August 2003

Not Just For The Birds

Sunflower seeds are an inexpensive healthy snack for horses.

You can share your snack with your horse.

Feeding sunflower seeds as treats is far from a new idea, as sunflowers are a staple in equine diets in other parts of the world, such as Australia. The sunflower seed cake, which is what is left over after extracting sunflower oil, is commonly included in livestock feeds as a protein source and may even be included in some horse feeds as a component of the byproducts category of ingredients. In fact, the entire plant is edible.

Sunflower seeds are higher in fat, fiber and protein than grains. Because they are also calorie-dense, they can even be used to replace part of the grain. Like grains, sunflower seeds are higher…