How much linseed to feed?

[Fruitcake]

I've decided to change from Simple System to Agrobs for the most part of the stuff I use. (Its now available at my local feed shop and I have a bit of a drive to get Simple System).

I currently use Simple System Top Nosh as a top up for energy. It's basically compressed alfalfa and linseed pellets. I know it'll be mainly the linseed that'll give the energy so I thought I'd add some micronised linseed instead. My question is how much?

A lot of the info seems to vary greatly on how much to give. At the moment, they get around 300g of the Top Nosh but I don't know what proportion of that is linseed and what is alfalfa.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[JillA]

For condition and coat I feed up to a mug a day of the micronized.

 

[popsdosh]

Mug a day certainly not much more although its safer large amounts are still toxic to horses.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Mug a day certainly not much more although its safer large amounts are still toxic to horses.

I've never heard its toxic. What happens if you over feed and how much would be considered a toxic amount?

 

[QueenDee_]

I currently feed 2 mugs (regular coffee mug size) to a 17hh TB for weight/condition.

 

[KVH]

A mug a day of micronised linseed split between two feeds, for condition/weight gain.

 

[Tnavas]

Linseed is not an energy food - it is a fat/protein food. It is usually fed to improve coat condition.

1 cup per day of unprocessed seeds is the maximum you should feed to a 16hh horse - the seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides which can convert to prussic acid when eaten.

Prussic acid is a potent, rapidly acting poison, which enters the bloodstream and it then prevents oxygen utilisation by the cells.

To feed for increased weight you would need to feed a large quantity of either micronised or boiled Linseed. 1 cup of Micronised or Freshly ground Linseed per day will improve coat quality and provide Omega 3 an 6 for improved joint function.

To Cook Linseed -

1 cup Linseed to 3 cups water, add 1 Teaspoon of salt. Preferably use a large non-stick saucepan (boiling Linseed rises like milk)
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 20 mins. This breaks down the seed, releases the Cyanogenic glycosides and makes Linseed safe to feed in larger quantities.

BEWARE - DO NOT LEAVE THIS MIX UNSUPERVISED WHILE COOKING - It is horrendous to clean up if it boils over - or burns - almost to the point of replacing the stove being easier.

At one time it was believed that Linseed must always be fed cooked - this is only the case if you feed more than 1 cup per day - the horses body can deal with this amount of the poison.

Queenie - are you feeding micronised? If not you are reducing your horses oxygen carrying capacity by feeding 2 cups per day which will affect performance.

 

[FfionWinnie]

If it's micronised it's not unprocessed is it?

 

[VikingSong]

I feed a mug a day, split between two feeds. I must admit, I thought any poisonous content had been removed due to it being micronised?

 

[JillA]

Lets clarify - seeds have a hard shell that makes them indigestible. Traditionally they were soaked to soften the shell for digestion but this created the acid, so it had to be boiled to neutralise the acid. Micronised is ground, and cooked dry, so the shell isn't a problem, neither has it got wet so the acid isn't a problem either.
So you need to either feed soaked cooked seeds, or micronized as it is - I know which I prefer

 

[Tnavas]

JillA - the prussic acid is formed when the shell and the contents become mixed - as in masticated/ground does not need to be wet.

Boiling destroys the Prussic Acid and also the Omega Oils.

Grinding in a coffee grinder releases the Prussic Acid and exposure to air destroys it.

When Micronised it has been cooked and made safe.

When raw is the quantity fed that either makes it dangerous or safe

 

[FfionWinnie]

So feeding wet dry or otherwise micronised linseed is not dangerous at any quantity (within the bounds of reason)??

 

[QueenDee_]

Queenie - are you feeding micronised? If not you are reducing your horses oxygen carrying capacity by feeding 2 cups per day which will affect performance.

Yes micronised- sorry, I should have clarified!

 

[Tnavas]

So feeding wet dry or otherwise micronised linseed is not dangerous at any quantity (within the bounds of reason)??

Micronised is good, feed as much as you want. Bear in mind it's an expensive way to put on weight.

 

[Fruitcake]

Linseed is not an energy food - it is a fat/protein food. It is usually fed to improve coat condition..

I understood it did both. Info on all brands / packaging I've researched refers to it as a slow release energy feed. The nutritionalist from SS I spoke to when I chose the Top Nosh also said this. (Obviously, if the energy isn't used, it will lead to weight gain). It was recommended as a safe extra energy source for my horse who can't have cereals.

It's micronised that I was going to feed.

 

[Holzdweaver]

in winter my boy gets 250g a day of micronised linseed split into two feeds. In summer he gets 125g in one feed. Hes a 15.2 TB

 

[FfionWinnie]

Micronised is good, feed as much as you want. Bear in mind it's an expensive way to put on weight.

The horse won't eat most other things I would want to feed her unfortunately. If she gets two scoops of micronised linseed she will eat 1.5kgs of copra. Otherwise she won't eat it. Living out and the recent incessant rain plus two abscesses have knocked her a bit so I don't mind feeding it to her (as long as it's not going to poison her!).

 

[irishdraft]

Charwood mills who supply micronised linseed recommend 200g a day for a 16.2 which is your average coffee cup. A 20k bag costs 21.00 so I don't think it's particularly a very expensive option personally.

 

[ThePiebaldMoomin]

A mug a day, started as 2 mugs with 1 in each feed and it did wonders for both there coats so soft and fuzzy

 

[ester]

one mug a day in summer, 2 mugs a day in winter as he has now reached the age where he does seem to need feeding in winter now .
I don't find it an expensive way to feed at all! I also don't understand the declaration that it isn't an energy but a fat/protein food. When fat is an excellent source of slow release energy . Maybe it is different in New Zealand?

 

[marmalade76]

I don't find it an expensive way to feed at all! I also don't understand the declaration that it isn't an energy but a fat/protein food. When fat is an excellent source of slow release energy . Maybe it is different in New Zealand?

Agreed.

 

[Tnavas]

Horses do not metabolise fat very well, they are designed to eat fibrous foods.

Nutrition information from the Flax Council of Canada.[17] http://flaxcouncil.ca/

Per 1 tbsp (14 g) (Flax or Linseed)

Calories: 126
Total fat: 14 g
Omega-3: 8 g
Omega-6: 2 g
Omega-9: 3 g
Flax seed oil contains no significant amounts of protein, carbohydrates or fibre.

Additional uses[edit]

 

[ester]

Arguably not, although with linseed you are still feeding it as a relatively small component of the total diet anyway, and linseed has other benefits not just as an energy source.

'In the horse (no gall bladder), bile is secreted fairly continuously from the liver and passes via a bile duct directly into the duodenum. This allows horses to digest fat quite efficiently. Diets containing up to 30% of the DE as fat (Kane et al 1979), were digested efficiently, without adverse digestive consequences. Research by Marchello et al (2000), indicated that horses fed diets containing 19.5 and 20% of the DE as fat, were metabolically capable of adapting to the increased dietary fat content as indicated by increased bile production and elevated HDLP and LDLP in blood serum. (Marchello et al 2000).'