Black oil sunflower seeds?? (BOSS?)
 

Im sure there is a lot of posts about this already but I couldnt find what I was looking for.. So, what are everyones thoughts on BOSS to help with coat shine? Has anyone ever fed it? Pros and cons? Is it a good idea or is there a better soulution? Sorry for so many questions:lol:

Oh and also does anyone who has fed it have any pictures of the results?

Thanks!

I used it but I stopped because it has to many omega 6's. Omega 6 promotes inflamation.

I sugest ground flax.

Is that more expensive? Because I know that BOSS is pretty cheap, that's why I thought it might be a good idea.

Flax twice more expensive unfortunately (at least here). But much more beneficial. I feed flax too.

Agreed, flax user her as well. My feed store can get no-name generic ground flax for $28 for a 50 lb bag. If you don't use it very quickly, you will need to keep it refigerated though. It has a shelf life in warm temperatures (up to 80 degrees) of only about 3-6 months from the date it was ground, if you have it stored in air tight containers.

Stabilized flax is much more expensive, but lasts longer.

Or you can get whole flax and grind it yourself. Grind 2 weeks worth at a time and store it in a small air-tight container.

Most horses need 1/2 cup of ground flax (2 oz by weight) for good coat imporvement.

I probally sound stupid asking this, but what kind do you use?:lol:

My horse gets a small amount of sunflower seeds at lunch time[about 3 handfuls]
She enjoys it a lot, but still has her winter coat so I can't see any shine results yet.

I've always thought this website with info on all the different things you can feed your horse and the benefits or drawbacks was really handy:

Horse Nutrition Explained

Our local feed store sell seeds and flax meal (ground flax) either by pound or 50 lbs bag (BTW, luvs, its $38/bag or something like that here :wink: while BOSS is $18). I usually buy flax meal by pound to have it fresh.

I did so much reading on this recently, and the more you read the more confusing it becomes. You want a low amount of Omega 6 and 3 (and a few others possibly.) However, too much mean too hot and that's bad. Plus you have to take into account your regular feed, and any supplements you might offer. Then of course $$ is a factor, at least for me. I say this because you can go through someone like Dr. Dan that makes a product that is guaranteed to have the perfect balance of all this and the daily vita/min a horse requires. (not going over like on selenium). As you know, some of these things can be dangerous and even kill a horse. So, I finally elected to slowly get off my regualr feed and go with whole oats. The horses are shiny and have lots of energy! I also squirt 1-2 oz. per day of canola oil over their oats and they love it. The oil has Omega 3 to counter the oats Omega 6, just to keep it within the realm of recommended by my vet. And to think it all started looking at the BOSS sunflower seeds...