Soybean hulls, for example, may require additional protein, an ionophore and vitamins. With soybeans cheap and crops damaged by drought in many areas, this may be another alternative. But a few precautions are necessary. Raw soybeans shouldn't be fed to calves less than four months old or weighing less than 300 pounds. And they shouldn't be available to nonruminant animals.
Raw soybeans have a compound that inhibits protein digestion.
But the inhibiting compound doesn't affect large cattle because of ruminal fermentation. For example, a 500-pound steer should receive no more than 1.5 pounds of whole soybeans per day. Raw soybeans should not be fed to animals receiving urea. Soybeans also contain an enzyme that rapidly breaks down urea into ammonia, and this can cause toxicity. Whole soybeans should be analyzed for nutrient content before they are fed to cattle.