TEE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY 



383 



that the more the calves have been han- 

 dled and the tamer they are when they 

 go into the feed lot, the more rapid and 

 economical are the gains. The system of 

 rearing calves on skim milk and cream 

 substitutes, therefore, fits into the 

 scheme of baby beef production, since 

 the calves must necessarily be handled 

 from the earliest age and thus become 

 accustomed to the presence of man. 



In the experiments now under discus- 

 sion, the profits in the form of baby 

 beef from calves raised with cows were 

 less than from skim milk calves and 

 this constitutes another important sup- 

 port to the practice of feeding skim 

 milk and cream substitutes. 



Importance of system in feeding baby 

 beef — In the production of baby beef, 

 great care must be taken with the feeds ; 

 they must be fresh and palatable at 

 every feeding and must be presented in 

 such a way that the animals will eat 

 the largest possible quantities. It is 

 commonly recommended that the feed- 

 ing periods be absolutely regular, that 

 water and salt be supplied at all times 

 and in general that the grain be mixed 

 with the hay or silage. 



According to statistics collected by 

 Mumford from Illinois beef raisers, the 

 spring is chosen as the season for the 

 calves to come, by four-fifths of the cor- 

 respondents of the Illinois experiment 

 station; the other fifth of the beef rais- 

 ers are divided in their preferences be- 

 tween summer, winter and fall. Among 

 the same men four-fifths practiced cas- 

 tration on bull calves under three 

 months of age and only 5 per cent post- 

 poned the operation later than six 

 months. In the large number of beef 

 raisers, among whom the statistics in 

 question were collected, less than one- 

 half raised calves for the production of 

 baby beef, the average age of cattle 

 when marketed being 26 months and the 

 average weight 1,275 pounds. While 

 on some markets baby beef means well- 

 fattened beef animals about one year 

 of age, the term is frequently extended 

 to include all finished cattle between one 

 and two years old. 



Among Illinois beef raisers, the 

 length of the suckling period for calves 

 intended for the production of baby 

 beef varies from one week to 10 months, 

 with an average of five months and 24 

 days. The suckling period for calves 

 not intended for baby beef ranges from 

 five to seven months, six months being 



preferred by 40 per cent of the beef 



producers. 



Interesting statistics were also col- 

 lected among prominent beef raisers 

 with regard to the grain feeds which 

 they used in feeding for baby beef. 

 Among these grains, corn constitutes 

 about one-half, oats one-third, followed 

 by bran, linseed meal, a mixture of corn 

 and oatmeal, barley, cottonseed meal, 

 gluten meal, wheat and rye in order. 



The production of baby beef is not 

 confined to the corn belt, but is much 

 in favor in various other parts of the 

 country. Thus, in Idaho, French has 

 found that it is possible to raise calves 

 profitably on skim milk by replacing 

 the cream with whole oats; when calves 

 are fed on this ration, they seem to 

 make better use of rough feed later than 

 do calves which have been raised on 

 whole milk. The important point is also 

 mentioned by French that early matu- 

 rity is not hindered by this method of 

 feeding. With regard to the economy 

 of the practice, it appears that in Utah 

 the value of the cream saved is more 

 than four times that of the oats con- 

 sumed in replacing the cream. 



In a series of feeding tests in Idaho, 

 it was found that steers raised in the 

 manner just described gained 2 pounds 

 per day for a period of 128 days on 

 coarse feeds alone. Baby beef produced 

 on skim milk, oats, alfalfa hay and pas- 

 ture dressed about 60 per cent of the 

 live weight and the meat was well 

 marbled and pronounced of prime qual- 

 ity when examined by the butcher. The 

 steers produced an average profit of $18 

 a head over the cost of feeding and 

 care. 



French calls attention to the impor- 

 tance of teaching calves to eat hay at 

 as early an age as possible. The hay 

 should be provided in self-feeding racks, 

 so that they can obtain it at any time. 

 "The calves, even those only five or six 

 days old, soon learn to pick this tempt- 

 ing bit of hay instead of sucking each 

 other's ears, as they are apt to do when 

 fed in the ordinary w*ay." 



The question often occurs to the 

 farmer who intends to force calves to a 

 market maturity at an early age, whether 

 it pays best to feed grain during the 

 first winter, or coarse forage alone. In 

 Nebraska, this matter was studied by 

 Burnett and Smith. It was found in 

 this experiment that it is more econom- 

 ical to feed a small grain ration, even if 



