The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-02-03

essary in Successful Feeding.
In the latter part of October. 1900.
the Kansas experiment station put
into the feed lots 100 head of calves
that had Just been weaned- They
were divided into lots. to test the val
ne of alfalfa hay. prairie hay, corn,
Kafr corn and soy beans in the pro
duction OF baby beef.
Sixty head of heifers were pur-
chased in the Kansas City stock
pounds each, cost $4.25 per hundred
weight at the yards, and. cost an ay-
erage of $1S.25 per head delivered in
the college feed lots. These were
range calves-grade Shorthorn, Here
ford and Angus. Fifty head were
purchased of farmers ear Manhat-
tan. and had been kept with their
dams through the summer in small
pastures. Twenty head we're mixed
bred calves that had beer purchased
around Manhattan when born, and
had been raised by the college by
hand, ten being raised on creamery
skim milk and ten on whole milk.
The calves were yaccinated to pre-
vent blackleg. Without this safeguard
we would not have dared TO under
take this experiment
The calves were fed seven months.
At the close of the experiment, May
u, the entire lot averaged 500
pounds per head in the college feed
lots. The shrinkage in shipping to
Kansas City was 3 per cent. Thirty
two steers averaged S3S pounds and
sold at $40 per 100 pounds, seventy
four heifers averaged 75S pounds and
sold for $5.35, and eighteen heifers
averaged TAI pounds and sold for
s5.15. Six head OF heifers went as
springers.
The packing company which
slaughtered the calves made he fol-
lowing report:
80 steer calves-Live weight, S3S
pounds; dressed weight, 4S0 pounds;
taIow, So pounds; dressed weight,
57.2 per cent; tallow, 81 per cent
IA heifer calves-Live weight, 75s
pounds; dressed weight. 432 pounds;
tallow, 40 pounds; dressed, weight,
per cent; tallow, SO per cent.
Is heifer calves-Live weight. TAI
pounds; dressed weight, 40 pounds;
taIlow, 40 pounds; dressed weight,
56.6 per cent; tallow, Sc per cent
The calves were fed twice daily,
beginning at Z a. m. and at 1850 p. m.
The lots were fed in the same order
each time and exactly at the same
time each day. The hours Of feeding
were arranged so that the calves did
all the work of eating In daylight.
Each lot was given at each feeding all
the grain and roughage 1t would eat
up clean within three hours after
feeding. In each lot the grain was
fed mixed with the roughage and the
roughage was fed whole. Fine barrel
salt was kept in boxes under the
sheds, where the calves had free ac-
cess at all times. Each lot of calves
was sheltered with a common board
shed, closed on the north, open to the
south.
Water was supplied in tanks reg
ulated by float valves so that the
tanks we're kept ran ans~ the calves
could drink at will. From December
2 to April / a tank heater was kept
going in each tank and the water
was kept at a temperature Of about
fifty degrees.
This showed an average consump-
ton of 15.S pounds of coal daily per
tank. With coal at 81 per ton, this
would make the daily cost of warm
ing a tank a small fraction over 3
cents per day. A heater will warm
water for forty head apparently as
cheaply as for five or ten head We
found the previous winter that IL re-
quired no more labor TO keep a tank
heater running thar it did to keep
the ice out of a tank not heated. We
would urge every feeder to use a tank
heater. A successful feeder of long
experience recently made the state
ment that gains in feeding follow
very closely the mou of water
drank by the fattening ANIMAL the
larger the quantity of water drank.
the greater the gains. provided there
is no unnatural stimulation to drink
ing. With clean, palatable water,
free from ice. kept where the animal
can drink at will. the animal drinks
often, and zach twenty-four hours
consumes a large quantity. but at no
time is the stomach overloaded or un-
duly chilled. The cost of using o
tank heater is trifing and the returns
are good.
The remarkable feature of this OK
pertinent was the small amount OF
grain required TO make 100 pounds OF
gain. The skim milk calves fed al
falfa hay and corn averaged 100
pounds of gain for only 439 pounds Of
corn, and this in seven months feed
ing. The other lots fed alfalfa and
corn required 470 pounds of corn for
10n nounds of gain