Recently, a rancher lost 10 cows that had been grazing peas for two weeks. … Apparently the cows were stressed from being moved, and immediately after grazing in the new field they bloated. We know that peas can have forage quality similar to alfalfa, as well as similar bloat hazard.

Can cows eat field peas?

Field pea is a very palatable feedstuff for all classes of beef cattle. This feed may best be used in diets where nutrient density and palatability are important, such as creep feeds and receiving diets. Creep feeds with 33% to 67% field peas produced optimum animal performance and return.

Can peas be grazed?

One disadvantage of field pea compared to other winter forage options is that they typically have poor regrowth after grazing and are probably better suited to crash grazing (i.e. high intensity grazing over a short period of time) or cutting for hay.