Chickens Feed Raw Black Eyed Peas Cowpeas

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Are cowpeas/blackeye peas plants ok to feed chickens?

• Thread starter 2ndtimearound
• Start date Jun 1, 2010

• #1

Sep 26, 2009

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82

Omaha

• #2

• #3

I THINK it's okay to feed them raw peas/beans, that the chart is referring to the dried varieties which can swell. Mine eat pole beans from the garden all the time.

• #4

Oct 8, 2009

4,077

17

211

Kansas

I think you have to cook the cow peas first they are just like any other bean I am also growing cow peas, which are just like black eye peas except the eye is pink or purple I would cook them first just to be safe.

• Thread starter
• #5

Sep 26, 2009

70

0

82

Omaha

• #6

So cowpeas are blackeye peas?

"Cowpeas" is a generic term that covers a LOT of different varieties of peas​

• #7

Quote:
"Cowpeas" is a generic term that covers a LOT of different varieties of peas

Ahhhh.. i see. Thanks!

• #8

This year I planted White Whipperwill and Black-eyed Peas (what I buy at the grocery story...cheaper than seed company)...both are 'cowpeas' which are called that because back in 1800's they were grown to feed the livestock, not people.

There are some variety of beans that need to be cooked...not eaten raw...some people can become very ill. My DH loves to eat raw peas and beans.

• #9

"Cowpeas" are a common name and as such can be used to describe a great many different kinds of legumes depending on where a person is from.

Generally speaking though "cowpeas" means a variety of Vigna unguiculata which here in the Southern U.S. means "field peas." Black eyed peas, purple hulls, crowders, and many others are all in this species. There are many dozens, perhaps hundreds, of varieties to be found here and around the world. Here's a link with some brief info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpea

But what you really want to know is can you let your birds eat them? The answer is yes. The green tender parts are quite safe and very good for them. The pods left from shelling the peas may be too tough for them to eat so they may not mess with those. Any stray peas that are still green you can let them eat since they aren't gong to constitute enough of their feed to amount to anything. The dry, mature peas are what you would want to heat (cook) first before you fed them out. I'm not entirely sure that the Vigna species have the same anti-nutritional factors in their mature seed that soybeans do, but as it's fairly common among legumes I'd assume that they do until proven otherwise.

• #10

Phytic acid going to be in any dried bean, so yeah....soak them overnight and cook em if they are dry.

"phytic acid, present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. It's a substance that can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc - in the intestinal tract.

Although not a household word, phytic acid has been extensively studied; there are literally hundreds of articles on the effects of phytic acid in the current scientific literature. Scientists are in general agreement that grain- and legume-based diets high in phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world countries.15

Analysis shows that calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc are present in the plant foods eaten in these areas"
http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm

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Source: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/are-cowpeas-blackeye-peas-plants-ok-to-feed-chickens.352548/

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