PROCEEDINGS CORN BEET MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSN. 551 



This is caused by the animal not chewing his cud as he should, and 

 so the digestive juices did not have a chance to work on the feed. To 

 offset this loss, you can grind the corn, and even if the calf doesn't chew 

 his feed as he should, the kernel is already broken up and the digestive 

 fluids can act upon it. 



However, there is this to be said in regard to shelled corn. You 

 have probably noticed that calves will nibble on shelled corn and whole 

 oats much quicker than they will on ground feed and, for this reason, 

 it may be best to get your calf started on whole grain, changing him later 

 to ground feed. In any case, the corn should be cracked and not finely 

 ground. The fact of the matter is the coarser it is ground the better. 



Corn meal contains a good bit of fat, but not so much protein, only 

 around 7% to 8%. Shelled corn has about the same per cent. 



Oats differ from corn in being a more bulky and a better balanced 

 feed. They are fairly high in protein, containing up to 10%, and it is 

 of good quality. Because they are a bulkier feed, they are more of a 

 growing feed than corn, which is a fattener. Since your calf is growing 

 as well as fattening, it will be well to add oats to the ration. Where ic 

 is possible to grind the oats, it is well to do so, for cattle relish ground 

 oats more than they do whole oats, and the same rule holds true as 

 with corn. 



There are a good many roller mills to be found over the state and, 

 if you can have your oats rolled, so much the better. Cattle relish 

 flaky rolled oats. 



Barley is rather extensively grown in some parts of the state, and 

 where it is available it can be fed to good advantage, especially during 

 the latter part of the feeding period. In feeding value, it is just about 

 the same as corn, but it has a tendency to give the animal more bloom 

 and mellowness of flesh, with less patchiness. Barley, like corn, should 

 be cracked and not ground fine. Rolled barley is much preferable to 

 cracked barley and is better liked by cattle. It is necessary to roll or 

 grind barley because of its being so hard and dry. 



Many feeders boil it whole and feed the porridge to the steers during 

 the latter part of the feeding period to stimulate the appetite and add 

 the finish which is not so easily put on with other feeds. Most feeders 

 make it a practice to feed boiled barley at noon. All uneaten barley 

 should be cleaned out of the feed boxes at once and only freshly boiled 

 barley should be used. 



Roughages 



Some roughage should always be fed cattle. There are factors which 

 will determine the amount fed, as, for instance, an animal with a big 

 middle, which should receive very little hay or other bulky material. 

 Roughages are necessary to give "body," or bulk, to the feed, thus in- 

 suring regularity of the digestive functions. Some common roughages 

 are: 



Corn silage, made from corn, with the ears left on, contains about one 

 per cent protein and about seventy-three per cent water. It differs from 

 corn fodder in that it does not have such a high percentage of fibsr 

 which cannot be digested, and it is a much more palatable feed for 



