Hemp Seed

[Apryl in ND]

This is a little off topic, but I thought it was interesting that the mineral mix I'm using has hemp seed in it. It's always labeled as "grain product" to disguise the name. It's the stuff in bird seed mixes that's round and bigger than millet. I have given my goats some of this mineral and they have eaten all of the hemp seed out of it and not eaten much of the mineral. Hemp seed must be tasty. Hemp seed and hemp seed oil are very beneficial to human health as well. This is from wikipedia.....


"About 30–35% of the weight of hempseed is hempseed oil or hemp oil, an edible oil that contains about 80% essential fatty acids (EFAs); i.e., linoleic acid, omega-6 (LA, 55%), alpha-linolenic acid, omega-3 (ALA, 22%), in addition to gamma-linolenic acid, omega-6 (GLA, 1–4%) and stearidonic acid, omega-3 (SDA, 0–2%). Whole hempseed also contains about 25% of a highly-digestible protein, where 1/3 is edestin and 2/3 are albumins. Its amino acid profile is close to "complete" when compared to more common sources of proteins such as meat, milk, eggs and soy.[20] The proportions of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid in one tablespoon (15 ml) per day of hemp oil easily provides human daily requirements for EFAs. Unlike flaxseed oil, hemp oil can be used continuously without developing a deficiency or other imbalance of EFAs.[21] This has been demonstrated in a clinical study, where the daily ingestion of flaxseed oil decreased the endogenous production of GLA.[21]

Hempseed is an adequate source of calcium and iron. Whole hempseeds are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese."

Maybe we should be giving our goats handfuls of hemp seed or bird seed mixes rather than BOSS?? Just a thought.

[shiandpete.1]

Did they have the munchies afterwards? Lol! I don't know why hemp isn't used more often, I absolutely love hemp lotion.

[Pony]

The problem with hemp is twofold: The seed has to be broken to provide nutrition, either thoroughly chewed or else chopped/ground/whatever before eating AND hemp goes rancid VERY quickly.

So if you grind it or otherwise process it before it's eaten, it must be used fairly quickly or frozen. If you leave the seed whole, you have to make sure that it gets chewed up REALLY well.

Knowing how goats tend to wolf their food down, I wonder if it would do them any good -- unless it was part of their cud?