Growing Feeder Steers in Western Nebraska 



25 



TABLE 13. Forage eaten by steers during winter, in pounds per 



steer. 



* The calves were fed 280 Ibs. of grain each during the winter or 2 

 Ibs. of grain each daily. 



The amount of forage required by the different lots (Table 

 13) varied considerably. The steers that were fed cane usually 

 required more pounds of forage than those on any other single 

 kind of forage. The steers fed prairie hay ate less pounds of 

 feed than those fed any other ration. There was a rather large 

 percentage of waste in feeding the cane and almost no waste in 

 feeding the prairie hay. The largest quantity of forage used 

 by any lot was usually alfalfa and cane, but during the third 

 winter the lot fed alfalfa and prairie hay ate more than the lot 

 upon alfalfa and cane. Table 13, showing the amount of 

 forage fed to the steers, varies in inexplainable ways. The waste 

 when the feed was not of good quality may account for these 

 variations in part, and it is probable that this waste at times 

 was greater than necessary. The waste was especially noticeabk 

 with Lot 1 during the third winter, due to coarse and damaged 

 alfalfa. At any rate this table shows the forage consumed with 

 good feed racks and with care taken to feed all that the cattle 

 would eat, and not to waste any feed unless it was coarse stems 

 or stalks. 



