PROCEEDINGS CORN BELT MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSN. 553 



animals. It is a very good feed to be fed during the winter months, for 

 it adds succulence to the ration and gives a variety which no other 

 feed has for that time of year. It will be well to let your calf have a 

 good amount of silage along with a good grain ration, where silage is 

 available. 



Alfalfa hay is rich, both in protein and in ash, which is a bone and 

 muscle building element. It contains from 10% to 14% of protein, and 

 is relished by all animals. Where you have it available, let your calf 

 have all of it that he wants, unless he eats so much that he will not eat 

 the amount of grain he should. 



Clover hay contains from 8% to 10% protein, and is relished by all 

 kinds of stock, unless it be coarse or mouldy. Good, clean clover hay 

 is the chief roughage used in this state, where alfalfa is not grown, and, 

 because it is not quite so "washy" as alfalfa, some feeders prefer it. It 

 is a very good roughage for growing animals. 



Timothy hay has only about 3% protein, and is higher in fibre, making 

 it more woody and not so good for a growing animal. It is a good horse 

 hay, but where you have clover, alfalfa, or oat hay, your calf will do 

 better on them than on timothy. 



Milk 

 Baby beef club calves are not allowed milk after they are ten months 

 of age, but up until that time, there is no feed which you can give your 

 calf which will put on as much flesh as good whole milk. Breeders uni- 

 versally consider it the cheapest feed they can get for their younger 

 show stuff. Our most successful baby beef feeders, on a commercial 

 scale, allow the calves to suckle their dams until they are seven to nine 

 months of age. These men figure gains in dollars and cents and we can 

 be well assured that there is a need for such management and here it is: 

 Milk produces "milk" or "baby fat," which you have seen, and which adds 

 "bloom" to the animal. A calf which has been weaned before it is put 

 on a full feed loses this milk fat and, once lost, it can never be regained. 

 It is therefore necessary, if you hope to have a very fine quality of 

 flesh, to let your calf suckle a cow as long as possible, at least until the 

 calf is on full feed. 



The Balanced Ration 



A balanced ration is one in which the proportions of the different 

 classes of feeds are such that they insure the most economical use of 

 the feed by the animal. 



A balanced ration is easy enough to talk about, but, as a matter of 

 fact, your calf's likes and dislikes must be consulted, and it would be the 

 rankest folly to feed a perfectly balanced ration if composed of feeds 

 which your calf disliked. 



Feeding 

 As we have just said, the calf's likes and dislikes will need to be con- 

 sulted to some extent, but what we desire to say is that great care must 

 be exercised by the feeder in keeping his calf on feed. In the first place, 

 two or more calves, fed together, usually do much better than one calf 



