how is this supplement and chamomile question

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akane

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What amount of chamomile is safe for lactating and pregnant females? So far my supplement is
.5lb hard red wheat
.5lb soft white wheat
.5lb wheat germ (finer pieces often left behind)
2lbs rolled barley (often partially left behind)
1lb rolled oats
.5lb oat groats
1lb spelt
.5lb sunflower meats
.5lb ground flax (this is too fine to be eaten so may not count for anything)
1lb chia seed
1lb dried mulberries
1lb dried dandelion leaf
1lb dried nettle

so that's 11lbs probably 10 of edible since they leave part of some things behind. This mix has mostly been a cost and palatability test before I decide what to order from my feed mill in bulk. They get one small handful every evening. To this mix I have ordered 1lb rose buds, 1lb carnation flowers, and have a cheaper source I'm thinking of ordering the 1lb chamomile and 1lb honeysuckle. More dried berries may be included. Anyone see a problem?
 
That's quite a supplement. I don't see any problems, except that I know nothing about the properties of chia seeds.

For chamomile, you need to know whether it is Roman Chamomile or German Chamomile - they look and taste similar but are different plants. This is why I prefer to use Latin names. Google for the Latin names and then search for information as it applies to pregnant or lactating humans. If there are no cautions, it should be safe. At least, that is what I would do. :)
 
Chia seed is pretty much the same as flax but the shell is more digestible so you can feed it whole without it coming out the other end whole. It's smaller size is the only problem but I could not find the rolled or cut flax that the person I was talking with uses. I threw in the chia seed in case they did not lick up the ground flax which they mostly don't. We tried to copy the other person's 9 grain mix they've been using for years except we can't get triticale, rye, and then had to use the chia seed in place of flax. I added the sunflower (might turn out too fattening) and herbs.

The chamomile says it's Matricaria chamomilla. 1lb for $7 is really good. The reference site I was using wanted $17/lb. Not sure the quality of german chamomile from egypt though. We'll see. Apparently there aren't many good human studies of chamomile. Every site that mentions pregnancy in humans just says "not enough information. Avoid use." One site does list an increase in estrogen as one of the effects. From animal studies and individual accounts the biggest concern seems to be allergies (can rabbits and chinchillas be allergic to ragweed...) followed by blood thinning but usually only when a blood thinner is already being used. There's a worry with no proof so far over young getting botulism. That's all I could find.
 
Sounds delicious :D

Wikipedia actually has some (possibly poorly sourced) info and of course...no amounts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matricaria_chamomilla (german chamomile) - This one mentions potentially beneficial properties.
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaemelum_nobile (roman chamomile) It's said to be somewhat unsafe during pregnancy.

I've never given any chamomile to a pregnant or lactating doe so I can't recommend anything (because the wild animals always eat my german chamomile before the plants get well established) But, I'll certainly try it out if I get the chance.

I'm just curious, is your supplement for rabbits or chins?
 
Both. Right now they eat the same pellets and hay aside from slightly more clover/alfalfa to the rabbits and slightly more grass hay to the chins. We only have a small group of netherlands now so I can afford to feed them however I want. We were having lactation and low weight problems in both animals with entire litters lost from the netherlands. Actually we have not had a successful netherland litter since we sold our cross does and got purebred even though one is a BUD so the dwarf genes should not be causing problems and there's been no noticeable birthing problems. I have leads out on more ND stock but they don't breed over winter outdoors in this area so everyone but me who now has indoor rabbits is just starting to breed.

The chins don't eat much green or high water containing plant matter in the wild. Cactus and some roots is mostly it. The occasional berry bush and otherwise they eat bark (they can do some serious work on a branch with green bark), tough plants, and grass seed heads that grow in the rocks of the mountains. so they are fed a very boring diet of usually not even chin specifically formulated pellets in captivity. I don't really agree with this. I'd like to get both animals first producing healthy and 2nd lessening or eliminating pellets for more variety. I figure so long as I watch the sugary and fatty foods and provide enough variety they should adjust the diet themselves to something more natural. In my research of wild and early captivity diets of chins I did find a guideline of nearly every value in the diet right down to the percentage of trace minerals and fat soluble vitamins that is believed to be necessary. Haven't crunched the numbers of everything in the mix I made yet to determine how close I am. This round is mostly a palatability and safety check of ingredients.
 

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