CHAPTER XXII 



FEEDING GROWING ANIMALS 



A DISCUSSION of rations for growing animals re- 

 lates in large part to the uses of food for constructive 

 purposes. The formation of bone and soft tissue pro- 

 ceeds rapidly in the young organism, the nutrition of 

 which must be adapted in kind and quantity to large 

 demands in this direction. This is true of all young 

 domestic animals. The actual daily increase in live 

 weight of a well -nourished calf may be as great as 

 that of a mature steer when liberally fed. It is not 

 unusual for the former to gain two pounds a day in 

 weight, and 1.5 pounds is less than would be satis- 

 factory. It is possible to calculate approximately what 

 this growth would require of actual dry matter. The 

 only analysis of a calf's body which is available is 

 that made by Lawes and Gilbert, from which it ap- 

 pears that the entire animal when fat has approxi- 

 mately the following composition : 



Water Ash Protein Fat 



% % % % 



64.6 4.8 16.5 14.1 



A gain of 1.5 to 2 pounds live weight means a storage 

 of not less than .24 to .33 of a pound of dry protein in 

 the animal's body, and the laying on, when the animal 



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