Feeding Peas?

[andrea]

Does anyone here feed peas? I got some pea pellets (hulls, broken peas, etc.) from a local seed company, intended for feeding to cattle, highly recommended, lots of people around here feed them, etc... But I don't know enough about them to feel comfortable. They are 11-18% protein. I know that's a big difference, but the tag says 11% and the guy who sold them to us said 18%. I read on the board here that they don't have enough calcium. The tag only gave me info on protein, fiber and fat.

I'm feeding timothy hay. As of this point that is it, and I'm slowly adding the pea pellets. This is a steer calf, unknown breed yearling, too small for his age. I'm wanting to feed him enough to keep him growing well but not the huge amounts you feed to finish. How much grain should I feed at this age? Is there a percentage of his bodyweight that I can use as a general rule?

I'll be adding another calf soon, but not sure what age, so I'll have to ask about that later.

Is there a good website or book with feeding info for beginners? I read the feed chapter of the book I have (Storeys' Guide to Raising Beef Cattle) and it was really not helpful at all. It did give me lots of info about how they digest food, but it also seemed to say that grain is a bad thing.

Can anyone offer me some advice?

 

[Bobg]

Andrea,

I feed unground peas and have never had any problems with them. You need to figure out what kind of feeding regime you want to be able to determine how many pea pellets you want to include. Peas normally run above 20%, so I would go by the 18%. I feed 6 pounds of ground barley and about a pound of peas plus 25 pounds of grass hay to my cows during the winter. I've never had any health problems doing this.

Bobg

 

[msscamp]

How much grain should I feed at this age? Is there a percentage of his bodyweight that I can use as a general rule?

The general rule of thumb for grain is 1-2% of the animals bodyweight.

Is there a good website or book with feeding info for beginners?

Morrison's Feeds and Feeding.

I read the feed chapter of the book I have (Storeys' Guide to Raising Beef Cattle) and it was really not helpful at all. It did give me lots of info about how they digest food, but it also seemed to say that grain is a bad thing.

Understanding how they digest food is important because it affects many things from feeding a newborn calf, to feeding adult animals, to knowing the possible implications between an animal lying down chewing it's cud and one that is just lying down. If you don't know how an animal digests food then how can you know that cows are ruminants, and chewing their cud is usually a sign that they are happy, contented, and all is well? I'm not answering your question very well, but I've been around cattle long enough that I can't think of how to phrase it to someone who hasn't. I'm sorry for that.

Can anyone offer me some advice?

I believe peas are classified in the legume family, so I would start slowly (say 1% of their bodyweight), and increase the feed gradually, with each increase happening over about a weeks length of time - you don't need a case of bloat. Watch your steer for loose stools, and maybe back off a little bit if that happens. Once it solidifies, add a little more. You might also do a google search to see if there is anything you need to be on the lookout for. Yes, I'm probably being overly cautious, but this is the approach I take when feeding anything I don't have any experience with. You may choose to do differently, and that's fine.

 

[andrea]

Bobg - Thanks for the info. Can you tell me why you feed barley and peas? Do they balance each other out nutritionally somehow?

Thanks for the info!

Andrea

 

[andrea]

msscamp-

Thank you! I googled the book you suggested and found a link to the information I was wanting about peas! Here it is if anyone is interested:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/livestoc/as1224w.htm

I'll try to order the book too.

I didn't mean to say that it's not important to know how their digestion works. It was necessary info, interesting and very helpful in general, but did not help with my specific feeding questions. It was more a chapter on digestion than feeding. And while of course those two go hand in hand it was less than I was hoping for.

Yes, peas are legumes. I am starting him slowly, with just a handful to begin, then another handful, then adding a cup at each feeding. This morning he'll get 3 cups, which is probably about a pound. Need to get the scale out so I'll know my weights though.

Thank you again!

Andrea

 

[Susie David]

Andrea....the Uof Idaho has a great Cow/Calf Management Guide....worth the investiment. Andrea Corean at the vet sciences dept is the contact.
I'll send you the info when we're back from vacation...if you still want it.
We don't feed peas because of the lack of calcium and have noticed the price has risen considerably over the past few years. Good alfalfa and some cracked corn for finishing and as a winter energy kick when it's below 10 degrees is all we feed.
Just my two bits worth.
Dave Mc

 

[Bobg]

Can you tell me why you feed barley and peas?

I feed either barley or wheat depending on what I can get the cheapest. I normally can get up to a ton of either from WSU for nothing. All the farmers in my area haul all their barley to the grain terminals on the Snake River, I don't have a way to handle all the I use in a year. I occationally will buy a little corn, but it's too expensive in eastern WA. A lot of the hay that I feed is really blue grass straw and so I feed a little grain and peas to get the protein level where I want it. I also buy wheat, barley and peas from the certified seed program at WSU, they bag is for me which allows me to handle a lot more grain at one time and I get it at market price. My Longhorn cows and crossbred calves can handle a lot rougher feed than the English breed cows, so I can get by pretty expensively for winter feed.

Here's few article that you can read, I haven't read through them, but you can do a Google search on feeding cattle peas and come up with quite a few of them.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/livestoc/as1224w.htm

http://www.infoharvest.ca/pcd/summaries/toc.html

http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/dickinso/r ... ine95c.htm



Bobg