Can we take a look at the pros & cons of all fats sups?

[LauraM]

Yes, flax seed is probably the most costly on the list, but for my dollar, the nutritional benefits are very cost effective.

I agree. All five of my horses get it, despite the costs, as it has, by far, made the most difference in their coat, hooves, skin, weight gain, and overall condition.

One of the controversial topics of flax is whether to use it in it's whole form or to grind it before using. If you do decide to grind it, it's best to do it immediately before using as the nutrients start to break down as soon as the seed is processed. Buying it in the ground form is still good, but not as good as if you do the grinding yourself. A coffee bean grinder works very well for this. This debate has also extended itself into the animal world, but personally, when it comes to goats, they digest and process foods differently than humans and receive the benefits of flax in it's whole form equally as from the ground.

Again, I agree with all this. Horses have no problems digesting the whole seed as the hull is actually quite soft.

I use the BOSS. Seems to give my goats a nice shiny healthy coat. It also is reportedly a good source of dietary selenium & our area is low in selenium so that is the main reason I supplement with it. We get the large size bag it seems to be more reasonably priced than the smaller bags

BOSS is an excellent source of fat. I talked to the President of the US Sunflower Association and he gave me the nutritional breakdown of them......they average about 60% fat, which makes it the highest source of NATURAL fat. Horses generally love them, and the hulls provide some fiber in the diet. If anyone is interested, I'll post the BOSS nutritional information.

 

[RamblingCowgirl]

BOSS is an excellent source of fat. I talked to the President of the US Sunflower Association and he gave me the nutritional breakdown of them......they average about 60% fat, which makes it the highest source of NATURAL fat. Horses generally love them, and the hulls provide some fiber in the diet. If anyone is interested, I'll post the BOSS nutritional information

I think that would be useful. Even if I never use half of these things, I still want to learn as much as I can.

For the horse my mother got a pre mixed tub of sups. I haven't read the lable yet...I'm not here all the time, and have only fed it to her in the dark useing my cell phone for light. Lol. I do know it has flax in is I can smell it, smell so yummy . It looks like a mix of ground seeds. Maybe not what we will use long term, but I'm not sure yet. And I have no idea what the cost was.

I will say that the more I learn about flax the more I like it.

 

[LauraM]

I've attached a snapshot of the .pdf file I have.

Source: Sunflower Technology and Production Agronomy No. 35 1997
info by Brady Vick, USDA-ARS Sunflower Research Unit