300 FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



fed for bab}^ beef on ground grain, it is best not to undertake to fatten 

 cattle unless pigs can follow them and utilize the waste feed. 



Cost of fattening. — JMumford * estimates that one man and team 

 can care for and feed 200 cattle and the pigs following. From this 

 the cost of labor can readily be computed at local prices. Under 

 favorable conditions the gains of pigs following steers fed whole 

 corn will offset the labor cost of caring for both the fattening steers 

 and the pigs. Another reasonable assumption is that when farm- 

 grown crops are charged to the steers at market prices, the labor of 

 feeding them to the cattle is no greater than that of hauling them to 

 market. The manure produced by steers during 6 months' feeding 

 ranges from 3 to 4 tons, worth on many farms from $9.00 to- $18.00 

 per steer. This alone should repay the labor cost of fattening the 

 cattle. 



Preparing for shipment; shrinkage. — A day or two before ship- 

 ment the cattle should be fed hay only, preferably hay from the 

 grasses or mixed hay, rather than clear clover or alfalfa hay, which 

 are too laxative. For feed while on the road good, sweet hay, with no 

 grain, is best. The shrinkage of either range cattle or fat cattle in 

 transit 36 hours or less is 3 to 4 per ct. ; when in transit 70 hours or 

 over the shrinkage is 5 to 6 per ct. of their live weight.'-* When 

 cattle are fed succulent feed up to the time of shipping, the shrinkage 

 is much greater. 



II. Raising Beef Cattle 



In establishing a breeding herd, the first step should be to select 

 well-bred individuals of the beef breeds, having the conformation 

 which indicates that their off-spring will make economical gains, 

 mature early, and yield carcasses with a large percentage of high- 

 priced cuts of meat. AVhere cows are kept only for raising calves for 

 beef, the cost of their keep for an entire year must be charged against 

 the fatted steer. In reducing the cost of beef production, it is there- 

 fore essential that the breeding herd be maintained as cheaply as pos- 

 sible, yet kept in vigorous breeding condition. 



The breeding cows. — Cows kept solely for beef production are 

 commonly grazed on pasture during the growing season, the suckling 

 calves running with their dams. Usually the pastures thus utilized 

 will be land least suited to tillage, and no concentrates will be fed on 

 pasture. Where land is high-priced and tillable the herd may often 

 be maintained most cheaply on limited pasturage supplemented by 

 summer silage. Pure water, salt, and shade should be supplied the 

 herd at pasture. 



8 Beef Production, pp. 33-4. 9 Ward, U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 25. 



