Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1908-01-02
Pounds

The esults show in general that the
steers fed In the open ate less total
food than those fed in the barn. but
slightly more per pound of gain, thus
gain somewhat greater for the OPEN
fed than for the barn-fed lot. The diff
ferences are. however, so slight that it
is safe to conclude that the gains made
by fattening steers are not increased
by warm quarters, and that 1t is not
possible to have stables too cold for
fattening steers in this climate, pro-
vided they are kept dry and well
bedded. In is necessary, however, in
order to get the best results in put
door feeding to keep the yards from
becoming excessively muddy and to
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 means the sheds car
be kept practically as dry as the in
terror Of the barn"
The relative value of barns and
sheds hi been tested at other stations.
Thus. at the Kansas station, 1t was
found that 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 q given
mount of increase.
AT the Minnesota station the question
OF shelter was n of the points studied
in a series of feeding experiments. A
lot fed indoors made an average daily
gain Of LA pounds as 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 CAT cents and
5.61 cents. respectively--that is to say,
the gain was greater and more cheap
ly made when the steers We're fed in
open sheds than when fed in stables:
hlf PrOfaSgnr Shaw who M rrio1 f, tl,n
experiment, considered that additional
tests should be made before definite
conclusions could be drawn.
At the Missouri experiment station.
III. 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 had 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, POS pounds, the amount of feed
required per pound of gain being 14.79,
14.12 and APP pounds. respectively.
1T is needless to say that we were
not prepared for quite this outcome.
While we We're fully convinced that
cattle of this class accustomed to out
door life could be easily overhoused
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 a 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
punches IN the open shed and the open
lot do not Indicate a large advantage
In favor of the ope shed. yet from ev-
cry point of view it seems fair to say
that where nue. winter feeding is to
be done II will be profitable to provide
suitable shelter for the cattle. the feed
and the manure, and particularly to
Civ the cattle n dry place on which to
lie. From these experiments it does
not appear to be necessary or profit
III 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-
souri, and adjacent states. OF the 1900
who replied 11.6 per cent. favored feed
ing In closed barns. 500 per cent. in
open sheds. n 2S.2 per cent in open
lots. The experience of practical feed
ere, therefore. seems to be in accord
with the results Of the experiments
cited AS Professor Waters points out,
1t 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 OK
pected with such cattle is shown by
tests carried on ut the Missouri sta
ton for four years with yearlings. 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 an average the
young steers fed In the barn were in |
much the best condition and had <ho
better oat, etc. 1T would be the same
way with any other class OF cattle IL
due care is taken not to overhouse and
to keep their quarters we'll ventilated"