The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1921-04-28
FEED BABY BEEyES

The University of Nebraska has Just
completed a most satisfactory demon
stration on the feeding of beef steers.
Two year old yearlings and calves
were used. All Herefords The object
was to obtain first hand and definite
information on the relative amounts
of feed required by steers of different
ages to produce gains.
The steers cost $500 per hundred
pounds laid down in feed lots last
Fall. The two-year olds weighed 7S5
pounds, the yearlings 562 pounds and
the calves 3S1 pounds. They were
all fed alike. Corn, oil meal, corn
silage and alfalfa hay made up the
rations. They we're fed for a period
OF. $50 days.
The two-year old steers consumed.
on the average, per head per day, 13.4
pounds corn, 1873 pounds silage. 1.5
pounds alfalfa and Ia pounds of oil
meal. The yearlings consumed Ill
pounds corn, 14.7 pounds silage. Is
pounds alfalfa and IA pounds of oil
meal. The calves consumed 81 pounds
Of corn, SO pounds of silage, 81
pounds alfalfa and IA pounds oil meal.
On this feed the two-year old steers
gained 2. q pounds a day; the year.
lings 2.25 pounds and the calves 2.05
pounds. Thus it will be seen that on
considerably less feed, the calves made
almost the same gains as the two-yeaT
Odds. During the last so days OF the
feeding period the two-year Odds av-
eraged a daily gain of 1.65 pounds per
head, the yearlings 1872 pounds and
IL .oI,o, . nE The rnnnrdc Chnu
that the calves made the same average
daily gains throughout the whole per-
iod as they did during the first hun
dred DAYS, the first t25 days n the
first $50 days. The object lesson in
this instance is that calves "a be
held for a longer period after they are
in marketable condition, before they
must be sold without a sacrifice in
average cost of production.
The economy in feeding calves IS
more strikingly shown when the
amount consumed by each steer per
100 pounds of gain is considered. The
two-year olds consumed 592 pounds OF
corn, 534 pounds of silage, ga pounds
alfalfa and 81 pounds oil meal for each
hundred pounds OF gain; the yearlings
consumed 495 pounds of corn, 655
pounds silage, 6S pounds of alfalfa
and 81 pounds of oil meal. The calves
423 pounds corn. All pounds OF silage,
102 pounds of alfalfa and Sc pounds OF
oil meal. Attention is called to the
fact that the two-year old steers con-
sumed 169 pounds more corn and III
pounds more silage per 100 pounds
gain than did the calves.
valuing corn at 42c per bushel, sill
age at $500 per ton, oil meal at $50,
and alfalfa at $1,000, the two-year old
steers, for feed consumed, produced
each 100 pounds gain at 1873. the year
lings at $7.54 and the calves at $6.5S.
The calves produced the 100 pounds
gain 1921 cheaper than the two-year
olds and 96c cheaper than the year
lings.
Expert packer buyers from the ON
aha market, placed the following valu-
alton en- the three lots. The two-year
Odds $3.50 per zee lbs. The y%carlings
SS.75 and he cakes $50. Here
again the calves scored over the older
steers. The market prefers a smaller
carcass.
After figuring all costs and income,
the two-year old steers lost Slz.5o
per head, the yearlings 1881 per head
and the calves made a profit OF Acc per
head.
Consider this, the calves were laid
down in the feed lot at $500 per 100
pounds, sold at $S.75 or Csc less per
100 than they cost and still made a
profit of Acc per head. Had the a
ket beer the same as when purchased,
the profit would have been $3.50 per
head. AT $1.00 per hundred increase
the profit would have been $3.50 per
per head
The test shows that calves can be
put in the feed lot under the above
conditions and without an increase in
the selling price over the buying price.
still pay out-on feed. This demon
stration adds another to the growing
list which conclusively illustrates that
calves are more economical beef pro-
ducers than old cattle.
With sweet clover pasture, which
will carry two I othree cattle per acre,
the production of beef In South Dakota
particularly Hand County, should not
be such a serious problem. Especially
if the cattle are marketed as baby bee
yes.
e II. Aicher,
+, County Agent.