Flax seeds??

[katsdar]

I thought flax seed made the eggs taste bad, if not flax what seed am I thinking of anyone know?

 

[umanduhbree]

Our feed includes whole flax. The mill we buy is from has it mixed in. After reading all the studies and discussion, I am now curious as to the % that's in there (I'll have to go check while I'm doing morning chores). This is my second year of chicken farming. And all my birds are still kicking and seem to be very healthy. Of course this is due to many factors, free ranging all day, good quality food, clean area, etc, but I always get the comment from my students and other neighbors that my birds look 4H quality, like I'm going to be showing them.

I always laugh at this because that is not my goal, but I have noticed that my birds do have fuller and "shinier" feathers than my neighbors. I have always attributed this to the flax. I don't know the benefits to feeding chickens flax, but if my birds are healthier and ready for the judges year round, then I think they must be deriving some benefit from the flax. And if they are healthy and happy, then I'm happy - as they are my breakfast chefs...

Amanda

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Besides the fact that the "science" is changing humans eating a lot of Omega3 fats ...

I thought flax seed made the eggs taste bad, if not flax what seed am I thinking of anyone know?

This is the same thing I heard. A quick google produced a lot of results, this one is easy to read: http://www.blpbooks.co.uk/articles/fish_taste_eggs.php

Here is a quote from a site that explains a little about the Omega3s in eggs: "Omega-3 Eggs

In traditional human diets eggs were a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Traditionally, hens were allowed to range free and peck on grasses, plants, and bugs in the soil. When hens had an adequate level of bugs and Omega-3 rich forage in their diets, they produced eggs with Omega-3 fatty acids as well.

Most hens today live in hen houses to protect them from predators or in cages of commercial egg producers. Hens with these industrial lifestyles will not produce eggs with notable levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. An egg industry flier shows us that a commercial egg will have only about 40 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids per egg.

But the eggs you find in the supermarket labeled “Omega-3 enriched” (or something along those lines) is a new type of egg. Hens producing these eggs live in the commercial operation but they receive flaxseed (or occasionally a fish-based supplement) as part of their daily ration. Hens typically receive a diet of about 10% flaxseed.

An egg from a hen on such a diet will typically contain over 200 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids, including about 75 milligrams of DHA. The ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids will be about 2 to 1 – approaching the dietary ideal of 1 to 1. Commercial eggs have a ratio of about 20 to 1."
(I'd consider the source on that ...)

Here is the link to that page:
http://www.rebuild-from-depression.com/simplechange/simplechange/Omega3_eggs.html
(It isn't very professional looking, but the language is easy to read).

One of the points made by the website I reference just above is that it is pasturing/free-ranging of chickens that USED to make eggs a great source of Omega3s, and now egg factories are trying to replicate it the old-fashioned egg nutrition through chemistry-set processed indoor feeds. This is the same point that is currently being made about pastured beef and pastured pork. I wish them all the best of luck with that!

Along those lines, I came across a company once that sells a special mix of poultry pasture seeds. Here is a link to a commercial website selling this kind of product:
http://www.groworganic.com/omega-3-chicken-forage-blend-irrigated.html

Here is what Canada says about feeding flax to get Omega3 eggs:
http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/english/index.jsp?p=food5&mp=food

And, finally, a word of caution from another source:
"Do not make health claims for your eggs. The total level of omega-3 fatty acids in the eggs will depend on many factors including how efficiently the hens grind the flaxseed, rancidity in the diet, size of the eggs, health status of the hens and level of egg production. Without proper testing, you cannot guarantee a particular level of omega-3 fatty acids."
http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/poultry/bba01s04.html

 

[tk3901]

i HAVE not tried flax seeds but chia seeds are great for chickens and people. They are easy to grow and provide chickens with a lot of omega's!!

 

[roserobin1]

WOW...my head is spinning right now! I've read all the posts and I still think that good flaxseed mixed into other good seeds and grains is a good thing...SOOOO I am going to continue doing it. Just the fact alone of the conversion into DHA, and the ratio of omega 3's to omega 6's is enough for me. I've been using a bag of organic golden flax from Bob's Red Mill. One a month for 12 birds. Probably between 1% and 2% of total feed. I'm also going to look into growing purslane next spring. Thanks for the tip!

Robin

 

[dragonlair]

The feed I buy contains flax seed meal. I have been feeding it for about a year now and the girls are doing great.

I don't know about the instant rancid thing. I buy ground flax seed for me and it stays in the fridge and it does not become rancid before I use it up. I go thru a box a month, so the open package is in the fridge for a month.

 

[Dagirls]

Thank you for your research. I was just asked if I feed flax to my hens by a customer at market, it must be a hot topic. I had not because I had heard pros and cons. I do free range and prefer them to make their own choice. Wonder if the hens would not eat it if grass etc was available? If they came upon the field of flax seed would they eat it?

 

[Dagirls]

I had also heard the chia seed was good

 

[LAFreewayChickens]

Please forgive me if I am repeating anything that was already discussed, I skimmed through the previous posts, but didn't read every word.

1) Flax seed contains compounds that slow the growth of pullets/cockerels, but these can be reduced or removed by heating in a microwave or oven. (if you want a heating pad, put some flax seeds in a sock, tie the end in a knot and microwave it. After you've used it for a bit, feed the seeds to your chickens and make a new one).

2) the reason not to simply eat flax your self is that flax seed (and other plant sources of Omega oils) contain ALA, which is not necessarily a health benefit in itself, but can be converted to DHA and EPA by animals, including chickens and fish.

3) It may be that feeding high levels of flax causes eggs that taste fishy. Studies have found this with canola meal, especially in RIRs and related hybrids.I haven't looked closely into the research on this.

I feed a layer pellet that includes flax, and also sometimes give treats of whole flax seeds (microwaved).

This is important to me, as I have two growing daughters who are vegetarians, but eat our eggs. There is very little DHA and EPA in a vegetarian diet, although the human body can synthesize limited quantities of these from plant based ALA.

 

[katsdar]

Thank you for the detailed information.