As you may have read in earlier posts about our omega-3 chicken and omega-3 enriched chicken feed, we nurture our omega-3 chicken not through artificial injection, or any other unnatural process, but by feeding our chicken a flaxseed blend. However, you might have been left wondering: what is it about flaxseed that makes it so nutritionally beneficial? Is flaxseed really the best source of omega-3 fatty acids, or is it just the de facto favourite?

Components and Benefits of Flaxseed

For a seed only a few millimeters across, the wealth nutrition packed into a single husk is staggering. And with so many nutritional aspects, flaxseed feed breeds healthy omega-3 chicken, which in turn fosters a nutritious meal for your family. By percentage, flax seeds are chock full of some of the most sought after nutrients in modern diets.

• Fats/Oils: 40%
  • Discussed at length in our post on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed is absolutely loaded with healthy, polyunsaturated fats, including the illustrious omega-3.
• Dietary Fibre: 28%
  • Flaxseed contains exceptionally high levels of both soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre has been proven to reduce levels of cholesterol, and insoluble fibre is essential in maintaining digestive health.
• Lignans (part of Dietary Fibre)
  • Lignans are a chemical compound found in plant-based dietary fibre, and flaxseed contains way more lignans than most other foods (75 to 800 times more!) Lignans have powerful antioxidant qualities.
• Protein: 20%
  • While chicken is a great source of protein no matter what, omega-3 chicken fed with flaxseed is a guaranteed protein booster. Flaxseed protein contributes to strong, healthy chicken.

But there’s even more benefit to flax-based feed than flaxseed’s intrinsic health value.

Local Flax Production

Not only are our omega-3 chicken raised on an Ontario Mennonite farm, but flax itself is farmed all over Ontario. Though flax was originally grown in Ontario for its stem fibre, which constitutes linen and certain types of paper, as flaxseed consumption has gained in popularity so have flax farms. Since our feed is farmed close to our chicken, and since all of this is local to you, you can be confident in the limited carbon footprint of D&D Poultry’s Omega line.