FATTENING OF GROWN ANIMALS 267 



The action of the fattening ration makes itself 

 manifest by an increase in live weight, which, how- 

 ever, is not maintained at the same level from the 

 beginning to the end of the fattening period, but, 

 as a rule, diminishes in the course of the process. 

 This is because the animals need a larger amount 

 of food the heavier they become. Each extra 

 pound of weight raises the quantity of food re 

 quired for the maintenance of the animal in its 

 improved condition, and this amount is the greater 

 the nearer the animal approaches the finished 

 condition. Exact experiments carried out with the 

 help of a respiration apparatus have shown that 

 fat animals require almost twice as much food to 

 maintain 100 lbs. weight gained during fattening, 

 as to maintain 100 lbs. of a lean animal. 



For this reason the costs of production are raised 

 very considerably towards the end of the fattening 

 period, and where this is continued for a long time 

 it may happen that, for an increase in live weight 

 of 1 lb., more than twice as much food must be 

 given as at the beginning of the period. As many 

 consumers also object to meat which is overladen 

 with fat, it is advisable not to carry the fattening 

 of ruminants too far. 



From what has been said above, it follows that 

 the maintenance requirements per 1000 lbs. live 

 weight of fattened animals are greater than for 

 thin animals. Investigations on this point were 



