DIVISION OF ANIMAL EC SB AN DRY 

 SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



541 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. 



REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT— W. H. FAIRFIELD, M.S. 



STEER FEEDING. 



Owing to the fact that the acreage of alfalfa is increasing so rapidly on the 

 irrigated lands in the Lethbridge district, the question of disposing of the surplus by 

 feeding on the farm rather than by baling and shipping out is becoming more import- 

 ant each season. The following experiment was carried out to ascertain just what 

 can be obtained for good alfalfa hay when fed to steers. 



Twelve 2-year-old steers were purchased from Mr. A. E. Ives, of Lethbridge. 

 These were out of a bunch that he had shipped in from Manitoba during the summer. 

 The price paid was 0} cents per pound. They were dehorned the same day that they 

 were received. The feeding was done in the open; the only shelter provided the cattle 

 was a straw shed, open on the east side. The following values were put on the feed- 

 ing stuffs used: — 



Alfalfa, per ton $12 



Rutabagas, per ton 3 



Damaged oat hay, per ton 5 



Grain, per ton 20 



The mixture of grain fed was : wheat 4 parts, barley 3 parts, and oats 3 parts. 

 The steers were sold locally to Mr. R. Coultry, a Lethbridge butcher. 



Number of animals in group 



First weight, gross, December 26, 1912 lb. 



u average n 



Finished weight, gross, May 24, 1913. 



ii M average " 



Number of days in experiment 



Total gain for period lb. 



Average gam per animal » 



ii daily gain for group n 



,, M per animal n 



Quantity meal eaten by group for period 



H roughage alfalfa hay .i ■ 



ii oat hay for period " 



Rutabagas for period 



Total cost of feed . . . § 



Cost of feed per head » 



n M per day « 



Cost to produce 1 pound gain i 



Original cost of animals at 6£ per lb » 



ii ii plus cost of feed " 



Selling price, at $8 per 100 pounds 



Net profit per group i 



M per animal < 



Findings from experiment. 



Nutritive ratio of total ration 



ii n meal n 



Dry matter required to produce 1 pound gain n 



Digestible matter ■■ 1 " _ " 



Meal mixture, wheat 4 parts, to produce 1 pound gain ■• \ 



Barley 3 parts, oats 3 parts n 1 n » / 



Roughage, alfalfa to produce 1 pound gain 



12 

 11,000 



916 7 

 14,160 

 1,180 

 149 

 3,159-6 

 263 3 

 21 "2 

 1-77 

 14,917 

 18,006 

 1,390 

 39,974 



320-85 

 26 73 

 18 

 10 

 687 50 

 1,008 o0 

 1,132-80 

 124 45 

 10 37 



1:7 



1:7 



10 



8 



4 

 5 



07 

 63 

 36 

 25 



h 



69 



