﻿SHRINKAGE OF WEIGHT OF BEEF CATTLE IN TRANSIT. 



17 



cattle originated in Mexico, where some of them may have Urn held 

 without feed or water for quite a long period while the rest were 

 being gathered for shipping. In Table 6 are shown the data from 

 the shipping of 588 head of these cattle The weights at the points 

 of origin were not secured, hut the weights were taken the second 

 day of the trip when the cattle were unloaded for feed and water. 

 To make the trip from tins point to Kansas City required 105 hours, 

 or over four days' time. The first shipment of cattle had no feed 

 for 10 hours before the first weight was taken and they shrank but 42 

 pounds in transit, gaining back 35 pounds of it from fill and hav- 

 ing a net shrinkage of but 7 pounds per head. 



The other shipment was a whole train of 524 head of high-grade 

 Hereford cattle from Blue, Ariz. They had been in transit 174 hours 

 from Blue to El Paso, where they were given feed and water for 30 

 hours, and took a nice fill. They left El Paso at C o'clock p. m. in a 

 " norther, 1 ' and soon ran into a snowstorm which lasted practically' 

 all the way to Kansas City. The weather was extremely cold, but 

 despite this fact the cattle took a good fill at Kansas City, as they 

 had been on the cars so long with very little to eat. The net shrink- 

 age was 42 pounds per head for this long journey. 



Table G. — Mixed cattle in transit several days. 



Number 





Time in 

 transit, 



first 

 period. 



Average 



weight 



at 



point of 

 origin . 



Average 

 weight 



at 



feeding 



point 



before 



fill. 



Time in 

 transit, 

 second 

 period. 



Average 

 weight 



at 



feeding 



point 



after 



fill. 



Average weight at 

 destination. 



of 

 head. 



Point of origin. 



Before ' After 

 fill. fill. 



04 





Hours. 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 



Hours. 

 104A 

 105" 



Pounds. 

 717 

 520 



Pounds. 1 Pounds. 

 675 j 710 



524 





m 







448 478 





Grand average. . 

















105 



541 



472 j 502 















Number 



Point of origin. 



Average 



fill at 

 market. 



Average shrinkage. 





of 

 head. 



Before 

 fill. 



After 

 fill. 



Remarks. 



64 

 524 



Big Spring, Tex 

 Blue, Ariz 



Grand average . . 



Pounds. 

 35 

 30 



Pounds. 

 42 



72 



Pounds. 



7 



42 



Had no feed for 10 hours before loading. 

 In a raging blizzard from El Paso to 

 Kansas City. 





31 



69 



38 





FED CATTLE IN TRANSIT LESS THAN 36 HOURS. 



Of all cattle which are shipped to market those which are finished 

 in the feed lot should shrink more uniformly. There are several 

 reasons for this: (1) They have had practically the same treatment 



8472°— Bull. 25—13 2 



