk whole flax for, although that was human grade, not feed grade. I get the ground flax now, only since I am rarely in the neighborhood where the S&F is, and I can get the TC ground flax delivered with the bedding deliveries for free.

I can’t grind mine freshly since I prepare baggies of feed/supplements for the barn workers where I board to feed.

I have seen no difference since the switch.

[Texarkana]

I have been feeding whole flax for years.

Are there flax sprouts in my manure? Sure. But my horses are also shiny with ridiculous dapples, no skin funk, and great hooves. The results are undeniable.

For awhile, I lived in an area where no stores would order it for me. I tried going to stabilized ground flax for the better part of a year (Manna Pro’s Simply Flax). Coats became ickier, my horses became more prone to skin funk, etc. I can’t speak for all brands, but that stuff was money down the drain. I’ve been devout to whole flax ever since.

My local grocery store sold whole flax in their bulk bins for just under $2/lb… so I just bought it there until the store stopped stocking it (oops? my fault?). Then I ordered it 20lbs at a time from Nuts.com a few times, who had a better price, but with shipping it worked out to be about the same price as the grocery store. I was so grateful when I finally had access to a feed store who would order it!

I’ve gotten bags that have a lot of “junk” in them-- stems, other seeds. But never so bad that I felt the need the return them… that’s annoying. Any other feed stores around? Natural food stores maybe?

[pony_baloney]

I feed my senior Source’s Focus Sr. supplement, which used to contain ground flax. Their website had this to say about switching to whole flax:

When we first developed FOCUS SR, we tried to use ground flax. We quickly determined that it was not stable enough to withstand the rigors of distribution all across the US. At first, it seemed that the only alternative was to use one of the heavily processed flax meals or one with preservatives.

Clearly, Mother Nature does a superb job of protecting the nutritional goodness within the seed hull, but as soon as it is cracked open in the air, it begins to degrade. We had also read that “whole flax” was indigestible. This may be true for people, but it turns out not to be so for horses!

We ran an informal digestibility trial at the Kentucky Equine Research facility. At first, most of the seeds came though whole. However, to our surprise and delight, we found that within a few days, the microflora in the hindgut adjusted, and in less than a week virtually all the seeds were digested.

We made the easy decision then to provide the flax whole, best protected by the seed hull until it’s eaten. You can see for yourself. After a week, you’ll have a very hard time finding an undigested seed!

[downen]

@Texarkana

I have been feeding whole flax for years.

I’ve gotten bags that have a lot of “junk” in them-- stems, other seeds. But never so bad that I felt the need the return them… that’s annoying. Any other feed stores around? Natural food stores maybe?

@Texarkana The stems I found were very tough and of substantial size, and I thought could cause intestinal irritation or worse if they were consumed whole, which was a very real possibility with at least one of my greedy ponies. I also have an ulcer-prone TB and an oldster pushing 40, so I didn’t want to take the chance of feeding it. I do have other feed stores but this one is the most convenient and has the other feeds I use (TC, Tribute), so I’d like to keep using them.

I’m loving this convo, I’m learning so much about flaxseed! Keep it coming!

[stressgirl37]

@downen Check out this link from Dr. Juliet Getty on flax.
http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/Library/Feedingflaxseeds.htm

[Scoutranger]

Can you try another feed store? I buy whole flax and they are great! I do grind mine up in a coffee grinder before feeding. The research I have done points to whole flax being harder to digest. Many of the nutrients pass right through the horse as they don’t grind up the shells. The ground flax is digested and absorbed easier. Also, TC has a flax supplement as well called “Triple crown golden flax” it’s cheaper then horsehine and it’s ground up!

[ActNatural]

I’ve fed whole for five years now with great results.

Do you know of any bulk food stores? I buy my flax from a wholesale food distributor. The flax is food grade and I can buy 10 lb or 50 lbs. It’s about $50 for 50lbs. Lasts one horse a long time.

Ive also used horsetech ground flax. It’s pure stablized flax without added vitamins and minerals. It’s cost effective but a bit more than the wholesale price obviously. Comes with a pack of cookies so delivery day is enjoyable.

[Palm_Beach]

@Amy3996

I used the Triple Crown ground flax and really liked it. Yes, it’s a little pricey, but a 25lb bag lasted me quite a while feeding one horse a cup per day, so $25 for 3-4 months worth worked out to be pretty reasonable.

^^^ This. I pay about $30 for the 25 pound bag, and my feed store charges $1/pound for fresh ground flax. The TC flax is stabilized and will last 2 years.

[Jillofalltrades]

@downen

Thanks for all of the ideas! I had no idea about whole flax, I read about feeding it on this forum and this is the first time I remember seeing the pass-through issue. While I love the idea of grinding fresh, I think my current life plate is so full right now that an extra step like that might put me over the edge, lol.

@ASB Stars , I checked the Tractor Supply website but don’t see the flax product you mentioned.

@ryansgirl, the Triple Crown ground flax may be a good option as my feed store carries it. I thought it was pricier, but according to the feed store website it looks to be the same price as I’m paying for the crappy whole flax.

@Jillofalltrades, what is OBS? The prices on WalMart for flax seems high even for my small herd, and I don’t have a Whole Foods handy.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in so far! Any more ideas are welcome!

OBS was a feed place in Ocala.