Yes, whole soybeans can be fed to pregnant cows without adverse side effects. Soybeans contain about 19% fat. Feeding fat to beef cows is not new. Research at North Dakota State University 15 years ago indicated some possible benefits, especially for cows in poor body condition (BC Score 4). More recent work at Miles City by Dr. Bob Bellows indicated some variable results on reproductive performance, but did see a response in calf survivability for calves who's dams were fed fat prior to calving. More recent experiments in Missouri have shown an increase in rebreeding performance in young cows fed raw soybeans prior to calving. In these experiments, they fed 2.5 to 3.0 pounds of beans per head per day and observed an increase in first service conception rates and an increase in overall pregnancy rates. Soybeans were fed beginning 30 to 45 days before calving. So the preliminary results would indicate including soy beans in the ration may be beneficial. I would suggest that you not over feed protein and that the fat content not be over 5% in the ration. I think that including whole soy beans at 3 lbs per head per day doesn't exceed a 5% ration. Also, whole beans and alfalfa ration is probable not a good combination because protein is being over fed.
When feeding whole beans, make sure all cows have access to their fair share.
