Black oil sunflower seeds

[fantasykiger]

Has anyone had any experience feeding black oil sunflower seeds to their horses?
I was considering adding black oil sunflower seeds to my horses diet for their coats this summer, to see if they will truely make them shine and be healthier.


Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
High-protein food, with more protein than the grains. Rich in minerals; iron and zinc are plentiful. The high amount of oil in sunflower seeds as polyunsaturated fats, essential linoleic acid, and vitamin E. They are about 25 percent protein, have a good fibre content, and are rich in the B vitamins also, particularly in thiamine, pyridoxine, niacin, and pantothenic acid. With their high potassium and low sodium and with zinc, iron, and calcium all at good levels, sunflower seeds are a very mineral-rich food. The vitamin D that gets stored in these sun-filled seeds helps the utilisation of calcium. Copper, manganese, and phosphorus levels are also relatively high; they are lower in magnesium than in calcium, which is different from other seeds.

[Michelle Clarke]

I have used them and in fact they are in the Finally feed we use. Feed the whole thing, we used to do 1 cup per day. Any added fat will make the coat shiner, I am not sure about the healthier...if thier coats are not naturally as good as you would like, consider putting them on some digestive enzymes to help them better absorb the nutrients they are already getting. I have had great results with the KAM products but also wonderful results with ADM Stay Strong Mineral/Vitamin and Enzyme pellet. We have a pasture with just the ranch horses on it and they only get 1 pound each per day of the Stay Strong (no rice bran) and they are fat, super shiney and are focused with energy in the training pen. The growing horses, horses that need weight or ones in hard training get 1-2 lbs. of the Natural Glow pellets per day also.

But, with all that said, the black sunflower seeds really do have alot to offer and I think you will have some nice results just with the added fat!

[fantasykiger]

I just would like to see some real shiney coats, my Princess has a metallic sheen to her coat when it is at it's best. I think adding the black oil sunflower seeds will be helpful to everyone's coat. A shiney coat gives them a healthier look. I groom/brush as much as I can as well to bring out the natural oils, but a little extra fat would help as well.
Thanks for the help Michelle

[DianneC]

What about the omega 3 and omega 6 ratios, anyone know what they are?

[skybar]

Tiffany,
All of my horses get a handful of the black oil sunflowers seeds. I have been adding it for the past 3 years and I love the results. They have nice shiny coats, no skin irritations, which may or may not be attributed to the sunflower seeds. I have very limited time to spend with my 11 horses to just brush them, and by feeding them the sunflower seeds I have noticed the dirt does not stick to them like other horses.

Kara

[angelsdream]

I feed dac oil to all my horses - does the same thing, great for skin and coat, and digestion. They are all very shiny and easily to keep clean, just spray them off and the dirt washes right off of them

[fantasykiger]

Thanks everyone for your input. I am going to start adding the black oil sunflower seeds to their diet. If I get the added bonus that dirt does not stick so well to their coats ..then WOOHOO! ;D and less skin irritations, well I like the sound of that.

[Michelle Clarke]

I had a meeting today with a feed specialist and was told that black sunflower seeds when fed with the hull inhibits absorbtion of protein. So even if your horse is getting sufficent protein, it will not be usable. I have also read this before in a recent nutrition book and they give reference to the studies and documented research. That is one of the big ingredients in the feed I have been using and I have lost lots of toplines and muscle mass....now I know why.

[skybar]

From what I have read and been told by nutrionists you can only feed the black oil sunflower seeds not just black seeds but Black Oil. They are easily absorbed and do not inhibit protien absorbtion. Other sunflower seeds though such as the ones you would buy in the snack size bags for your own consumption would be a no no as would sunflower seeds in commercial bird seed mixes. Those are the type your nutritionist was probably referring to.

Kara

[fantasykiger]

I guess I need to do a bit more research. I have however been feeding them a half a cup a day and they absolutely love the black oil sunflower seeds. I toss some the birds way as well, guinea hens and chickens they all love me now..LOL. I however just started them on a small amount to see how they would adjust. The black oil sunflower seeds are more expensive for a 50lb bag then I anticipated, over $30.00, so unless they truely are beneficial to the horses I see no reason to continue purchasing them.

[Michelle Clarke]

Kara, not to be argumentative, but it is the pigment in the blackness that is the problem. There is a big fancy word for it, but what is basically comes down to a more potent form of tanin (sp?), as found in tea.

Lack of muscle can be easily covered up by subcutainous fat, but when you do not have the high levels of fat on a horse, then you see what you really have or don't have. Therefore it would be hard to tell just by looking at a horse whether you had alot of strong muscle mass or just fat - it takes awhile to educate your eye. Protein is required for muscle.

[skybar]

Michelle,

I also do not what this to seem argumenitive, but I will have to disagree with you on this. Protein is not the only ingredient to build muscle. Proper riding and collection is key to building muscle and top lines. Nutrition does play a strong role, but it is not the only thing involved in building muscle.

I have been feeding the black oil sunflower seeds for 3 years now and I have noticed no loss in muscle or top lines, and I do have an eye for these things as well. I only feed a handful to top-dress the grain ration. Anything that is overdone though I'm sure could possibly have undesirable effects such as adding additional fat where it was not intended, especially if the horse was not on a proper riding program.

If the sunflower seeds are a main ingredient in your grain, I agree with you that I would find a more appropriate grain, more for the reason because sunflower seeds were never meant to be a main ingredient for nutrition to the horse. The protein value varies widely as the sources are never constant, and I personally would not want my protein to be soley coming from sunflower seeds. I use it for the fat and that alone.

When I get my camera back, I will take pictures of my guys and show you their top lines and muscle or lack there of, I do have a few that need toned up, but that is not attributed to the sunflower seeds, that would be from my lack of riding them.

Kara

[Michelle Clarke]

I do agree that small amounts are not going to make too much difference....I suppose it all depends on what the horses are doing too. The older geldings and the two stallions on the feed (plus the two 2 yr. old stud colts), where fine - though I think the two younger ones could have more "covering" over their shoulders/hips.

The biggest problem I have had is the broodmares and the yearlings. I also had two foals born emaciated, one died. It was due to lack of protein being abosorbed by the fetus. These are not my words, but the nutrionalist and the vet. The mares where good weight. I have never had any kind of issues in the past. When I soaked the feed and seperated it out, I was actually surprised at the amount of hulls in the feed. I have sent the feed out for a complete analysis, down to the trace minerals, and will have the results in two weeks. This will give us a starting point to see where the issue is.

There is a big misconception in regards to protein...it has gotten a bad wrap the last few years. Plain and simple, protein is needed for energy, muscle, immune systems and overall health. Muscles need protein and amino acids and oxygen. That is why you see all the supplements for body builders are essential amino acids and protein....Protein is not stored anywhere in the body except the skeletal system, therefore it is in need of constant supply for each individual and their needs.

Most amino acids horses can produce themselves, however about half they cannot. Basically, if the amino acids are not readily available, then the protein will not be utilized anyway. Everything really works together!

The biggest problem we have here in Central Texas is that hay and pasture bacially suck! Oh, I wish for my orchard grass and timothy mixes of the midwest!!

[fantasykiger]

I came across this information and thought I would share...

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds - BOSS
Sunflower seeds, dried
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 570 kcal 2390 kJ
Carbohydrates 18.76 g
- Sugars 2.62 g
- Dietary fiber 10.5 g
Fat 49.57 g
- saturated 5.20 g
- monounsaturated 9.46 g
- polyunsaturated 32.74 g
Protein 22.78 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 2.29 mg 176%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.25 mg 17%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 4.5 mg 30%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 6.75 mg 135%
Vitamin B6 0.77 mg 59%
Folate (Vit. B9) 227 ìg 57%
Vitamin C 1.4 mg 2%
Vitamin E 34.50 mg 230%
Calcium 116 mg 12%
Iron 6.77 mg 54%
Magnesium 354 mg 96%
Phosphorus 705 mg 101%
Potassium 689 mg 15%
Sodium 3 mg 0%
Zinc 5.06 mg 51%

BOSS or Black Oil Sunflower Seeds is a recent addition to horse feeding regimens the past few years. There is not as of yet complete research as to whether or not BOSS is a truly beneficial seed to feed or not. My own experience suggests that it completely depends on the horse and its own nutritional needs and how carefully you go about balancing out the Omega 6:3 ratio, which, in my opinion is as important as balancing a horse’s Calcium:Phosphorous ratio, but is also frequently a dance into the unknown, since the Omega 6:3 ratio needs change for a horse throughout his lifetime and researchers cannot seem to pinpoint the exact ratio ideal for horses.

At the top is a human-grade nutritional profile of dried sunflower seeds. The percentages are based on human consumption. As you can see, there is a substantial amount of nutrients found in a humble sunflower seed. Horses that require these nutrients and are able to digest the seed seem to absorb the nutrients quite handily, resulting in a healthy sheen to their coat, a general better condition, including rounding out (fattening up) and seem in general to be fairly easy keepers on a cup of BOSS a day.

BOSS contains about 19% Omega 6 oils and about 0.2% Omega 3s. The ratio ends up being about 199:1 which is an inverted ratio from what you want to be feeding in general, unless you have a horse with an immune system deficiency, I’ll explain shortly.

For horse people. although the nutrients are important, we also want to know certain percentages. Most BOSS will average protein 15%, fat 25%, fiber 30% - 40%. Percentages will vary depending on where it was grown, soil content, and a number of other variables, as with any grain.

NSC (non-structural carbohydrates) has been tested on BOSS independently with an average being around 5% to 6%, but you may have to send BOSS to a lab like EquiAnalytical to compile a complete analysis. Bear in mind though, the analysis will only provide you complete data on that particular bag of BOSS, and nutrition WILL and DOES vary. NSC is critical when dealing with an Equine Metabolic Disorder.

Omega 6 and Omega 3s are vitally important. Omega 6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory which help maintain the animal’s immune system and is beneficial during infection and sickness. An ideal scenario to feed sunflower seeds for a period of time is when a horse is suffering from sluggish immune system responses.
Keep in mind that not all inflammation is bad, and is a sign that your immune system is functioning as it is supposed to. However, a hyper-stimulated immune system can compound problems for your horse (for example: severe immune system reactions to injections). It has been shown that Omega 6 can hyper-stimulate immune system responses - resulting in allergic like symptoms (allergies being a form of an inflammatory response to a stimulus).

In general, you want to be very careful feeding BOSS to a horse suffering from an Auto-Immune System Disorder or hyper stimulated adrenal glands. If your horse has been diagnosed with either, feed BOSS carefully (half ration – ½ cup to 1 cup flaxseed or a high Omega 3 FA oil) or simply replace it with an Omega 3 complex.

Now, bear in mind if your horse has a slow or reduced immune system response, BOSS may actually be highly advantageous for your horse to build up a stronger immune system, but make sure you are keeping the Omega 6:3 ratio in check.

If too many Omega 6 fatty acids are fed, an imbalance can occur, leading to an altered physiological state and potentially harmful inflammation – such as worsening arthritic responses, hyper-stimulated immune system responses (runny eyes, runny nose, stuffiness, swelling, etc are all signs of a potential hyper-stimulated immune response if they cannot be diagnosed through other means). On the other hand, the Omega 3 fatty acids are potent, anti-inflammatory agents that help reduce pain and swelling. Balance is key here.

Graining your horse is likely going to cause an imbalance to the Omega 6:3 ratio, resulting in inflammation, worsening arthritic responses if you are not careful at balancing the ratios out.

Cereal grains (Oat, Barley, Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.), as well as the oils from Sunflower, Corn, Rice Bran and Cottonseed, all contain high percentages of Omega 6 in relationship to their Omega 3 levels. So if you are feeding Oats as well as sunflower and rice bran, you are increasing the risk that your horse’s immune system is being over-stimulated due to the inverted ratio of Omega 6:3.

What I have found is for most easy keepers – a ratio of 1:2 to 1:6 of Omega 6:3 works well. For a horse with a metabolic disorder and a hyper-stimulated immune system, I tend to steadily increase the Omega 3s (increase the rate of flaxseed or other Omega 3 complex) and eliminate as much as I can the Omega 6s (no sunflower seeds or other grains) until I find the right balance for a healthy horse.

One thing to keep in mind as you work to increase the Omega3s, don’t feed your horse fish oils. Horses are not capable of properly digesting animal based oils, and you will cause a number of digestive complaints.

*note , I checked several mess. boards and on average most everyone who was feeding horses BOSS was feeding 1 cup or less and was pleased with the results. I have yet to find someone who had poor results or a bad experience so far, other then the ones Michelle has experienced so far. Of course if there was an issue they may not have known it may have been because of the BOSS.

[lindaf]

Tiffany,

There was a discussion of BOSS awhile back on the Fjord forum I read. What I got out of it was that the seeds can have a positive effect with little risk if fed in small quantities. I fed my horses one bag of the seeds, only about 1/2 cup/day because they are such easy keepers. They loved them. I also feed Omega Horseshine, a stabilized flax supplement. After the one bag of BOSS I discontinued it simply because I thought they were doing well without it, and it was just one more feed to deal with. People did recommend buying the seeds at Walmart or some other discount store in the wild bird feed department because it is exactly the same seed but less costly than at the feed store.

Linda F

edited to add: My horses get no grain, sweet feed, or alfalfa hay, just Coastal Bermuda hay, Nutrena lite Balance pellets, and the Omega Horseshine.(plus their mineral block and Sand Clear monthly)