Lupines are currently grown as a forage and grain legume in USSR, Poland, Germany, the Mediterranean, and as a cash crop in Australia, where it is exported to the European seed markets. The seed can be fed directly without heat treatment and has been successfully fed to turkeys, calves, lambs, swine and lactating dairy cattle. Methionine is a limiting amino acid and may be required in rations for poultry and swine. When animals graze lupine stubble, a disease called lupinosis can develop. It is caused by a mycotoxin.
Symptoms are loss of appetite and jaundice.
Lupinosis has been a problem in sheep grazing in Australia and in Europe. In Minnesota trials, a complete replacement of soybean meal with lupine meal for dairy cows resulted in a reduced feed intake and a slight reduction in milk production. Calves fed ground lupine as the only supplemental protein source in starter diets showed no decrease in production compared to a soybean meal diet. This translated directly into a reduction in gain. Even at this level, feed intake of lupine diets can be severely reduced due to a problem with palatability.