AS-1224

A Guide to

Feeding Field Peasto Livestock

Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) isan annual cool-season legumecrop that is grown around theworld on over 25 million acres.

In 2001, 3.6 million acres of field peawas grown in Canada, while 100,000acres were planted in North Dakota.Significant expansion has occurred inNorth Dakota and surrounding statesin recent years and this region is nowthe primary source of feed pea in theUnited States. In 2001, North Dakotaproduced nearly 40% of all field peagrown in the U.S., but total U.S.production equaled only 13% of theCanadian crop. Currently, about 30%of the domestic dry pea productionis consumed in the food and feedmarkets within the United States andthe remainder exported. Competitiveexport markets suggest optimumvalue of field pea may be captured bylocal or regional use of this relativelynew and nutrient dense feedstuff.

Field pea or “dry pea” is marketedas a dry, shelled product for eitherhuman food as “split peas” or as alivestock feed. Field pea contributessignificant amounts of protein,carbohydrates, and amino acidsto all species but is increasinglyconsidered an excellent ingredientin beef, dairy, swine and poultryrations due to their nutrient density.

Field pea (test weight = 60 poundsper bushel) can be produced withconventional equipment and isare easy to grow, handle, process,and feed. Several varieties areavailable and each has some uniquecharacteristics. Seed color (green[preferred] or yellow) and seed size[large preferred] are two traits thatimpact acceptance in the humanedible market. However, all fieldpea varieties may be considered feedgrade peas. The crude protein contentof field pea may vary due to theinfluence of variety and environment.

North Dakota State UniversityFargo, North Dakota 58105

JANUARY 2002

Vern Anderson(Editor)

Robert HarroldDoug Landblom

Greg LardyBlaine Schatz

J.W. Schroeder

North Dakota State University

Nutrient Content and Feeding Recommendations for

Beef, Dairy, Sheep, Swine and Poultry

Because of this variation, field peashould be tested for protein forinclusion in balanced livestockrations.

Field pea yields compare favorablywith spring wheat with generallyhigher yields expected for field peawithin some regions. Yield datafrom North Dakota State Universityresearch centers shows that fieldpea perform well across the state.Projections are for continuedexpansion of field pea acres inNorth Dakota and surroundingstates as growers recognize that thecrop is well adapted the region andcontributes many positive benefitsto crop rotation.

Field pea may also be grown as aforage crop, where it is typicallyplanted as a mixture with cerealgrains to enhance the proteinconcentration of the forage. Fieldpea in such mixtures will increasedigestibility, protein, and energycontent of the forage. The amount ofimprovement depends on proportionof peas in the forage, maturity atharvest, and variety. Most growerswant equal plant populationsfrom cereal and peas requiringapproximately 70% peas and 30%cereal grains by weight as a seed mix.Growing peas with cereal grains willcommonly increase protein contentof the forage from 2 to 4 percentagepoints. The mixed forage can beharvested as hay or silage, withpotential for double cropping ifadequate moisture is available.

Field pea intended for the feedmarket is handled like most othercommodities. Storage on-farm orat local grain elevators positionsthe crop to be readily moved toprocessors or livestock operationsthrough traditional truck and railconnections. Specific elevators maybe prepared to make unit trainshipments of field peas to majordomestic livestock operations or toports for international feed markets.

Markets are developing withincreasing knowledge and realizationof the nutritional value of peas.Some growers utilize peas in theirown livestock enterprises, butcommercial demand is increasingfrom feed manufacturers andcommercial livestock enterprises.

This guide to feeding field peashas a companion publication,EB 76 Feeding Field Pea toLivestock, that is a thoroughliterature review of recentfield pea research for thoseinterested in more details.

Nutrients in Field PeaField pea compares favorably withother grains and co-products forseveral nutrients. Peas are considereda crude protein source (Table 1) inmost diets. Energy levels are similarto corn for most livestock specieswith starch ( 54%) and digestiblefiber (hemicellulose fraction 7%)accounting for most of this fraction.Fat is a modest contributor at 1.55%.Amino acids are important to swineand poultry but not a major concernto ruminants as microbes in therumen provide the required aminoacids for beef and dairy cattle andsheep. However, rate and extent

of ruminal degradation for bothstarch and protein are important toruminants. Field pea complementsmost other grains and can serve as apellet binder for manufactured feeds.

Economic Comparisonof Field PeaAny economic comparison of fieldpea with other feeds must considerboth crude protein and energycontent as well as some intrinsicpalatability factors. When consideringpeas, crude protein will usually bethe first limiting nutrient so initialcalculations are made on a proteinbasis only. In Table 2, cost per unitof protein is extrapolated to cost perton or bushel when the unit cost ofprotein is equal, in this case $.189per pound of crude protein on a drymatter basis. Another method ofcalculating relative value for onlyprotein would be to establish a rangeof prices for a respective commodity,such as soybean meal at $150, $200,and $250 per ton with equivalentprices for protein resulting in fieldpeas valued on a per bushel basis of$2.31, $3.08, and $3.84, respectively.

It must be noted that field peas addsignificantly to the energy in any dietwhen included as a protein source.Formulating least cost rations with

Table 1. Analytical comparison of field peas to other grains.

Field Wheat SoyPeas Corn Barley Oats Midds Hulls

——————————————— Percent ———————————————

Dry Matter 89 89 89 89 90 91

————————————— Dry matter basis —————————————

Crude Protein 24.5 9.5 13.2 13.1 17.8 12.2Acid Detergent Fiber 8.0 3.3 5.8 14.0 12.2 11.0Neutral Detergent Fiber 15.1 10.8 18.1 29.3 40.7 66.1Estimated TDN 90 90 85 83 81 80Fat 1.55 4.30 2.25 5.05 5.05 2.10Calcium .05 .03 .05 .10 .11 .53Phosphorous .48 .31 .37 1.73 .95 .18Potassium 1.01 .33 .56 1.89 1.10 1.29

Adapted from NRC, 1984, 1996

field peas for any species or classof livestock should be done withknowledge of nutrient requirementsof the animal and nutrients availablein feeds being considered. A basicunderstanding of nutrition is neededto develop practical, productive, andeconomical diets. Ration balancingsoftware is available and nutritionistsmay be consulted for assistance. Thebrief reviews to follow provide rulesof thumb in using field pea for beef,dairy, sheep, swine, and poultry.

Feeding Recommendations for

Beef CattleField pea is a very palatable feedstufffor all classes of beef cattle. Thisfeed may best be used in diets wherenutrient density and palatability areimportant, such as creep feeds andreceiving diets. Creep feeds with 33%to 67% field peas produced optimumanimal performance and return.This formulation may provideexcess crude protein as creep feedrecommendations call for no morethan 16%. Weaned calves can be fedpea at essentially any proportion ofthe concentrate when grains andsupplements make up 60% or less ofthe total diet. Dietary crude proteinrequirements for growing steers andheifers are based on gain goals, withhigher protein required for fastergrowth. Maximum recommendationsare 13.5 to 14% crude protein in thediet. Peas fed at more than 25%0 ofthe total diet will probably result inexcess crude protein, but like thecreep feed trials, slightly improvedperformance was observed over the

control diet when peas were includedat 50% or more of the concentrate.The economics of using field peas atlevels higher than 25% of the totaldiet should be carefully considered.Energy values (NEg) for field peasin growing diets can be as high as.71 Mcal/lb. Finishing cattle havedemonstrated some improvedperformance traits with up to20% field peas in the diet.

Field pea works well in beef cowsupplements at most any level.The nutrient density will provideadditional benefits as fewer poundsof feed will be required for the samenutrition, resulting in lowertransportation and storage costs.Field pea may be fed in place of rangecake as a protein and energy sourcefor wintering cows or incorporatedinto range cake at any level required.Field pea makes an excellent binderfor pelletting or cubing.

No anti-nutritional traits wereobserved in field pea fed to feedlotand breeding beef cattle at up to 76%of total dry matter intake. While fieldpea processing has not been provento be beneficial, additional researchis planned to define any thresholdof response from grinding or rolling.Both starch and protein from fieldpeas degrade slowly but relativelythoroughly in the rumen, with onlymodest levels of escape protein(<25% of crude protein). Slowstarch fermentation makes peas apotentially desirable complementfor stabilizing ruminal pH whenmore rapidly fermented feeds likewheat and barley are fed.

Feeding Recommendations for

Dairy CattleThe versatility of field pea is evidentas peas have been used successfullyin pre-ruminant baby calf diets aswell as lactating cow diets. In starterdiets, ground field peas can beincluded at up to 40 to 50% of theconcentrate replacing portions ofcorn, barley, and/or soybean meal.Equal animal performance wasobserved in trials in Alberta andMinnesota. Field pea can be used asthe sole protein source for growingheifers.

Because dry peas degrade slowlybut thoroughly in the rumen, highlyproductive cows in early lactationrequire additional escape proteinfrom sources other than peas.Young cows are also more susceptiblethan second lactation and older cowsto lack of escape protein in the diet.In Alberta trials, field pea replacedsoybean meal as a protein sourcewithout affecting feed intake, milkyield, or 4% fat corrected milk,provided escape protein requirementsare met by distillers grains or othersources. Field pea can be used at upto 25% of the concentrate. Field peaeffectively improved ruminal pHwhen substituted for barley inlactating cow diets. Processingfield pea has not been investigatedin lactating cow diets, but thepreference for all other grains is togrind relatively fine. Small particlesize allows maximum digestionduring the relatively rapid passagerate of digesta through thegastrointestinal tract.

Table 2. Equivalent cost of field peas to other crude protein sources.

Field Soybean Canola Sunflower SafflowerPeas* Meal Meal Meal Meal

Crude protein, %,(DM basis) 24.5 47.8 40.2 35.6 27.9

Equivalent valueper ton, $ 83.33** 162 137 121 95

* Does not include a value for higher energy content of field peas.** Equal to $2.50 per 60 lb bushel

Feeding Recommendations for

Sheep“Experienced shepherds esteemfield peas for fattening sheep . . .“(from Morrison’s Feeds and Feeding,20th Edition, 1946). This historicalcomment is supported by recentresearch using field pea in growingand finishing lamb diets. Peas appearto have a net energy value at leastequal to corn and in one trial 14%greater than corn. Peas weresuccessfully included at up to 45% ofthe feedlot diet, replacing a portion ofthe corn and all of the soybean meal.Peas appear to be an excellent sourceof energy, protein, vitamins andminerals for growing and finishinglambs. Least cost rations shouldbe balanced based on relative feedcosts and expected performance.No specific research with peas andbreeding flocks is known, but thelimited research data in feedlot andknowledge of reproduction in otherruminant species suggests noproblems would be anticipatedin ewe diets.

Feeding Recommendations for

SwineThe nutrient density and low fiberlevels in field pea makes it anattractive feed for swine diets.Balancing these diets requiresappropriate complementary feedsor supplements. Starter diets cancontain up to 15% ground field peas,but extruding the peas will increasethe maximum recommended level to20%. Early weaned pigs should weighat least 20 pounds and be 20 daysold before introducing field peas.

For growing finishing pigs,substantial evidence exists that fieldpea can replace all of the soybeanmeal and a portion of the basal grainin wheat , barley, and/or hullless-oatgrain based diets. Pea/corn dietswill require an additional 4 to 8%protein supplement due to the lowprotein content in corn. Growingdiets for swine may contain up to40% field pea.

Recommendations from finishingresearch indicate pigs perform wellon diets that contain from 10 to 43%field pea. Amino acids are importantin growing and finishing swine dietformulation, especially methionine.Options include adding syntheticmethinone or mixing peas withcanola meal, as it is high inmethionine. Strong evidence supportsblending canola meal with field peato make an excellent replacementfor soybean meal. Addition of theenzymes phytase (phosphorousmetabolism) and xylanase(fiber digestion) further increasedperformance of growing pigs fed pea.

In lactating sow diets, peas canreplace up to 30% of soybean mealwithout affecting performance. Anti-nutritional factors observed in otherannual legumes (i.e. anti-trypsinfactor in soybeans) are 5 to 20 timeslower in spring-planted field pea andnot considered a problem in feedingfield pea to swine. Field pea shouldbe ground or pelleted with otherfeeds when included in swine diets.Field pea must compete economicallywith other feeds as an energy andprotein source and can be usedwithout affecting animalperformance.

Feeding Recommendations for

PoultrySeveral different classes of poultrycan utilize field pea in their dietswith proper consideration formeeting nutrient requirements.Peas can be a viable energy source,as well as a protein source since theamino acid profile closely matchesrequirements for many of the poultryspecies. Low levels of trypsininhibitors in spring-seeded peasallow feeding without roasting.Grinding is the preferred processingmethod for peas in all poultry diets,but fines should be avoided.

For laying hens, peas can be fed at upto 40% of the diet without severelyaffecting performance, but 10% isa more practical level with equalperformance. Broilers and turkeyscan consume 20 to 30% field peawithout affecting performance.Commercial xylanases andbetaglucanases added to poultry dietsincreased protein digestibility in dietswith high percentages of field pea.Due to the shorter digestive tract andrapid passage rate, energy derivedfrom field pea by poultry is similar tobarley. Methionine is the first limitingamino acid, so supplementation withother feeds or purified sources maybe recommended. As with otherspecies, comparative cost of nutrientswill determine the economic levelof field peas in poultry diets.

AS- 1224

NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. SharonD. Anderson, Director, Fargo, North Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. We offerour programs and facilities to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, Vietnam era veterans status,or sexual orientation; and are an equal opportunity employer.

This publication will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities upon request, 701/231-7881. 3M-1-02

For more information on this and other topics, see: www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu