How to grow and use field peas most effectively

Hi,

I am growing field peas for a few reasons

- for a back-up browsing crop for goats during winter, when a lot of summer browsing crops have lost their leaves (we are in New Zealand, so some frosts, but no snow. Animals graze outside year-round with just a little shack for shelter in the colder months).

- for a protein crop for chickens and pigs (esp a Lysine source)

We want to maximum our production on 8 acres, and I have a few questions:
- If we grow the field peas to harvest stage, and then harvest out the peas and feed the stalks to the goats (or cattle or pigs) like a hay, will it have much nutritional value compared to letting them eat younger plants that have not seeded?
- Compared to the seed, how much protein, and how much Lysine in particular is there in greens? Would it be better to feed animals the green plant or harvest the seed and feed them?

Any good link to how to grow them - crop spacing etc?

Google is your friend.

http://www.ans.iastate.edu/report/air/2007pdf/R2226.pdf

http://ecochem.com/t_peas_feed.html

http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/03/how_to_grow_southern_peas/

Hi,

It seems the southern /field pea in the USA is quite different to the field pea or dun pea down-under. Here is the one I have sourced organically :

http://organicgoodness.co.nz/Shop/Product/01880-Whero%20Pea%20Seeds

(Whero is one variety of NZ field pea - it is meant to give a lot of good forage greens, which is why it was recommended to me).

I did find this link after posting, and it is a real wealth of information on all sorts of fodder plants!

http://www.feedipedia.org/node/7047

http://www.feedipedia.org/node/264