Young bulls (120 d) were fed a diet in which 34.8% of skim milk was replaced with pea meal. Feeding lasted 637 d and there was no difference in pre-slaughter weight or dressing percentage (Natsyuk and Prikhod 1990 {614}). Black Pied bulls were fed either 28% peas or a 28% rapeseed with hay, silage and a grain mixture. Dry matter, protein, fat, fiber and N-free extract digestibilities were similar, and average daily gain and feed efficiency were unaffected (Soloshenko et al. 1990 {620}). Replacement of soybean meal with peas in a diet fed to German Simmental bulls (149 d old and weighed 192 kg) resulted in similar average daily gains, feed intakes and carcass characteristics (Schwarz and Kirchgessner 1989 {631}). Thirty Lowland Black and White bulls were fed diets supplemented with 22% pea meal or 15% rapeseed meal until they reached body weights over 400 kg. Average daily gain was 709 and 693 g/d, 6.43 and 7.01 barley units/kg liveweight gain, 720.1 and 736 g digestible protein/kg liveweight gain, 69.3 and 68.6% meat yield for pea meal and rapeseed meal diets, respectively. There were no differences in bull performance when rapeseed was substituted for peas (Stenzel et al. 1994 {570}). Forty-nine Simmental bull calves (29 d old) were given free access to conventional maize-soyabean starter and finisher diets. Peas replaced SBM at 0, 50, 75 and 100%. Average liveweight did not differ at 125 d, but at 365 d weights were 472, 466, 417 and 442 kg, respectively. Carcass characteristics were similar for all bulls fed all diets (Pichler 1990 {611}). Peas can be used as the sole protein source for beef cattle.
Feeding peas to other ruminants
Lambs (40-45 d to 180 d) initially weighing 12 kg were fed diets containing 81.4, 63.0 and 34.2 barley, 15.6, 9.5 and 0% SBM and 0, 24.5 and 62.8% peas (DM). Digestibility of the DM increased with increasing pea content of the diet-79.5, 80.5 and 84.9% and nitrogen retention was 5.99, 3.36 and 4.43 g/day with 0, 24.5 and 62.8% peas in the diet (Purroy et al. 1992 {591}). Peas and SBM were equally capable of supplying protein to growing lambs.