Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1912-11-07
By L. L. SHOEMAKER, in the &ountry

(By L. L. SHOEMAKER, in the Country
Gentleman)
Judicious management, a knowledge
of cattle and values, and natural lik-
ing for the work have resulted in the
production of baby beef on a south
western Iowa farm at a profit OF $2O
q head for several successive years.
We used grade beefbred cows and
good pure-bred Angus bulls as the
foundation stock for our operations.
! We reduced the cost of keeping the
cows to a minimum in order 70 in
crease the profits on the finished calf
The cows were fed on cheap, home
| grown roughages, supplemented in
part by grain ration consisting large
ly of corn and cottonseed mea! fed in
moderate quantities during the last
few weeks prior to calving and con-
tinued until the grass became well
| grown in the spring. Care against
! feeding cottonseed meal in heavy
quantities prior to calving lessened the
danger of abnormal calf birth. Feed
ing the cows largely on such roughage
as oat straw, corn fodder and clover
hay during the winter months, and let
| ting them remain on grass as much as
possible during the year, reduced the
cost of, keeping them to S2S a year.
We managed to have most Of the
calves come in the spring, from March
LIST to March 18th, and, under our sys-
TEN of managing the cows, they came
strong and vigorous Keeping the COW
in good physical tone prior to calving
by feeding a ration strong in ash and
protein content so as to stimulate the
milk flow gave the calf strong start
in life, and also kept the COW in such
condition as to tide her over the in
clement spring weather which is the
hardest drain upon her. Through
careful management of the bull we
succeeded in having the calves come
within a short period of each other.
He was never allowed to run with the
cows during the day. A good blue
grass pasture was provided for him,
and a grain ration consisting of oats,
I bran and cottonseed meal was given
during the heavy breeding season.
The calves were allowed to run on
the pasture with their mothers after
the grass had become well started in
the spring and until the flies had be-
come bad and the grass no longer FUR
nished an abundance of green feed.
The bull calves were then castrated,
and the entire lot were put in a well
grown bluegrass pasture. This was
provided with ample shade and avail
able fresh water, but they were allow
ed to nurse mornings and evenings.
A grain ration consisting of oats. bran
and a small amount of shelled corn
was distributed in troughs convenient.
ly placed in the pasture. AS the
calves became older the grain ration
was gradually increased Little trou-
BILE was experienced in getting them
to eat again, and they were soon eat
! ing about three-fourths of pound Of
mixed grain per hundred pounds of
live weight. To this ration was added
a small amount Of cottonseed meal
later in the fall. We found that such
a ration gave the most desirable gains.
When the second crop of clover in
the hayfelds arrived in the fall the
calves were changed to 1t from the
bluegrass pasture. After they had be-
come accustomed to the new feed the
weaving was started. the COW being
returned occasionally so that she
would gradually dry up in good con-
dition. The calves were allowed to
Craze upon the clover until late fall.
In early winter they were given win
ter quarters. A well-drained lot. slop-
ing to the east and south and pro-
vided with an open shed and good wa
ter. furnished excellent conditions for
winter feeding The shed floor was
kept we'll drained and bedded down
once a week; the water was warmed
during freezing weather, very i'm
portant matter, and roughages we're
supplied in generous amounts.
BY the first of January our calves
weighed from $50 to 700 pounds and
we're in thrifty, growthy condition.
though net fat They had retained,
however, the natural calf fat which is
so necessary in making the best quail
ity of baby beef at profit. The grain
ration 0as increased and cottonseed
meal was substituted for the oats.
making grain ration of two. thirds