American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1913-03-13
FEEDING LAMBS PROVES
QUITE PROFITABLE.
Experiment. Station Buys 513, and
After Losing 10, Sells Bal
ance for $f.25 Profit.

yoir tried feding lambs for profit.
They have just been sold and the
profits average $1.25 per head.
The lambs, 513 in number. were
October Is and were taken from his
range north of the city and driven
overland to Caldwell. They were
weighed up and after deducting
s~hrinkage, averaged 66.7. pounds.
They cost five cents q pound. At
the Caldwell farm they were turn
ed into the alfalfa fields and some
on mixed pasture. They were allow
ed to clean up the roughage on the
| farm, with an occasional feed OF hay
from their arrival October IS, to
October 80, when they were sort
ed, divided and placed on the exper-
mental.
They were not a Uniform bunch,
consisting of Tincolns, Co'swolds,
S~hropshires, Merinos and some car
rying Merino blood largely. 1t was
just such a band as the rangeman
has left after shipping his biggest
most growthy and uniform lambs to
Chicago or Omaha as grass fed.
Such lambs do not make the BEST
feeders and cannot be expected to
grade as prime on the market. They
were divided into two equal lots
and put on alfalfa and grain ra-
ton, each sheep consuming at the
start Is pound of grain and 2 1-2
pounds of alfalfa daily.
When on full feed each lamb ate
u pounds of grain and 1.9 pounds
of hay. Lot l averaged 1897 pounds
when put on feed and was fed a
gr~ain-ration consisting of three part
barley and one part oats. Lot two
barley and n part oats. Lot 2
averaged 1926 pounds, and their
grain ration was made up of three
parts wheat and n part oats. Care
full records were kept of all feeds
consumed, and the lambs were
weighed every seven to ten days.
The lambs we're fed in the open
air with no sshelter of any kind,
and were confined by hurdles plac-
ed zigzag, to reduce the ground
space occupied by the lambs. The
hay was fed on the ground just out
side of the hurdles. Grain was
fed in a trough in separate yards
Coarse hay stems refused by the
lambs was weighed and used as
bedding.
Using the lambs as a means of
marketing the hay, there is enough
left after paying all other charges
to make the hay bring a farm price
of sl4 per ton. Hay was charg-
ed at IS per ton, barley at s1.10 per
cwt. wheat at s1.20 per cwt., and
oats at 81. The lambs receiv-
ing ga wheat and IA pats ate
slightly more feed, gained 2 2-3
pounds per head more for the en-
tire period, and after paying for the
greater amount of feed consumed.
and ar increase of ten per cent per
cwt., over the barley, Melted five
cents per head over the barley fed
Although a miscellaneous lot
when put on feed. the lambs were a
fino hanl u-hnn loaded of Ca1du-n11 q
The buyers pronounced them fat,
and their finish of fine quality. The
above splendid profits were achiev-
ed after paying for a number of ex-
penses that would not always be
First the quality of the
not prime, second, $50 tx
ira help had to be charged against
on account of combining the
feeding with the regular work
Of the Caldwell station; third, a
gasoline engine caused ex-
ira heavy cost of gasoline for pump
fourth, a loss of 10 handsome
half probably abnormal. Coyotes
took three lambs and two were in
from the range.
The experiment proves that wheat
S worth IL to 10 cents per cwt.
more than barley Nor lamb feed
ng; that contrary to the prevail
ng beliefs. wheat can be fed up
O l y pounds per head; that alfal-
hay can be marketed through
ambs for three times It's market
that when sold from the
arm, cut-back lambs from early
yrass-fed shipments can be success
July and profitably finished into
inc granted lambs and that the
ar$iliuinn ral.o Of tho nrain and |.