﻿SHRINKAGE OF WEIGHT OF BEEF CATTLE IN TRANSIT. 



73 



preparing cattle for shipping. This is natural, for conditions are 

 such that it is much easier for him to do (his; then, too, his stock is 

 more valuable per pound than grass cattle, and the increased shrink- 

 age on them entails a greater financial loss. 



The feeders of beet-pulp cattle have made a closer study of the 

 shrinkage of their stock than any other class of feeders. This is 

 probably because the operators of sugar mills feed large numbers of 

 cattle and can therefore be better equipped to do the weighing. It 

 must be conceded, however, that usually they are more progressive 

 than the average farmer or stockman. The cattle fed on beet pulp 

 were always taken off the pulp ration about 24 hours previous to 

 shipping and put on a dry ration of \mj and grain. This always 

 caused a shrinkage in weight, varying from a small amount. to as 

 high as 68 pounds per head. This shrinkage for the day before 

 shipping naturally decreased the shrinkage which the cattle would 

 undergo, while in the cars. Even then, however, the shrinkage in 

 transit on the. pulp cattle was always large. 



Feeders -who finish their cattle on silage follow practically the same 

 plan in regard to giving the cattle dry hay or fodder for the 24 

 hours preceding shipment. It is not uncommon, also, for the water 

 to be cut off from the silage-fed cattle for about 12 hours before 

 loading. This naturally causes the cattle to undergo a shrinkage just 

 previous to shipping and thus favors a smaller shrinkage in transit. 



Table 29 follows, showing a general summary of all the shrinkage 

 work recorded in this bulletin. 



Table 29. — General summary of three years' shrinkage work. 





Num- 

 ber of 

 ship- 

 ments. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 cattle. 



Aver- 

 age 

 weight 



at 

 origin. 



Gross 

 shrinkage. 



Fill at market. 



Net shrinkage. 



Ratio 



of 

 shrink- 



Class. 



Range. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Range. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Range. 



Aver- 

 age. 



age to 



live 



weight 



at 

 origin. 



Range steers in transit 



2 

 8 

 2 

 15 

 21 

 4 

 3 



21 

 17 



197 

 882 

 169 

 1,724 

 1,551 

 275 

 177 



1,511 



872 



Lbs. 

 794 



1,186 



1,116 



838 



896 



1,034 



1,010 



700 

 848 



Pounds . 



Lbs. 



Pounds. 



Lbs. 



Pounds. 

 19- 55 



26- 83 



49- 97 



i+12- 60 



1+5-64 



34- 72 



21- 56 



i+12- 71 

 19-114 



Lbs. 

 29 



64 



61 



30 



31 



50 



40 



15 

 54 



Per cl. 

 3.65 



Range steers in transit 

 Range steers in transit 



57-124 

 85- 99 

 33-105 

 38-129 

 90-110 

 49- 85 



19- 84 

 27-118 



S9 

 88 

 60 

 70 

 96 

 70 



37 

 72 



13-41 

 2-36 

 5-88 

 9-70 

 36-56 

 28-35 



1-56 

 2 -8-55 



25 

 27 

 30 

 39 

 46 

 30 



22 



18 



5.40 

 5.47 



Range cows in transit 

 less than 24 hours 



Range cows in transit 

 24 to 36 hours 



Range cows in transit 

 36 to 72 hours 



Range cows in transit 



3.5S 

 3.46 

 4.84 

 3.96 



Mixed range cattle in 

 transit less than 24 



2.14 



Mixed range cattle in 

 transit 24 to 36 hours . 



6.37 



1 The plus sign (+) indicates a gain in weight instead of a shrinkage. Attention is called to the 16 ship- 

 ments of range calves, wherein the ratio of shrinkage to live weight (last column of table) is unduly low, 

 because the great majority (13) of the shipments occurred in 1910, the droughty year. The 3 shipments 

 in 1911, the normal year, gave a ratio of 4.9 per cent. 



a The minus sign ( — ) indicates a loss in weight instead of a fill. 



