Balanced Rations 



Beef cattle require, in order to secure the best results, a balanced 

 ration. During the growing stage, they should receive feed rich in pro- 

 tein or what is known as a narrow ration. During the latter end of the 

 feeding period, when an accumulation of fat is desired, the ration should 

 be widened, or, in other words, should contain a greater amount 

 of carbohydrates. 



The following table furnished by Winters is strictly in keeping with 

 thousands of other trials of like character showing the difference 

 between a well-balanced and an unbalanced ration. In this trial, there 

 were four steers in each bunch. In each trial the same amount of corn 

 was given to the different lots and all the hay they would eat. 



Pounds 



4 steers fed 104 days corn and timothy hay, gain. 

 4 steers fed 104 days corn and cow pea hay, gain. 

 4 steers fed 80 days corn and timothy hay, gain. 

 4 steers fed 80 days corn and clover hay, gain. _ 



4 steers fed 80 days corn and millet hay, gain 



4 steers fed 105 days corn and timothy hay, gain. 

 4 steers fed 105 days corn and clover hay, gain. . 

 4 steers fed 105 days corn and cow pea hay, gain. 



260 

 624 

 318 

 640 

 119 

 789 

 1135 

 1134 



Feeding Corn in Various Forms to Steers 



Mumford of the Illinois Station fed four lots of choice feeders, aver- 

 aging about 1,000 pounds each for 186 days. Lots 3 and 4 contained 

 ten steers each, and the other lots fifteen steers each. Pigs following 

 the steers worked over the droppings. Each lot was given clover hay 

 for roughage, a limited allowance of gluten meal being fed in the first 

 half and of oil meal in the second half of the trial. As the table shows, 

 Lot 1 was fed ear corn. Lot 2 corn-and-cob meal. Lot 3 shelled corn. 

 Lot 4 corn meal, Lot 5 ear corn and shock corn, this lot being fed no 

 gluten meal. 



Lot 2, fed corn-and-cob meal, made neither larger nor more econom- 

 ical gains than Lot 1, fed ear corn, while the pigs following the steers 

 getting ear corn made decidedly better gains than those following the 

 steers fed corn-and-cob meal. 



Lot 8, getting shelled corn, made the poorest gains, due to the fact, 

 Mumford tells us, that these steers did not masticate their corn so 

 thoroughly as the others. While about the same amount of concen- 

 trates was required for 100 pounds gain as with the preceding lots, it 

 must be remembered that the ear corn and the corn-and-cob meal 

 rations contained over 17 per cent cob. Thus, shelled corn proved 

 inferior to ear corn or corn-and-cob meal in beef production. 



