Renee' :
Quote:
Long story short.... "Historically, linseed meal has not been a satisfactory feedstuff for poultry".
This is the very same article that steered me away from feeding it to my chickens and wasting my $.
The linseed meal in the study is a by-product of oil production that has been stripped of a lot of its nutritive value (like soybean meal, which is found in a lot of animal feeds). It has been used as a source of protein in feeds, albeit not a very good one (hence the above quote from the study). Whole or ground whole flaxseed, or flaxseed oil, are totally different creatures--these can increase beneficial omega-3 content in eggs and might be of value to the health of the chicken itself. If you buy something called flaxseed meal from the health food store, it is ground whole flaxseed. Not the linseed meal they are talking about in the above quote.
From the same study:
Quote:
Long story short.... "Historically, linseed meal has not been a satisfactory feedstuff for poultry".
This is the very same article that steered me away from feeding it to my chickens and wasting my $.
The linseed meal in the study is a by-product of oil production that has been stripped of a lot of its nutritive value (like soybean meal, which is found in a lot of animal feeds). It has been used as a source of protein in feeds, albeit not a very good one (hence the above quote from the study). Whole or ground whole flaxseed, or flaxseed oil, are totally different creatures--these can increase beneficial omega-3 content in eggs and might be of value to the health of the chicken itself. If you buy something called flaxseed meal from the health food store, it is ground whole flaxseed. Not the linseed meal they are talking about in the above quote.
From the same study:
Linseed oil is a rich source of linolenic acid which can be incorporated into the meat and eggs of birds to which it is fed. The total omega-3 fatty acids are increased in these poultry products, however, there is some evidence that a fish flavor may result. The health benefits and the cost effectiveness of producing and consuming omega-3 enriched eggs is still under investigation.
I feed expeller-pressed flaxseed oil to my flock as a source of beneficial essential fatty acids for the health of the birds. I feed oil because it's a more concentrated source of essential fatty acids than whole seeds and I don't know if the birds break down the whole seed (I'm guessing they do, being birds and all, but humans don't break down the whole seed--they have a very slippery, mucous-like covering when wet, and literally just slip right through your digestive tract undigested if eaten whole). Bonus if it's upping the omega-3 content in the eggs I eat (though I guess I'll never know)!
Also, when I sprinkle their crumble with oil, I also sprinkle probiotic powder over it--the probiotics stick to the oil, which means the powder isn't sifting to the bottom of the feeder and getting wasted. Win-win. If you are looking for a cheaper way to add good fats, black oil sunflower seed is good (and is a good source of protein). Good quality flax oil is spendy (my birds go through 12 oz+ a week at about $11 a bottle). My birds get flax oil a couple of times a week, alternating with black oil sunflower seeds as treats a couple of times a week.
I feed expeller-pressed flaxseed oil to my flock as a source of beneficial essential fatty acids for the health of the birds. I feed oil because it's a more concentrated source of essential fatty acids than whole seeds and I don't know if the birds break down the whole seed (I'm guessing they do, being birds and all, but humans don't break down the whole seed--they have a very slippery, mucous-like covering when wet, and literally just slip right through your digestive tract undigested if eaten whole). Bonus if it's upping the omega-3 content in the eggs I eat (though I guess I'll never know)!
