# Black sunflower seeds- your experience please



## teddyt (7 April 2009)

I am considering feeding my show pony black sunflower seeds for coat shine. He is a very good do-er and i am aware that they are very high in energy but just want to feed enough for coat shine. He currently has 1/4 cup linseed meal for this purpose but was wondering peoples thoughts on whether to:

1) Stick with the linseed meal
2) Replace with the sunflower seeds 
or 3) Feed both

The consideration to feeding both would be to try and balance the omega-3 and omega-6. I know sunflower seeds are high in omega-6, which is pro-inflammatory and he has a tendency to rub slightly and didnt want to make this worse.

Does anyone feed sunflower seeds to horses that rub? 
Are sunflower seeds better than linseed for coat shine or not?

Your thoughts and experiences would be much appreciated


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## CBAnglo (7 April 2009)

I feed both but not in huge quantities.  Per day, about 1/2 cup BOSS, 1 25ml scoop ground linseed and 1 50ml scoop linseed lozenges.  My dark bay's coat is super glossy all year round (like a mirror) and my bright bay is very dark and glossy this year (he used to be very light when he was shedding his coat).  They arent meticulous groomed either, but people assume they are.

No difference in rubbing etc but have moved yards so that might have something to do with it.  Have been feeding it about 6 months now, so will be a couple more months before I can see the effect on their feet, but the new horn looks quite good.  I saw the difference in their coats in about 2 weeks.


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## Albertina (7 April 2009)

I am feeding my boy them after reading good things on here, I have to say that his feet &amp; coat have never been so good. He isn't highly groomed and his coat is gleaming and very soft to the touch.

Very interesting what you say about the rubbing


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## Theresa_F (7 April 2009)

I feed both to my horses - clydesdale and gypsy cob.

I get lovely hard feet, wonderful coat.  The linseed is great for joints and digestion.

Mine do rub - but I put this down to SI rather than seeds - they certainly do not rub more than they did before they had them.

I also feed brewers yeast and clivers for their coats and to help with the SI.

Black sunflower seeds also darken the coat which will be great for a black coat - my skewbald is a lovely dark bay with dapples since I fed them.

I don't feed any hard feed, they have green gold and just grass from SI and mine have plenty of energy but are not daft.


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## Nosey (7 April 2009)

Just interested to know does anyone find they make them a bit sharp? I was thinking of feeding to a little sec a whos coats not looking to good at mo?


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## angiebaby (7 April 2009)

I've been feeding Black Sunfower seeds for about a month; everybody comments about how his coat is so shiney 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 I haven't noticed any difference in sharpness. I feed a small mug a day and pay £4.00 for a 3 kilo bag.


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## mcavity55 (7 April 2009)

how much do you feed and do most horses like them?? where is the best place to get them?? thanks


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## teddyt (7 April 2009)

Thanks everyone for your replies. CBAnglo and Theresa - thats interesting that it makes the coat darker, my chap is black.
He doesnt need help with his feet, they are great but more shine with less grooming sounds good!
ETA-cav5 - they are bird feed normally so you can get them from a farm store or a feed store should be able to order them for you. Most people feed 1-2 cups for a horse


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## PopStrop (8 April 2009)

Mine's been on them for about 8 weeks, her coat is lovely and has definitely darkened somewhat. Interestingly, she is a very itchy horse, and I had her on Equidermis for a few months which helped, but she has stopped itching completely since being on BOSS. Hmmmmm.......


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## mil1212 (8 April 2009)

I fed them over the winter and noticed a distinct difference in my boys coat. I don't know about combining it with linseed.
I was wondering though, I stopped feeding them as I compete affliated and I was worried that they may inadvertantly contain banned substances, as they are not approved by the jockey club? Anyone else worry about this?


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## CBAnglo (8 April 2009)

I think LankyDoodle also said that her horse with sweet itch was itching less when he was on BOSS.

My dark bay is now a very dark bay and his black points are very black.  His black mane and tail used to bleach in the sun as well, so will see how it is this year.

Mine eat it right of your hand.  I only started feeding it after seeing S_N's and Theresa's horses!  I didnt get the same glossy coats from feeding linseed alone.


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## teddyt (8 April 2009)

I am surmising then that maybe in small quantities the extra oil is good for the skin, hence the horse becomes less itchy but if fed in large quantities the excess omega 6 becomes a problem by exacerbating inflammatory conditions.
mil1212- sorry , have no idea if they contain banned substances
My pony came from a really wooded and wet area, with loads of flies and midges so im not surprised he rubbed in his previous home. He hasnt done it since ive owned him but havnt been through a summer yet. Im glad some people have experienced less itching after feeding them.
Thanks again everyone, think i will give them a try.


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## magic104 (8 April 2009)

Fed a mug a day for over a year, no difference noted in either coat, feet or condition.


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## angiebaby (8 April 2009)

:0 so a bit of a waste of money for you then!


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## teddyt (8 April 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Fed a mug a day for over a year, no difference noted in either coat, feet or condition. 

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks magic, ive just decided to try them! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




Or were you feeding a shire horse?


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## Bugly (8 April 2009)

Interesting reading....I have had my two on BOSS for 6 months now and they just look fabulous.....considering they are loosing their coats, my old 20 year old's coat is like velvet...and I too have had comments about how wonderfully groomeed he is even though he gets a quick flick with a dandy brush x2 a week!

My farrier has also commented about how amazing their feet are!

But a quick thought...you speak of Omega 6 being inflammatory ...would this be aggravating my old boys arthritis do you think?


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## Theresa_F (8 April 2009)

I feed a small mug twice a day of both linseed and BOSS - but I have a 16.2 clydesdale and a chunky 15.1 gypsy cob who don't have any hard feed so these two compliment my SS chaffs perfectly.

You are correct about the omega 6 and joints, hence I also feed the linseed which is high in omega 3 and good for joints so the two oils are balanced out.

I feel that by feeding both, I get the best from each product and they do compliment each other.  They are also far cheaper than a lot of the expensive showing balancers.

For my two, I have rock hard non chip feet (they are unshoed) lovely shine to their coats, coats are darkened - Farra is more of a bright bay than ginger and Chancer has gone from a red bay to a dark bay with dapples.


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## teddyt (8 April 2009)

In theory it could but the requirements of omega 6 and omega 3 in the horse has not been researched, as far as i am aware. I suppose if the arthritis has got worse you could try removing the BOSS from the diet and see if there is any improvement. You would then have the answer!


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## Bugly (8 April 2009)

So what sort of linseed? ground or milled? Does it have to be boiled?


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## silverbreeze (8 April 2009)

At risk of sounding incredibly stupid..I assume you feed them with shells on if you are buying the stuff you feed to birds?
p.s. I'm not assuming you all lovingly remove the shells before feeding but I know you can get them ready shelled for people


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## teddyt (8 April 2009)

Bugly- now thats a question with a difficult answer! Traditionally linseed is soaked then boiled to remove the cyanide. It can also be micronised. Many people, me included, would say not to be fed straight because of the risk of cyanide. 
Now, heres a confusing point. I found out this week another view that the seed actually contains two parts and it is when these two parts come into contact that cyanide is produced. Left whole there is no cyanide as the two parts are kept seperate. Soaking allows cyanide to be produced, so is actually a bad thing although it is removed through the consequent boiling. The stomach apparently destroys the glycosides that result in cyanide release before it gets released. Grinding allows cyanide to be produced too. Heat processing also destroys some beneficial nutrients in the linseed.
So, the upshot of this is im looking for more research paper into linseed! Can it be fed whole to horses or not?
Silverbreeze - you can feed them whole but you can buy them de-hulled. Theyre more expensive this way though.


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## Bugly (8 April 2009)

you feed them with shells on...i know some people soak them prior to feeding, but I've never found them undigested in droppings.

and the black ones...not the stripey ones!


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## flyingfeet (8 April 2009)

I'm feeding hearts as guessing they are more easily digested, but are more expensive. 

I have been feeding for a year, but I am not into the hoof yet that has been BOSS'd (can clearly see due to laminitis line!)

Will be interesting in about 6 months, if not its back to formula4feet.


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## sarah23 (8 April 2009)

I've been watching this post with interest. My lad has bad feet so I'd like to give them ago to see if it helps. What is BOSS and where do i get the seeds from.


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## Keltic (8 April 2009)

BOSS is Black Oil Sunflower Seeds you can get them over the internet delivered or from an animal feeds retailer that sells feeds for birds. My local Kennelgate sells them in the bird section in 15kg bags.


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## itsme123 (9 April 2009)

I've fed them in the past and found them to be great, especially for natives. The result on mine was hard shiny hooves and a real sheen on the coat.


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## charlottenicol (10 April 2009)

I have been feeding my Clydesdale a cup twice a day for the last couple of years, his feet are super and his coat shiny, my friend also feeds the seeds and she used to have feet problems but has noticed a big difference in the last couple of years.


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