CARRYING RANGE STEERS THROUGH THE WINTER u 



During the winter of 1905-06 the calves were fed upon beet tops 

 until the I5th of February, running in the fields with stock cattle. 

 When taken from the beet fields ten head were fed a ration of four 

 pounds daily of ground corn with alfalfa hay ; while the other ten head 

 were fed a ration of twenty pounds per head of sugar beets. Both 

 lots made approximately the same gains, the only differenece being that 

 the lot fed beets ate somewhat less hay. For the purposes of this 

 discussion, it is sufficient to say that the amount of feed consumed by 

 the younger animal is less than that consumed by the older. And 

 from this standpoint of feeding alone, it seems more economical to 

 winter feed as calves and finish as yearlings than to winter feed as 

 yearlings and finish as two-year-olds. 



FINISHING YEARLINGS 



// you intend to finish steers as yearlings, is it profitable to feed 

 them hay and grain the unnter that they are calves? 



The steers winter fed as calves gained 30 pounds per head less 

 during the winter they were yearlings, than the steers gained that 

 were not winter fed as calves; but they averaged no pounds per head 

 more in weight than the latter and sold for 25 cents per cwt. more. This 

 offers no satisfactory conclusion without a knowledge of the cost of 

 feed. However, the calves fed during their first winter gained 259 

 pounds per head that winter, and yet were only 140 pounds heavier the 

 next fall than those not winter fed. This indicates a poor summer 

 gain, which their gain of 141 pounds per head undoubtedly was. The 

 steers in this experiment lost a great deal of flesh when first turned 

 on the range and did not thrive at any time during the summer as 

 range cattle wintered on hay would have done. The only conclusion 

 that one can come to with the insufficient data at hand, is that whether 

 or not there be profit in winter feeding of calves destined to be sold 

 as yearlings, depends upon the condition of the range upon which they 

 were run. It is more, a question of grass and storms than one that 

 can be settled definitely for all conditions. 



MARKET VALUE OF THE STEERS 



The last spring of the experiment when all of the steers were 

 coining three-year-old, Mr. Henry Gebhardt, of Denver, put a mar- 

 ket valuation on the three lots of steers, without knowledge as to 

 how each lot had been handled. He valued the steers that had been 

 fed every winter at $6.10 per cwt.; those fed two winters at $6.20 

 per cwt., and those fed one winter at $5.75 per cwt. These prices 

 indicate the comparative condition of flesh of the various lots, and 

 the valuation given corresponds to the final weights of the three lots. 



These market prices mean that the steers which were not fed as 

 calves, but were fed the winter that they were yearlings, then put 

 back on the range, and finished out as two-year-olds, not only made 

 the most rapid gains and were heaviest when put upon the market, but 

 were fattest, having put on a large proportion of their gains in flesh 

 and fat. 



