Sunflower Seeds... the lowdown ?

[Bounty]

Could anyone give the the basic rundown on the sunflower seed craze that you lot have been going on about please?

Am I right in thinking I want black sunflower seeds? And what quantities do you feed?

I wish I'd paid attention now!

 

[Rainbowrider]

I feed a large mug full of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds to each horse every day and I have definitely noticed a difference. Better feet, softer shinier coats and general condition.

 

[Shipley]

i feed a mug per feed (kids mug size) and coat has improved dramatically. Yes you need black sunflower seeds

 

[Bounty]

Brilliant, thanks guys!

 

[Keltic]

where do you buy them from??

 

[ru-fi-do]

I'm quite interested in these too, are they suitable for good doers?

 

[smiles24]

do you feed these with or with out the shells??

 

[Stinkbomb]

I get mine from feed merchant, but anywhere that sells bird feed should sell them. I feed with shells as they come. I dont feed them to my shetland, i believe its too much for them but im sure others do feed them to good doers!!!

 

[alleycat]

Whats the difference between the black ones & the stripy ones? ( Apart some being black & some being stripy?)

 

[wonkey_donkey]

The down side is that they pass through the horse and the birds scatter the muck everywhere which makes poo picking a nightmare - i gave up feeding them in the end

 

[kerilli]

wonkey_donkey, i'd regard that as a positive... the birds will surely eat any worms they find too, so maybe poo-picking becomes slightly less essential (apart from the aesthetics).

 

[Rainbowrider]

Can't say that has happened to me, but the birds are welcome to my poos. If they eat the worms or worm eggs, that's a bonus!!

 

[Stinkbomb]

I think black ones are the best because its something to do with the oil content but not sure!!!

 

[spanishmustangs]

If they are coming out whole the other end, what is the point of feeding them? I have a slight problem with the idea of feeding them whole with shells, as unless the horse chews them properly, they won't get the benefit. Also slightly concerned with shells getting stuck in the gut somewhere and causing a blockage?? You can buy them w/o shells, too, but double the price...
They are not really a natural feed stuff for horses, & linseed has much the same effect.

 

[Stinkbomb]

Not sure, but mine dont come out the other end

 

[Daisychain]

Its the black sunflower seeds you should feed, i think the stripey ones are poisonous so be careful.

 

[S_N]

[ QUOTE ]
If they are coming out whole the other end, what is the point of feeding them? I have a slight problem with the idea of feeding them whole with shells, as unless the horse chews them properly, they won't get the benefit. Also slightly concerned with shells getting stuck in the gut somewhere and causing a blockage?? You can buy them w/o shells, too, but double the price...
They are not really a natural feed stuff for horses, & linseed has much the same effect.

[/ QUOTE ]

These are exactly my concerns with feeding them, hence never taking the plunge.

Though everyone who does feed them seems to rate them incredibly highly.

 

[Cop-Pop]

I feed them to my TBx and my Welsh section A - the blacksmith has noticed a difference in the TBx feet and both their coats are lovely and soft and shiney. TBx gets one cup per day and ponio gets 3/4 cup in with their normal feed. Watching the birds comb thru their poop is quite amusing to watch...

 

[merlinsquest]

I fed them for a year and didnt see one single shell come through the other end.... If they were not digestable then they would either come through whole or just the shells would work their way through surely???

 

[S_N]

Can you feed them soaked? Doesn't Tia feed them soaked in with the whole oats?

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
Its the black sunflower seeds you should feed, i think the stripey ones are poisonous so be careful.

[/ QUOTE ]
They're not poisonous. They just have slightly harder shells than the black ones.

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you feed them soaked? Doesn't Tia feed them soaked in with the whole oats?

[/ QUOTE ]
that was me. I used to soak them to soften the shells until I found out that PF would happily eat them dry

I've never seen a sunflower seed (even my 'poisonous' stripey ones

) in PF's poo.

 

[S_N]

Thanks for that PF!!

 

[Daisychain]

There is definately something in the stripey ones, i remember reading in depth about it on another forum.

 

[PapaFrita]

OK, well, I can't find a shred of evidence on google (not exhaustive research, I admit) that says striped sunflower seeds are harmful to horses. How 'in depth' was your reading that you can't remember what it was was damaging about them?

 

[Daisychain]

I will find out for you... it was a while since i read it, and it was just something that stuck in my mind.

 

[PapaFrita]

That would be great, thanks

 

[Daisychain]

No you are right they arnt poisonous, it is to do with the shells being very hard and sharp apparently.

 

[S_N]

People at the feedstore wouldn't sell a sack to me on Saturday! They told me in no uncertain terms, that they were not suitable to be fed to horses.

 

[Tia]

Mine all get about a cup a day at the moment. They all have wonderful feet and coats. I haven't looked back and have saved a fortune on FF over the past couple of years.

Interestingly, many horse feed companies are starting to make pellets and feeds with sunflower seeds in them now, particularly the in the racing industry over here in North America and in Australia.