[ShyAnne]

I am curious how does Flax seed affect Goats?

 

[hoofinitnorth]

I feed it as a source of fat, in small quantities as part of the overall grain ration. They like it but don't often eat all of it until they lick the feeder clean, just because the seeds are so small. In the horses, it puts a noticeably sleek coat on them in short order and I think it does help the goats this way too but I haven't fed it consistently enough to know if that's really what's doing it for them or if it's some other items in the ration (or combination thereof).

 

[ShyAnne]

Thanks, Thats why I asked. I use it for my horses,its a great shine 'em up and great for the omegas and fat. I didnt know if it would be safe for goats. I would like to give a small amount to them but wanted to be sure it would be ok.

 

[AnnaS]

It's safe for goats, as far as I've heard. Keep in mind, though, that what works in horses won't always work in goats, and vice versa, becuse of the radical difference in digestion processes.
I have about 50 lbs of ground flax seed in sealed packets. It was human-use flax that "expired" but is perfectly good as goat feed. I use it to encourage an ill goat to eat and feed it to baby kids to get them an early start on grain. For some reason, kids will start eating ground flax much earlier than they will try ground corn or oats.

 

[ShyAnne]

I have the whole seed and grind it daily for my horses.
Thats good to know. I wonder how much is safe to give them?