The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-05-28
PRODUCTION OF BABY BEEF
sy Andrew eos. is N rthxeass4rn Aari

~ Andrew eosssin NorthMsskArn Aari-
culturist.
Baby beef has been : popular topic
with agricultural and live stock writer's
for a number 81 years. The topic seems
to strike q popular chord wherever
It Is brought up. and the advocates
OF baby beef production have put up
many plausible arguments for their
Views.
TO understand the situation fully,
we should perhaps consider the defni-
ton OF baby beef. AS Interpreted
by modern writer's, baby beef refers
to- animals between the ages of
IL and "a months. These animals
should weigh not more than 1,I00 to
1900 pounds. must be Of good form,
and above all, must be tat. To pro-
duce beef Of this kind, 1t liz necessary
to allow the cali to nurse Its dam or
to be very carefully raised by hand
Grain must be fed from the time the
calf will eat, which is usually at 2
or 8 months OF age until he IS finished
for the market. There must be no
shrinking in growth at any period. The
| calf fat which is produced during the
nursing period must be maintained
during weaving time and added
to as the calf gains age 1t will be
circumstances are necessarily more X
pensive than gains made on coarser
feed and at a slower rate.
The advocates Of baby beef have
based their opinions on the larger
gains made by young animals. It Is
an undisputed fact that the nearer
the birth date animals are fed, the
larger the gains made for feed con-
sumed. In reviewing the records OF,
cattle fed at the experiment station.
/ find that during the first year of
growth, beef calves will average about
<r,a ~ t,xyo ~ N14 ho1N ~ r. a q A I
During he yearling period the av-
erage gain will be one and one-half
to M and three-fourths pounds and
! as 2-year-olds from three-fourths to
one and one-half pounds daily. These
weights prevail only when the cattle
are fed for baby beef or crowded from
birth to maturity. Mature cattle In
this condition after growth Of body
has been made may make daily gains
of pa to 3h pounds daily for a short
period only. The figures gained
from other sources substantiate this
through feeding young animals is III
saving the maintenance ration during
a considerable period. The fact has
been established that it requires a GER
tain amount of feed to maintain the
functions of breathing, digestion and
supplying warmth to the body. II, by
reducing the, period of maturity 800
days, we can save something like five
or six pounds of grain fed daily for
800 days, 1t is an item worth consid-
ering. The fac should be borne in
mind, however, that the gain in
weight made in very young ami
mails is of soft flesh which is watery
by nature instead of fat, and that
the flesh lacks substance and flavor;
also that baby beef finishes" OF
takes on fat slowly. Starting with
a calf at the weaving period. which
would be at about 6 months OF
age, it would require about IL
months of good feeding to complete
the growth and supply sufficient fat
to finish the animal for the prime
beef market. During these IL to Is
months the young animal must have
a constant supply of h best of feed
which can usually be supplied only
at a considerable expense. Older cat
tie, say those of 10 to 10 months
can be put on grain feed after a con-
cheap feed, and finished in prime con
dition for the market in fou or five
months of full grain feed.
An essential factor in the econom-
ical production of baby beef is
the breeding of the cattle. Before
mands of the market for this elias:
Of beef, they must improve their bee
stock. Calves must inherit the ten.
dency to quick fattening. which II
present only in the best beef brand.
Of cattle. Even within the breeds ther
is a great tendency to variation AM
certain families of each breed seen
to possess more of the form and abilit,
to produce thick, quickly ~fattening off
spring than others. This ability SHOULD
be used to the best advantage ant
combined with feed and management
suitable to quick growth and finisl
if success is to be attained in bah,
beef production. Under suitable con
ditions it is a profitable undertaken,
but it has no place with the only av
erage'' feeder.
It's a good thing to be sure, but don
he too sure Won are sure unless YOu'r