Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-12-27
Pounds
Barn. Open shed.

Difference in favorI
Of barn-fed steers go ...........
The results show in general that tho
steers fed in the open ate less total
food than those fed in the barn, but
Slightly more per pound of gain, thus
making the cost of feed per pound of
gain somewhat greater for the open
fed than for the barn-fed lot. The diff
ferences are, however, so slight that 1T
is safe to conclude that the gains made
by fattening steers are not increased
by warm quarters, n that 1T is not
possible to AVE stables too cold for
fattening steers in this climate, pro-
vided they are kept dry n we'll
bedded. In is necessary, however, in
order TO get the best results in out
door feeding to keep the yards from
becoming excessively muddy n to
keep the sheds dry. This may be done
by good drainage and the use of soft
coal cinders in the yards, and by sup
plying plenty of bedding and removing
the manure from the sheds sufficiently
often. By these mean the sheds can
be kept practically as dry as the in
terror of the barn"
The relative value of barns and
sheds has been tested at other stations.
Thus, at the Kansas station. ii was
found hat the steers running in yards
made larger gains on the whole than
those tied in stables, but required about
Il per cent. more grain for a given
amount of increase.
At the Minnesota station the question
of shelter was II Of the points studied
in a series of feeding experiments. A
lot fed indoors made an average daily
gain of LA pounds as compared with
2.26 pounds in the case of the lot fed
in sheds. the cost of a pound of gain
in the two cases being 6.47 cents and
SOL cents, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS is to say,
the gain was greater and more cheap
ly made when the steers were fed in
open sheds han when fed in stables;
but Professor Shaw, who carried on the
experiment, considered that additional
tests should be made before definite
conclusions could be Drawn.
At the Missouri experiment station,
II. j. Waters made a series of tests
extending over several years to deter
mine the effect of shelter on the gains
made by steers fed heavy rations Of
corn and hay in the winter. In every
case the most satisfactory gains were
made by the animals which a the
least shelter. The average daily gain
of the steers fed in barns was IL
pounds per head; Of those fed in sheds,
1872 pounds, and of those fed in open
yards, 2.05 pounds, the amount Of feed
required per pound of gain being 1919,
14.12 and 1922 pounds, respectively.
1T is needless TO say that we We're
not prepared for quite this outcome.
While we were fully convinced that
cattle of this class accustomed to out
door life could be easily o~verhoused
when on full feed of such heating and
fattening foods as corn and timothy
hay, especially after they had laid on
considerable fat, it was reasonable to
suppose that q more economical gain
and even more rapid gain would be
obtained when they were sheltered
against the storms. While the diff
ference between the gains of the
lunches in the open shed and the open
lot do not indicate a large advantage
in favor Of the open shed, yet from ev-
cry point of view 1t seems fair to say
that where much winter feeding is to
be done it will be- profitable TO provide
suitable shelter for the cattle, the feed
and the manure and particularly to
give the cattle a cry place on which To
lie. From these experiments it does
not appea to ~, necessary or profit
able TO attempt to make such quar-
ters warm.
To secure additional information on
this point letters were sent out TO a
large number of cattle feeders in Mis-
sour and adjacent states. OF the 1900
who replied 17.6 per cent. favored feed
ing in closed barns, 59.2 per cent. in
open sheds, and 1872 per cent. in open
lots, The experience or practical feed
ers, therefore, seems TO be in accord
with the results Of the experiments
cited. AS Professor Waters points out,
II should be remembered that these
statements apply to cattle on full feed,
and not To young, thin animals or TO
breeding cattle.
That different results may be eX-
oected with such cattle is shown by
ests carried on at the Missouri sta
ion for four years with y~earlings. One
winter the animals were fed on hay
only, and for three winters on a small
quantity of corn and what timothy hay
they would eat. on az average the
young steers fed in the barn were in
much the best condition and a the
better coat, etc. 1T would be the same
way with any, other class of cattle If
due care is taken not to ~overhouse and
90 keep their quarters well ventilated"
The Illinois experiment station made
n special effort TO obtain data from q
large number of feeders with a view
D. deducing some general principles re- !
harding various questions of cattle
feeding, n over 500 replies were re-
ceived. One of the questions con-
cerned the kind and amount of shelter
necessary for f%attening cattle. One
half of the correspondents stated tina
Gheds were used, about o%ne-third,
principally those who fed in spring
n summer, used pens, lots, or open
fields, but usually gave the cattle ac-
cess TO shade or shelter of one sort or
another; about 10 per cent. fed In
barns; a smaller number depend on
woods and straw tack for shelter. |