The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1901-02-28
Fasssninx steers wIshsul Hogs.

Press Bulletin II, Kansas Expert
ment Station: February 13, 1900, the
Kansas State Agricultural College be-
gan fattening eighty head Of steers to
test the value of several different
methods Of preparing feed for steers
where, on account of cholera, hogs
could not be used to follow and ave
the droppings. The steers were di-
vided into four lots of twenty each.
Lot one was fed shelled corn and whole
alfalfa hay, lot two shelled corn and
alfalfa hay cut in inch lengths, lot
three corn-meal and whole alfalfa hay,
and lot four corn-meal and alfalfa hay
cut in inch lengths. With all lots the
hay was thrown in the bottom Of the
grain boxes, the grain placed upon the
hay and the two carefully mixed. Salt
and water were kept before the steers
all the time.
The average weight Of the eighty
head at the beginning Of the expert
ment was 1,036 pounds per steer. The
steers were fed 116 days and were then
ready for market, averaging 1907
pounds each, an average gain of 271
pounds each or an average daily gain
of 2.34 pounds per steer.
The steers required an average TAT
pounds of grain and 1856 pounds of hay
for each 100 pounds Of gain. This is
much below the average amount OF
feed required to make 100 pounds OF
gain.
The steers ate an average each of
1914 pounds of grain a day. This is a
low amount Of feed for the gain made.
The gains for the whole feeding pc
Rod are as follows:
Gain per steer.
Shelled corn, whole hay. 1852 lbs.
Shelled corn, cut hay......257 lbs.
Corn-meal, whole hay....27S lbs.
Corn-meal, cut hay....... 293 lbs.
Average gain of steers fed shelled
corn, 260 pounds each. Average gain
of steers fed corn-meal, 283 pounds
each. This shows a gain of 8.8 per
cent from grinding. The steers fed
shelled corn required an average Of $50
pounds of grain to make 100 pounds Of
gain while those fed corn-meal re-
CURED an average of 718 pounds of
grain for 100 pounds of gain.
But little was saved in cutting the
hay, the average gain of the steers
fed whole hay being 2S6 pounds each
and those fed hay cut 275 pounds
each, a gain of &c per cent from cut
ting.
There is a shortage of both grain
and roughage in Kansas this year and
every feeder should get the most pos
sible out of his feed. One experiment
does not settle any question in feed
ing but may indicate what is probable.
The results obtained in this expert
ment seem to indicate that feeders can
get considerably more gains from their
feed by mixing the grain and hay, as
considerably less than the usual
! amount Of grain was required in this
feeding to make 100 pounds of gain.
Our explanation is that where grain
is fed alone much of it is not brought
back to the mouth again while il the
grain is mixed with hay all Of it gets
the benefit of thorough mastication in
the cud. There is less difficulty from
securing where grain and hay are fed
together.
The steers were sent to Armour
Packing Company, Kansas City, for
slaughter test and their report is as
follows: 1.-THE cattle dressed out 59.3
per cent of live weight, the yield of
fat 81 per cent. The cut
bright, were of good color on the out
side and made good, clean, bright
looking, w~ell-covered beef. Our buy
ers consider that ground corr and al
falfa is the best feed for CATTLE"
The eighty head made an average
gain Of rs pounds for each bushel of
food eaten and ate 2S.8 pounds of hay
with each bushel Of grain.
The gain from the different methods
of feeding was as follows:
Gain per bushel
of grain (56 pounds).
Shelled corn, whole hay...7.1 lbs.
Shelled corn, cut hay......7. lbs.