210 FARM MANAGEMENT 



paring the amount of live-stock kept, all kinds of live- 

 stock must be reduced to some unit that can be compared. 

 Comparison may be made on the basis of feed eaten and 

 value of manure produced. If we call a cow or horse a 

 unit, we can make an approximation of how many animals 

 of other sorts will equal one. For instance, 7 sheep eat 

 about as much as a cow and produce about the same value 

 of manure. The figures will vary with different systems 

 of farming. Some dairymen feed a cow almost twice as 

 much as they feed a horse. Others feed horses more than 

 they feed cows. This is the case in much of the corn-belt. 

 It is not necessary that the figures be exactly correct in 

 order to make a comparison of farms. 



One cow, bull, steer, or horse two years old or older may 

 be called an animal unit. Two head of colts or young 

 cattle may be counted as one. Seven sheep, 14 lambs, 

 5 hogs, 10 pigs, 100 hens may each be called an animal 

 unit. It is perhaps a little more accurate to count 2 colts 

 or young cattle over a year old as one unit and count 4 of 

 those under one year as one unit. 



If a farmer has the following stock, he has 23 animal 

 units, or the equivalent of about 23 cows, so far as feed and 



manure are concerned. 



ANIMAL UNITS 



4 horses 4 



2 colts 1 



7 cows 7 



5 young cattle 2.5 



3 hogs .6 



10 pigs 1. 



30 sheep 4.3 



25 lambs 1.8 



70 hens .7 



22.9 



If he has 160 acres of land, he has an animal unit for 

 each 7 acres of land. If he has 115 acres of crops, 



