382 Bulletin 91 



depend upon the quantity of concentrated feed. If 2.66 pounds of 

 cottonseed meal are fed to steers, they will consume an average of 

 61.76 pounds of sorghum silage per day. Steers given 2.66 pounds 

 of cottonseed meal will consume an average of 4.20 pounds of alfalfa 

 hay and 60. 6S pounds of silage per day. When 2.66 pounds of cotton- 

 seed meal and 5.70 pounds of rnilo maize are given, an average steer 

 will take 52.70 pounds of silage. When all four of the feeds are com- 

 bined, the steers being limited to 2.66 pounds of cottonseed meal and 

 5.77 pounds of milo maize, an average of 3.97 pounds of alfalfa hay 

 and 48.38 pounds of silage will be about the daily consumption. It 

 is believed that the above amount of feeds will he a close approxima- 

 tion to what it may be expected 2-year-old steers weighing 889 pounds 

 will consume during the first 77 days in the feed lot. Steers that 

 have been accustomed to silage before being placed in the feed lot 

 will consume relatively larger quantities of silage and less alfalfa hay 

 when these feeds are in the ration. It should be a simple matter for 

 stockmen to estimate the amount of feed the animals will require 

 daily when any of these rations are used. A slight modification may 

 be made in the amount of feeds animals will consume if other rations 

 are planned. 



RATE OP^ GAINS MADE BY STEERS 

 The average daily gain made by the steers in the various lots 

 ranged from 1.40 pounds to 2.55 pounds. The steers receiving alfalfa 

 hay, silage, and cottonseed meal made the most rapid gains, averag- 

 ing 2.55 pounds per head daily. The second largest gain was made 

 by Lot VI on alfalfa hay, silage, cottonseed meal, and milo maize, 

 these steers averaging 2.49 pounds per head daily. Lot V, receiving 

 silage, cottonseed meal, and milo maize, ranked third with a daily 

 gain of 2.46 pounds. The steers fed on alfalfa hay and silage made 

 an average daily gain of 2.39 pounds. Lot III gained an average of 

 1.96 pounds per head daily from a ration of silage and cotton-seed 

 meal. The lowest daily gain was obtained in Lot I fed on alfalfa 

 hay alone, and they averaged only 1.40 pounds per head daily. 



FEED REQUIRED PER POUND GAIN 

 The amount of feed required to make a pound of gain was 20.51 

 pounds of alfalfa hay in Lot I. Lot II consumed 3.76 pounds of 

 alfalfa hay and 19.71 pounds of silage for every pound of gain. Lot 

 III consumed 31.49 pounds of silage and 1.36 pounds of cottonseed 

 meal per pound of gain. The feed required to make a pound of gain 



