Linseed jelly

[domineckernc]

Going back through an old poultry book my Mom gave me and ran across a number of references to linseed jelly as a supplement during molt or show conditioning. Apparently it's a boiled flax seed concoction used for horses. Anybody ever used this for poultry? Raw seed is poisonous to some animals from what I have read. I know flax is fed to layers to increase omega 3 in eggs. It seems like a lot of cooking when there are other ways to increase protein for molting fowl, but I like finding old methods of doing things. I'm going to check with the feed store to see if they carry any flax seed products.

[labradors]

Somewhere, maybe on the Frey's site, I read that if you want Omega 3's eat flax yourself {LOL}. I'm always on the lookout for treats for my girls though. I bet they would enjoy eating flax seed :).

Linda

[domineckernc]

I'm a fan of sardines for my omegas. :)

[domineckernc]

The old time poultry men thought that by varying the diet and feeding three times a day an amount that the chicken would consume in 15 minutes that the birds ate more and were in better condition than leaving commercial feed before them all the time. The linseed jelly is a once or twice a week moistener for the wet mash meal in the evening, alternating with boiled potatoes, sour milk or whey. Of course linseed was a cheap by product of the linen industry not a relatively expensive health food item.

[windwalkingwolf]

Flax must be eaten fresh for full benefit, the oils (and fatty acids) oxidize very quickly, even in a sealed container or kept in a fridge.Grind it up so we can actually digest it, and it spoils the same day. Their use as a "health food", for people anyway, is a bit overblown However, chickens are actually designed to digest seeds, so it's possible that chickens extract nutrients that we don't. I don't think it's necessary to give more or higher protein during conditioning or molt, but I do think it's important that they get different kinds of protein from various sources (all protein is not created equal) as chickens, or us for that matter, were meant to do. You can raise protein amounts by boiling old leather scraps too, but you wouldn't necessarily want to drink boot soup.
I'm also always fascinated by old how-to's, tips and tricks... looking for ways to do things faster or cheaper...every once in a while you hit on some really good ideas. Personally though, I take everything with a grain of salt, and the older the information, the more salt. You have to keep in mind that our great-grandparents chickens were not expected to live beyond 2 or 3 years old, so if a hen died of organ at failure at 3, it was chalked up to old age.
Just some fat to chew on.

[KimChick]

Somewhere, maybe on the Frey's site, I read that if you want Omega 3's eat flax yourself {LOL}. I'm always on the lookout for treats for my girls though. I bet they would enjoy eating flax seed :).

Linda

Just remember to grind the flax seeds, before using, to get its benefits; otherwise, most of it will be good roughage.

[KimChick]

Somewhere, maybe on the Frey's site, I read that if you want Omega 3's eat flax yourself {LOL}. I'm always on the lookout for treats for my girls though. I bet they would enjoy eating flax seed :).

Linda
Just remember to grind the flax seeds, before using, to get its benefits; otherwise, most of it will be good roughage. And I store it in the freezer.

[domineckernc]

Found brown flax seed at feed store, 5# for 4.95...not bad. Instructions say soak a cup of seed in water over night then bring to a boil and then simmer until jelly like consistency adding water as needed. I'm gonna check it out just to see what our great grandpas did for their showbirds. LOL

[windwalkingwolf]

You're braver than I am :D

[domineckernc]

Finally got around to doing this. I put about three quarters of a cup of flax seed in a pint yogurt container, filled with water and let stand overnight. It readily soaked up the water and turned into soft gooey seedball. Today I put it in a large pot with two quarts of water and brought to a boil,turned it down for a few minutes and then brought it back to a boil and turned it off to cool. It was very frothy and I was afraid it would boil over even on low. It seemed about the desired consistency already anyway. I let it cool for an hour and then added it an equal amount of layer crumble and stirred it with my hand. It was quite muciligenous if that's a word. Birds loved it. Even with full feeders they jumped on the warm mash. Clean up was easy as the pot I used to cook it cleaned right up with just regular dishwashing. This may not be a bad idea especially for a warm supper for the birds on a cold evening.