I am thinking of adding plain flaxseed to my boy’s diet. In the past I have ground my own.
But I have read some folks give it whole (yes, I know those seeds are quite crunchy).
So. I am wondering: If I buy pre-ground stabilized flax (such as Triple Crown’s Omega Max) - does the stabilization process do anything that might lessen the nutritive quality?
Or if I just buy whole… feed it whole, or grind it one feeding at a time?
Thoughts??
Get the stabilized ground flax.
The whole flax that isn’t chewed well will go right through your horse and you’ll have flax plants growing in the manure. I did not listen to the nutritionist at my feed company and learned this by experience.
FYI, my barn will feed flax whole, but they soak it for a few hours. If you don’t soak, you will need to grind.
If you need convenience, it’s hard to beat the Omega Max stabilized flax.
I feed whole flax, about 1/2 cup - 1 cup per day, depending on the horse. No grinding, no soaking.
I think my horse’s coats look brilliant. And while they still look good without flax, there is a noticeable improvement in shine while they are on it. I don’t feel like I’m throwing my money away.
The way I see it, it’s six of one or half dozen of another. Yeah, some seeds are missed during mastication and pass through the horse. But when you grind or soak, some of the nutrient profile is going to change thanks to natural reactions with the environment. Nothing is perfect. And just my experience, but I felt like I saw very few results when I used a ground, heat-stabilized product (Simply Flax).
I feed it whole. One gets it in soaked feed, one doesn’t. I see noticeable differences in both. The one horse has an upper limit as to how much he’ll eat without picking around it, but he’ll eat 1/2 a cup in both his breakfast and dinner meals. Maybe some gets pooped out the other end but some absolutely gets chewed and digested too. I suppose some portion of ANYTHING you feed without pulverizing gets pooped out undigested, but it’s hardly practical for me to stand around grinding up every item of foodstuff that enters his bucket. Given that these horses are boarded, feeding whole is what works.
I grind whole flax seed right before I give it to my horse. Start them off on a small amount or the might get the runs. I keep my whole flax in the freezer to keep it fresh because it. Can spoil fast, there isn’t any special about gold flax over brown. If you want to feed preground flax I would get stabilize. Ground flax is digested better then whole.
I have fed it both ways and now feed it whole. I just feed a bit more (around 1 cup daily), and it is still much more affordable.
DO NOT soak flax without boiling it! Soaking flax seed without boiling is more likely to release the cyanide toxins which can be toxic. Heat treating it by boiling will denature the cyanide but will also destroy some of the Omegas.
[QUOTE=Obsidian Fire;8712180]
If I buy pre-ground stabilized flax (such as Triple Crown’s Omega Max) - does the stabilization process do anything that might lessen the nutritive quality? [/QUOTE]
The point of stabilization is to preserve its nutrients as long as possible 
That, and to keep it from going rancid (soon).
Whole is easier and cheaper, and if you’re worried about some % passing through undigested, just feed a little more.
[QUOTE=Winding Down;8713502]
DO NOT soak flax without boiling it! Soaking flax seed without boiling is more likely to release the cyanide toxins which can be toxic. Heat treating it by boiling will denature the cyanide but will also destroy some of the Omegas.[/QUOTE]
The amount of cyanide in flax is pretty much a moot point for horses, as their highly acidic stomach quickly neutralizes the toxic component.
Ruminants on the other hand are much more sensitive as their stomachs are not acidic enough.
[QUOTE=highflier;8713480]
I grind whole flax seed right before I give it to my horse. Start them off on a small amount or the might get the runs. I keep my whole flax in the freezer to keep it fresh because it. Can spoil fast,.[/QUOTE]
I didn’t think it easily spoiled unless ground. ??? I’ve never had a horse get the runs, maybe start off with 1/2 cup, but go right up to 1 full cup for most horses. I grind mine right before feeding, used to buy the TC Omega Max but buying whole flax in bulk is SO much cheaper and not that time consuming unless you have a large herd.
[QUOTE=Winding Down;8713502]I have fed it both ways and now feed it whole. I just feed a bit more (around 1 cup daily), and it is still much more affordable.
DO NOT soak flax without boiling it! Soaking flax seed without boiling is more likely to release the cyanide toxins which can be toxic. Heat treating it by boiling will denature the cyanide but will also destroy some of the Omegas.[/QUOTE]
I know several people that have fed soaked flax, not ground, for years without any issues. I soak timothy pellets, grind the flax, but the ground flax is sitting in the soaked pellets for 2 hours before I feed it. (I ride 1st)
I buy mine from the feed store with their own nutritionist - they swear by the stabilized - indeed theirs is food grade, so I take a Mason jar of it for my own cooking when I have a new sack.
HorseTech.com has a stabilized food grade flax product, and almost all of their products come in that as a base. The will do customized formulas also. Free shipping, free cookies, absolutely stellar customer service.
I used to feed my guy stabilized ground flax from a local producer, and loved the results. Also, I never had it go rancid on me (which was problem with regular ground flax).
I use to feed ground but switched to whole and have seen BETTER results! Whole all the way, so much easier!
HT is awesome. That being said when I compared their ground product to the price of whole flax by the 50 lb bag from the feedstore, HT’s product was substantially more expensive.
I feed whole flax (not ground, not soaked) to my mare and noticed a definite improvement in her coat. She gets two handfuls a day - probably amounts to about 1/2 cup.
Interestingly enough, and maybe this is TMI sorry :winkgrin: , but when feeding my old gelding the same amount, I saw flax seeds in his manure. I also didn’t notice any sort of improvement with his coat.
Hardly TMI - THIS might be TMI :winkgrin: When I had doubts about the whole flax being digested, and saw seeds in the manure, I picked a few out and discovered they were only the hulls - the meat was gone 
Curious mind, JB, curious mind!
[QUOTE=Rnichols;8714931]
I feed whole flax (not ground, not soaked) to my mare and noticed a definite improvement in her coat. She gets two handfuls a day - probably amounts to about 1/2 cup.
Interestingly enough, and maybe this is TMI sorry :winkgrin: , but when feeding my old gelding the same amount, I saw flax seeds in his manure. I also didn’t notice any sort of improvement with his coat.[/QUOTE]
:lol::lol::lol:
Only something a horseperson would understand!! I do this too…
FWIW, I was at the local feed dealer asking about the TC Omega and they were out but did have whole flax. So I just bought the whole, grabbed a coffee grinder from home…and voila.
It’s only one horse; won’t kill me to grind it daily until weather is cold and then I’ll grind a couple days at a time…
I’ve fed both whole and ground, with little observable difference.
Both seem to decrease skin itchies and put a nice bloom on the coat.
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