The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-10-08

wise 60 out to buy. But wnen the
cattle are shipped in to Biackfoot
or to any where in this county for
distribution, the danger point arises.
Not all of the individual feeders are
good judges of animals. Necessarily
the animals brought in, in the ship
ment will not all be good or not all
be equally good. The livestock man
who is going to feed q larger number
than others, the man who will have
the most at stake will be the most
prompt about going to the stock
yards to get the number allotted to
him. He vii know the good feeders
from the poor or medium feeders and
he will not take away. the poorest
ones of the bunch. He may or may
not aake away the best ones, but II
is natural that he should take away
lthose that are above the average.
The men who come later and those
who come last will be. likely to re-
ceive somewhat inferior animals.
The man who is experienced in the
feeding business and who is only go
ing to take two or three or half q
dozen, the man who comes after half
or two-thirds fthe shipment have
been distributed will look over what
is left and take something that is
somewhat below the average. and he
will probably not know 1t. They
may be the animals he would have
selected II he had been there first.
He takes them home and handles
them under conditions that are un-
favorable, but he may not know 1t.
Quiet Conditions Necessary
The experienced stockman, the
man who, understands feeding will
give his animals the most quiet and
peaceful conditions possible. He will
guard against having strangers and
dogs and children or others running
around among them. He will guard
against having them mix with milk
cows and horses. He will keep them
so far as possible in little society
of their own under the most agree
able conditions.
The second crop of hay was put up
this year under difficulty, most of it
being rained on and some of it being
rained on several times so that it Is
but little better than straw for feed
ing. This will be a serious handicap
to fattening the cattle. A good many
of the farmers will have some third
crop hay and when third crop hay,
especially frozen hay, is fed to feed
ers they are apt to suffer a decline
in weight. 1t often happens that
when cattle are being fed in the win
ter time and they get into a layer
of third crop hay, and the cattle fill
up on that, that they will lose any
where from fifty to $50 pounds each
before they can be restored to normal
conditions. Mr.. Coumerilh says that
he has lost thousands of dollars by
simple change of feed like that and
not necessarily change to third
crop hay either, but second crop hay
that has been frozen will do the
work. 1t is better to absolutely
throw hay away in such condition |
than to feed 1t to the cattle.
During the cold weather cattle |
should not be permitted to drink very
cold water, such as is obtained by
watering them in the brook or canal
that is frozen over. Going out to the |
stream and cutting the ice and driv-
ing the cattle there to drink thru a !
hole in the ice is not the way to fat
ten cattle. 1t is not the right con-
dition even IL the water in the hole |
were of the suitable temperature. |
When cattle have to drink where |
they are being bumped around by |
the aggressive ones in the herd or
bunch, they do not do so well. The
timid steer that is afraid of being |
horned while he is drinking. does
not drink the right amount of water,
and If the water is cold besides he
thinks still less, and he does not do
10 we'll. Cattle should have water
hat is cool, but not cold. Natural
springs where the water never
freezes are the best place for them.
Dr., If the water is pumped from a
we'll and kept in troughs where they
IAN go to it at any time they desire
ind where 1t never freezes, that is q
suitable condition.
Social Conditions Count
When range cattle are placed on
! farm to be fed, it takes them a
while to get accustomed to the oSr-
litions. They are easily startled by I
strangers coming up to look at then
They are disturbed by having pgr
ION come into the corral to milk phe /
lows or to get horses out, If THY /
ire running with horses. Anything
hat happens to a bunch Of feeders
hat startles them even for a mOmeni
them taking on any fat fol
| day or So In the Big Hole valley \
n Montana, where they have made
'ortunes in the feeding business, they
Itudy these things very carefully and
ry not to have strangers approach
he cattle at all. II buyers are COM
ng to look at the cattle they try to h
orange to have them come in the