Flaxseed, also known as linseed, is an excellent source of the essential omega-3 fatty acid, linolenic acid. Information is limited on feeding flaxseed to lactating dairy cattle, but generally the amount of seed should be limited to provide less than a pound of added vegetable oil per cow per day. Flaxseeds contain about 42% fat. Most studies fed diets that contained 7 to 10% flaxseed, which is greater than the upper oil limit of 1 lb. The seed should be cracked to increase digestibility and to minimize the passage of whole flaxseed from the digestive tract into the manure.
These resources are brought to you by the Cooperative Extension System and your Local Institution
Welcome
eXtension is an interactive learning environment delivering the best, most researched knowledge from the smartest land-grant university minds across America.
Have a question? Try asking one of our Experts
Have a specific question? Try asking one of our Experts
Unlike most other resources on the web, we have experts from Universities around the country ready to answer your questions.
This resource area was created by the: Dairy community
Resource Area Feeds
In This Resource Area
Webinars
Subject Areas
- Business Management and Farm Labor
- Calf and Heifer Management
- Facilities
- Food Safety
- Genetics
- Health and Diseases
- Learning Lessons
- Mastitis and Milking Management
- Materiales en español
- Milk Marketing
- Nutrient Management for Dairies
- Nutrition of Milking and Dry Cows
- Pest Management
- Reproduction
