98 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



Such steers are 18 months old, or over. A thrifty steer, well 

 developed for his age is usually more profitable than a stunted 

 animal. 



A considerable amount of experimental work has been done 

 to determine the relative advantages in feeding calves, year- 

 lings, and two-year-olds at the Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, 

 Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana experiment stations. These experi- 

 ments have been based entirely upon the finishing period or, 

 in other words, have been planned from the standpoint of the 

 cattle feeder rather than the grower, and the results indicate 

 that under present conditions it is more profitable to feed two- 

 year-old cattle than calves. This conclusion is based upon 

 the difficulty of securing calves of the type, breeding, and quality 

 necessary for fattening at an early age, the greater margin be- 

 tween buying and selling prices, the shorter feeding period, 

 more rapid gains, greater production of pork from hogs following 

 the cattle, smaller proportion of grain to roughage, and broader 

 demand for finished heavy steers. 



In three different trials at the Indiana Experiment Station* 

 the calves required 90 days and the yearlings 20 days longer 

 feeding period than the two-year-olds, to make them prime. 

 The average daily gain of the calves was .61 pound per head less 

 than that of the two-year-olds and .34 pound less than that of 

 the yearlings. The following conclusions were drawn from the 

 Indiana experiments: 



1. The initial cost per cwt. of calves is greater than that 

 of older cattle. 



2. The length of time necessary for finishing steers de- 

 creases with increased age of the cattle. 



3. The rate of gain and the cost of gain increases with 

 the increased age of the cattle. 



4. The proportion of roughage to concentrates consumed 

 increases with the increased age of the cattle. 



5. The amount of gain necessary in finishing cattle of 

 equal condition decreases as their age increases. 



6. The difference in total quantity of feed necessary for 

 finishing cattle of different ages and fed to the same marketable 

 finish is negligible. 



7. The calves made an average 'profit of $4.25 per head, 

 the yearlings $6.43, and the two-year-olds $7.95. 



*Ind. Bui. 146. 



