Narbon beans and field peas as supplements for sheep

Abstract

Narbon beans ( Vicia narbonensis) and field peas ( Vicia sativa) were fed at 0, 10 and 20 g/kg BW as supplements to pasture hay (47% IVOMD, 1.15% N) to five groups of ten mature Merino wethers for 8 weeks. Unsupplemented sheep grew 6 g/day. Sheep fed narbon beans grew faster than sheep fed field peas ( P < 0.001), 128 g/d vs. 58 g/d at 10 g/kg BW and 99 vs. 90 g/d at 20 g/kg BW, with no differences in wool growth. When sheep in individual pens were supplemented at 10 g/kg BW, legume grains were substituted completely for hay, with intakes of 1104 g hay vs. 654 g hay plus 457 g narbon beans and 652 g hay plus 471 g field peas. Digestibility of the supplemented diets (66.2% and 65.5%, respectively) did not differ ( P > 0.05). Narbon beans were eaten more slowly than field peas and perhaps provide more stable rumen conditions at the lower supplementation level which may have contributed to greater growth rate.