260 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



above the ground. Self-feeders of the smaller size may be 

 portable so as to be moved from one point to another. This 

 feature is an advantage when the ground about the feeder 

 becomes muddy and unsuitable for cattle to stand in. Prof. 

 Mumford gives a plan of a self-feeder* that is 12 feet 2 

 inches long, 5J/2 feet high, and 4 feet 4 inches broad, which 

 holds about 180 bushels. Self-feeders for cattle are used to 

 some extent, but are not in general use. Commenting on 

 its use, Mumford says that its chief advantage is as a 

 saving of labor, and that " where its proper use in the 

 economy of cattle feeding is understood, it is not necessarily 

 a wasteful or hazardous method of finishing cattle." In 

 experiments with the self -feeder at the Illinois station, Mum- 

 ford and Allison found that the self-fed steers consumed a 

 slightly heavier concentrate allowance, and were brought to 

 full feed in a shorter time than hand-fed ones. In the hands 

 of a careful manager, if the cattle are brought to full feed 

 before being turned to the self-feeder, the results will prob- 

 ably be satisfactory. 



The paved feed lot for cattle is desirable rather than 

 requiring them to move about in yards deep in mud and 

 manure. It is a common thing during winter and spring to 

 find cattle confined more or less in yards that are covered 

 with wet manure or mud, absolutely unsanitary, a fine place 

 for promoting disease. Lots may be paved with brick or 

 concrete; in fact the latter material has come into consider- 

 able use for this purpose. In an experiment at the Illinois 

 station, a carload of steers fed in a mud lot gained about the 

 same as one fed in a paved lot, but brought ten cents less a 

 hundred in the market, on account of their dirty appearance. 

 Also pigs following steers in the paved lot made much bet- 

 ter gains than those in the mud lot. In the Illinois experi- 

 ment the steers in the mud lot had access to an open shed 

 with bedding where they could lie down and be comfortable, 

 which fact accounts for their making the good showing they 



*Beef Production, 1908. 



