EAISING AND FATTENING BEEF CALVES IN ALABAMA. 11 



(2) A herd of 80 cows, mostly grade Aberdeen-Angus, were 

 employed. From this herd 64 calves were raised dm-ing the year 

 1911. 



(3) The calves were born dming the spring months and ran with 

 their mothers on pastm^e mitil late fall, when they were weaned and 

 prepared for the fattening period, which was inaugurated on January 

 17, 1912, and continued until April 1, 1912. 



(4) In all, there were 64 calves, but only 49 of these were fattened 

 for the market. The owner wished to bmld up the breeding herd, 

 so 15 of the best heifers were kept on the farm for future breeding. 



(5) When the calves were 9 J months old the 64 had attained an 

 average weight of 460 pounds. 



(6) It cost $14.36 to raise each caK to an age of 9§ months. This 

 cost includes all possible expenses, or cost of all feed eaten by both 

 cows and calves, interest on money invested in cattle, rent on pas- 

 tures, taxes, depreciation on the value of the herd, etc. The average 

 cost per hundredweight was $3.12. 



(7) Forty-nine of the 64 calves were then placed in the feed lot. 

 These 49 animals averaged 456 pounds in weight at the beginning 

 of the fattening period and 560 pomids at the close. They, therefore, 

 gained at the average daily rate of 1.37 pounds, 



(8) Each caK, during the fattening period, ate daily 4.4 pounds of 

 cottonseed meal, 23.9 pounds of corn silage, and 2.76 pounds of 

 broom-sedge hay. 



(9) To make 100 pounds of increase in live weight required the use 

 of 323 pounds of cottonseed meal, 1,741 pounds of corn silage, and 

 201 pounds of hay, costing $7.31. 



(10) When the calves were fat they were sold on the farm for 

 $5.87 J a hundredweight. It cost only $3.61 per hundredweight 

 to raise and fatten them. 



(11) The total profit on the herd during 1911-12 was $436.19 

 or an average of $6.81 for each calf. 



o 



