The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-02-21

were produced ON the ranch. Addition
al alfalfa and native hay were bought
from nearby ranchers. Some of the
grain also was shipped in. This was
due to the fact that Mr.. McDaniels
took over the management late in
1928 and did not have opportunity to
plan the crops. This, he said, will be
corrected in the coming year.
Of the 5000 head which have been
shipped from the ranch as finished
lambs the last shipment of LOO head
was made early in February. This
was the last of four shipments. His
experience with the LOO head, which
were characterized by Mr.. McDaniels
as "tail-enders,' was convincing, he
asserted. They were not regarded as
good lambs when they came onto the
ranch, and, therefore, were not in
Guided in the $500 others which were
fed and sold earlier The 5000 head
had topped the st. Paul market at
prices from $3.50 to SIT. This, he
held, was high compliment to lambs
finished in Montana feedlots.
From October l to November rs
| the LOO "tail-enders' were grazed
on beet tops and pasture available on
and near the ranch. This, of course,
was an economic process. They aver
aged 81 pounds each on November %.
1t was not until December II that
they received grain. They averaged
IN pounds on February A, which was
gain of 26 pounds in 68 days. The
cost of handling these LOO from
their point of origin to the ranch,
plus the feed and labor up to Febru-
airy A, was given by Mr.. McDaniels
as 81 head
The Cold Springs ranch has capa-
city to handle $4,000 to 10000 feeder
lambs, producing practically all of
the feed. In 1929 the ranch will grow
600 to $50 acres of irrigated alfalfa,
100 acres of sugar beets, and a large
acreage of grain, chiefly barley. The
water supply for the lambs comes
from spring on the farm and is piped
to the feed pens. The unique construc-
ton OF the plant has provided hay
racks In the pens to accommodate $50
tons of hay at time. The arragne-
ment of the pens was conceived to
conserve time and labor. There are no
sheds for the lambs. Mr.. McDaniels
is committed to a belief that if the
sheep are out in the open they become
more rugged. They receive protec-
ton against wind bcause of bluff
which runs along the feed pens about
81 yards to the south. 1t is interesting,
he emphasized, to observe that his
demonstration was made in a winter
of unusually low temperature. He
said he believed that two men could
perform practically all of the labor of
handling 10000 feeder lambs under
compact arrangement such as he
has carried out in construction of his
pens.
In the arrangement of the compact
feeding plant two shearing sheds are
bounded on the north and east bv
sorting pens. Adjacent to the sorting
pens on the east are two rows of six
feeding pens each where the lambs are
confined during the feeding period.
These two rows of pens are divided
by an alley so feet wide equippedwith
grain troughs. Lambs from one pen
at time are released into this alley
for their daily grain ration and then
are returned to their pens, where they
have an abundant supply of alfalfa
nay and water at all times. A granary
is IN the center of the alley for the
grain supply. Each of the IL pens is
70 by 40 feet. A driveway separates
the pens. On two sides of each pen
are three panels each IL by IL feet,
in which hay is stored from which
lambs may feed from the inside of the
pen. The first board at the bottom of
the pen fence is one foot wide and is
nailed inside the post. The other board
above are one by six inch fencing,
nailed on the outside of the post. This
offset In the boards near the ground
provides space through which the
lambs feed. In the summer the ma
nure may be utilized by removing the
boards Of the pens.
About 400 feet of hay feeding space
is provided around the fence of each
pen. Hay may be taken from the