Linseed - How many people feed it?

[zoeshiloh]

I am a great believer in feeding straights, and have fed linseed oil and linseed meal for a while. Yesterday I was in the feed merchants, and saw that they had raw linseed at an insane price (£3 for 10kg) so I bought a sack, weighed out 100g (according to my books, that is the most that should be fed at any one time, weighed before cooking) and it has been boiling away nicely for 8hrs.

What the books do not say, is how long it will last once you have boiled it. To me it seems silly to boil up 100g every night, not to mention expensive, so I wondered whether you could boil up a weeks worth at a time - would it keep for a week if I sealed it in a tub?

 

[hellspells]

I feed linseed but the expensive meal - so it will be interesting to here the response. I was told some time ago the boiling up your own linseed can be time consuming and can be done wrong and so dangerous if fed to the horse. Is this true?

 

[zoeshiloh]

It is very time consuming - it must be boiled, and allowed to simmer for at least 6 hours, constantly being topped up with water.

There is a poisonous enzyme in linseed, hence the boiling etc, to destroy the linase. Apparently the linseed produces hydrocyanic acid, which is then destroyed by boiling.

Apparently, according to my friend who works as a nutritionist for one of the big feed companies, linseed deteriorates in quality once processed for meal/oil, and continues to deteriorate no matter how well packaged.

 

[Governor]

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horsecare/1370/38743.html

 

[hellspells]

Oh thank you - that does sound very very time consuming and on the basis of having 4 horses on it... I think I will stick to my expensive but labour saving simple systems version.

It is interesting though really and I do like learning more about it. I didn't realise either that its nutrional value was lost after processing etc.

 

[PapaFrita]

I feed linseed sometimes. I soak it overnight (chuck boiling water over it) and then boil for about half an hour and it seems to make less mess. It does seem to keep OK for about a week and then it goes a bit cloudy and the texture changes.

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Like pf , soak it over night .

I then stick it in the microwave for 20 mins , stopping at 10 mins to check on it so it doesn't boil over and then continue for another 10 mins ( 20 mins altogether ) Far far handier .

Been feeding it since missy was a yearling , although do stop during the summer . I have been known to make enough to do a few days , keep in a sealed tub .

Missy is still living

 

[zoeshiloh]

Brilliant, thanks Papa - I have just boiled over my saucepan and spent about ten mins cleaning up sticky jelly - lovely! Was reading online that if you soak it overnight, it then only takes about 20 mins worth of boiling the next day. Is this right?

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

It would still require longer if boiling it on your stove , I think up to several hours , whereas microwaving it takes a shorter period of time .

 

[zoeshiloh]

How come it takes less time in the microwave? do you cover tightly or loosely and blast it?

 

[Archee]

I buy the ready cooked stuff to save faffing around boiling / simmering etc (and the mess that goes with it!)

 

[parsley]

I feed sunflower and linseed lonzenges to save all the boiling.

 

[Thistle]

Do you have an aga?

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Everything takes less in the microwave

I dont bother covering it but do watch that it doesn't boil over .

 

[PapaFrita]

Yes, it does tend to boil over. 20-30 mins is sufficient if you soak overnight and it tends to stay in the pan!

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
It would still require longer if boiling it on your stove , I think up to several hours , whereas microwaving it takes a shorter period of time .

[/ QUOTE ]
If you soak it overnight, it's not necessary to boil for several hours.

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Ah k , I just bung it in the microwave

I boiled and it made a heck of a mess , so that ended that

 

[PapaFrita]

Yes, I know, and it's devilish to clean as well! Just as well soaking does the trick

 

[carys220]

I feed linseed flakes as a treat, my local feed merchant makes them and my girls go nuts for them!!!!

 

[skewbaldpony]

diy linseed works if you have aga/rayburn, and not if not, as far as I can tell!