Flax seed

[abhaya]

I found a 5 gallon bucket of flax seed in the barn when I was cleaning out some stuff. It is good I sprouted some. Would it be a good treat for the girls?

 

[woodmort]

Supposedly adding flax seed to the layers' diet will increase the Omega-3 in their eggs. I mix some with my feed for that reason but never sure how much or whether it is doing any good. Bottom line: they will eat it and it can't hurt them.

 

[abhaya]

cool thats all I needed to know.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Yes, it's recommended to add it to about 10%. Higher than that and things start to get unbalanced, but you can go up to 10 lb of whole flax to 90 lb of food and it increases the Omega 3s.

http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/poultry/bba01s04.html is the reference.

 

[wpchicks]

Maybe it's just me but it seems that a simpler way to increase your omega-3's
would be to just eat the flax yourself rather than getting it second hand through an egg.

I put ground flax in smoothies, breads, oatmeal, whatever you want really.

But if the chicken's themselves require omega-3's ???????? then I think that would be the
only logical reason to add flax.

 

[churchx3]

I have read on BYC that too much flax can cause eggs to have a weird taste...something to think about.

 

[crj]

If you do feed or eat flaxseed make sure you grind it. Otherwise you will get NO benefit from it. I feed it to my horses and it has helped with there immune system. If you have chickens that need a boost to there immune system I'd suggest some flaxseed. Especially during molt. Just a thought.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Chickens' gizzards do a sufficient job grinding up the flaxseed. Not necessary and, probably a bit wasteful, to do it for them.

 

[HenThymes]

Flax seed is not only good for them it also is very good for healthy plumage, making their feathers vibrant, shiny and full of color. We feed flax to all of our horses as well as our chickens. Puts a shine on our horses like nothing else can!

 

[dsqard]

I know it also helps promote healthy hoof growth in horses so it would make sense that it would promote good feather growth in chickens. Good for healthy skin too!