Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-09
COMPARE TIE COST
Experim to Determine Rela-
tive Expense of feeding Cattle.
SAVING FROM OUTDOOR FEEDING
Missouri AgricuIturists Investigate
the Problem of Caring for Cattle
and Give Comparison of the Cost
of Shelter.

The following article, which ap-
peared in a recent issue of the Drov-
ers Journal, will be of interest to cat
tie raisers and farmers in general. 1t
gives number of comparisons that
have been made between indoor and
outdoor feeding af CATTLE and the saw
ing if the latter course is pursued:
Among the smaller farmers, and
particularly those to the east, there is
a striking tendency toward the indoor
| feeding of cattle. AS one goes west he
is surprised. perhaps, to find that the
reverse is true and cattle are fed out
of doors in open lots with or without
sheds for shelter The Missouri sta
ton took upon itself the work of in
vestigating this problem and has Sc
cured some rather surprising results
that will undoubtedly he of more than
common interest to our readers.
Where the Stockmen Feed.
'The following question was put to
| 1000 extensive feeders located in Mis-
souri,, Iowa and Illinois: In full feed
ing in winter do you shelter in a warm
barn, an open shed or use an open
iot?' Seven hundred and eighty-seven
Z
married. in the following table:
Total
Using warm barn LII IA 9 14O
Using open shed 1892 So 81 All
Feeding in open lot
or tlmber....-. LID IA 8 176
Totals ........ .663 Sc 3s 7s7
: Percentages
ITTcipo ,,,,, h
Using open shed -. SO 81 So
/ Open lot or timber ;. % 16 81
|, 1t will be observed that the per
| cents are given in the concluding por-
i ton of the table. In other words, to
every sixteen to twenty-four persons
, in the three states feeding in warm
t barn there are from fifty-five to sixty,
t seven who feed outdoors, with a shed
| for shelter, and from sixteen to TWEEN.
: ty-three who feed in the open.
Details of Experiments.
The Missouri station undertook to
carry through several experiments,
!, with the general idea of determining
. what comparisons could be found be,
: tween indoor feeding, the open shed
y for shelter and the open lots. In
, speaking of the steers and the meth.
: DDS used in these several experiments
:, Professor Waters says:
!, "In all but one of the experiments
= three lots of cattle were used, one OF
which was sheltered in barn, one
: had access to an open shed and one
was fed in the openllot, without shell
. ter of any kind. All were natives that
had been handled enough to become
e gentle and were dehorned The steers
I sheltered in the barn were confined in
: a reasonably tight but well-ventilated
/ building with plank floor and were al
lowed to run loose. They were kept
! well bedded During pleasant wealth.
J. er they had the run of small lot from
g about s O'Clock in the morning until 4
n o'clock in the AFTERNOON, and were
o turned into the lot for water every
d day, but in stormy weather they were
It returned to the barn as soon as they
d had finished drinking in the forenoon
d and afternoon
. Shelters Furnished.
THE open shed used in all these ex
r. periments was of the ordinary form
h closed on the north, east and west, but
d open to the south. with a dirt floor
= which was kept as dry as possible witt
4 bedding. These sheds opened into
% lots of about the same size and expo
>. sure as those into which the cattle
q sheltered in the barn were allowed tt
= run. They were fed and watered il
= the shed, but allowed free access tt
:, the lots at all times and in all kinds
= of weather. The open lot had south
- ern exposure, as did all the other lots
= was inclosed by barbed wide fence
was about the size of the lots adjoin
. ing the sheds and barn and contained
y no grass. Cornstalks were thrown il
u one corner to give the steers DIR,
~ spot on which to lie."
/, Summary of First Trial.
d The first. experiments began Nov. /
n 1897, and ended Feb. 13. covering
a. period of 105 days. Five 2-year-olt
% steers were used in each lot. A sum
y mary of the results is given in tn,
t. following, table:
g Opel
A. Barn. shed
lie Corn eaten, bu ........... 172 1S
is Hay eaten, TBS .4.575 500
y Gain per lot. lbs -. .. 772 80;
S. Daily gain per steer, lbs. LAT IL
lie Gain per blu of corn, fbs.. 4.50 49,