Growth and Reproductive Performance of Beef Heifers Fed Carnival or Forager Field Peas 1

Carnival or Forager field peas were evaluated as replacements for a cornsoybean meal supplement in the diets of peripubertal beef heifers. Beginning 60 d before estrous synchronization, 90 Angus × Gelbvieh rotationally crossed heifers (330 ± 1.0 kg initial BW) were stratified by BW and allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design experiment (10 heifers/pen). Diets included limited access to bromegrass hay plus a 62.6% ground corn and 37.4% soybean meal (DM basis; control) supplement fed at 1.36 kg of DM/heifer per day, ground Carnival peas at 1.41 kg of DM/heifer per day, and 90.7% ground Forager peas and 9.3% soybean meal at 1.41 kg of DM/heifer per day. Data were analyzed using pen (3/treatment) as the experimental unit and means were compared using the contrasts control versus field peas and Carnival versus Forager peas. Heifers fed field peas tended (P = 0.08) to have greater ADG and G:F than heifers fed the control during the first 30 d. Growth performance was not affected (P = 0.18 to 0.19) by dietary supplement during the second 30 d, but over the course of the 60-d feeding period, heifers fed field peas had greater (P = 0.04) ADG and G:F than heifers fed the control supplement. Variety of field peas did not influence (P = 0.18 to 0.47) the growth performance of heifers throughout the experiment. Pregnancy rate to AI was 43.3% for all dietary treatments. Forager and Carnival peas can replace conventional corn-soybean meal supplements fed to peripubertal beef heifers for 60 d before estrous synchronization.