96 BULLETIN NO. 59. 



AMOUNT OP FOOD EATEN BY LAMBS. 



Table No. 4 shows the food eaten and the cost of the food given 

 to the lambs. On the average each lamb ate 1.81 pounds of hay 

 and .62 pounds of grain per day. During the first period, when no 

 grain was fed, the amount of clover hay averaged close to 2.5 

 pounds per day. When the grain was added the hay ration was 

 reduced in almost direct proportion to the amount of grain added, 

 and the same thing 'is true in the third period, when the full grain 

 ration is given. There is very little difference between the amount 

 eaten by the lambs getting the various kinds of grain. 



FOOD EATEN FOR EACH POUND OF GAIN BY LAMBS. 



The food eaten for each pound of gain by the lambs averaged 

 7.62 pounds of hay and 2.63 pounds of grain. The range was from 

 6.91 pounds of hay and 2.44 pounds of grain for the lambs fed on 

 the screenings ration to 8.10 pounds of hay and 2.84 pounds of 

 grain for the lambs fed upon the wheat ration. The oats, mixed 

 grain and barley follow in the order named between these two ex- 

 tremes. Considering the third period, 44 days, when the full grain 

 ration Avas fed, we find that the wheat ration called for the largest 

 amount of clover and grain for each pound of gain. The barley was 

 the next most expensive in feed, the oat ration third and the mixed 

 grain and screenings the cheapest ration as regarding the amount 

 of feed required. When fed on clover hay alone, as during the first 

 period, it will be noticed that it took from 12 to nearly 17 pounds 

 of hay to make each pound of gain. When the grain ration was 

 added about 3^ pounds of grain displaced close to TO pounds of 

 clover, as will be noticed in the third period. The difficulty with 

 lambs which are growing is to get them to eat enough clover to 

 fatten in anything like a reasonable time. Therefore, the grain 

 ration has to be added. These tests do not pretend to show the 

 amount of grain that would give the best results. 



COST OF FOOD EATEN BY LAMBS. 



The cost of food is given so that comparisons can be made on 

 this basis, but the food cost mentioned above should be kept in mind. 

 The average cost of feeding each lamb per day for the 97 days was 

 1.09 cents. The cost of each pound of the gain was 4.61 cents. This 



