The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-12-22
would make a very wide ratio~.

find that as the age increases the
amount of feed necessary to make a
pound of gain increases very much.
The cheaper gains are made while the
animal is young and for this reason
success generally comes to the mar
who keeps everything growint from
babyhood up. 1t costs considerable
more to get an animal back in shape
after it has once lost the young fat
than it would have done to have kept
him growing. An animal can lose
five or ten times more in n day
than can be put back on in the same
time, and for this reason one days
starving or other poor conditions
means a great loss to the average
farmer. We cannot expect to have
exactly two animals grow where one
has grown before, but we ought to
get the animals much larger at the
same age than we are in the habit
of doing in this section. Remember
! always then to be a little lenient with
feed for the young stock, as there is
no time that so much can be made
from feed as while the animals are
young.
In feeding for breeding animals
or just for growth, we should be very
careful to supply food that will make
for plenty of bone and muscle, and
this we get from our protein feeds,
such as alfalfa. Do not fed your
breeding animals too much, especial
ly of a concentrated fattening feed.
but give them enough to keep them
in good healthy condition. This does
not mean skin-poor, the condition
that we find SO many of our western
animals in, but mean that they are
in such shape that all of the func-
tions of their body are working in
normal condition In feeding for
market, the ~fattening foods can be
used to a greater extent, and one
does not have to be so careful about
the proportion OF muscle and bone
building material. The west has a
habit of sending their animals to the
markets in just half fat condition,
and as sucn they are always sold at
reduced prices. If more care would
be taken to have everything in good
shape, greater profits could be real
lied with practically all of u live
stock. Horses, for instances, are Of
ten sold when in thin condition and
the buyers feeding them a few dol
lars worth of grain add from $25 to
$50 to their value. This could be
done just as we'll by the farmer him
self, thus realizing a good deal bet
ter profit for his livestock.
In foaIinn hoof no+t1o In tho x,nc+
we need but little in the way of barns
though an open shed has some adj
vantages, as it keeps out the wet and
excessive cold. With alfalfa hay we
have found that but very little grain
is necessary in order to make good
gains with beef steers. In evperi-
ments conducted at the Utah station,
gains of nearly two pounds a day
were secured on an average of about
four pounds of grain when fed with
alfalfa. At 81 a ton for the alfalfa
and about $22 for the grain, fairly
cheap gains were made, and il ami
mails were purchased and sold in a
good way, profit could be made from
this business. Wild hay is also a
good feed for beef cattle, especially
If some grain can be fed in conjunc-
ton. In some sections, however, no
tably along the Bear river, profita-
BILE feeding is carried on every win
ter with hay alone. The cheapest
gains ever reported in feeding wheat
for beef were made in the west when
alfalfa and beet pulp were used. If
the farmer car get hold of beet
pulp and fed it with good hay, he
would find remarkably good gains
can be made and at a good profit.
One thing w should get over in our
western beef business Is feeding our
steers until they are three and four
years old, as the profits are gener-
ally much larger when the animals
are sold at younger ages.
In feeding the dairy COW, we have
quite a different proposition, as the
dairy animal has no layer of fat like
the beef animal to keep her warm.
For this reason, good barns should
be supplied wherever dairy cows are
to be kept. A dairy animal does
more work than practically any other
animal on the farm and one cannot
afford to have her food going to pro-
duce heat to keep her warm under
adverse conditions. A good, warm
comforttb BILE stable should be sup
piled. The dairy COW is a factory
which Uses a large amount of rough
feed, works it over, and gives milk,
the concentrated product. If then,
the animal is supplied with good raw
products, a large amount of milk can
be manufactured. Straw and pool
hay cannot make enough energy to
much more than keep up the body
heat of the animal and of course
there would be no excess from which
to make milk. Dairy cows should
have a liberal allowance of good al
falfa, and should be fed in connec-
ton some grain and roots. Ground
barley, bran, or rolled oats can be
used to supply the grain. The bran
is a protein feed and does not bal
ance the alfalfa nearly as we'll as
the barley, yet it is liked by the cows
and is generally a part of every dali
ry ration. 1t has been found, how
ever, that not more than three
pounds can be fed per day with al
falfa with any degree of profit.