156 BEEF PRODUCTION 



regularity. If, previous to being turned to the self- 

 feeder, the cattle have been worked up to a maximum 

 grain ration slowly and gradually, they will not con- 

 sume an excessive amount of concentrates, and it is 

 doubted whether under such conditions they will eat so 

 much that they will fail to assimilate a normal amount 

 of what they consume. Cattle eating too much and 

 getting foundered when turned to the self-feeder comes 

 from attempting to get the cattle on the self-feeder too 

 quickly. 



Cattle will undoubtedly eat more where the self-feeder 

 is used than where it is not. They will also usually make 

 greater gains in the former than in the latter instance. 

 Experiments indicate, however, that under the most 

 favorable circumstances for the use of the self-feeder, it 

 requires slightly more feed to produce a given gain than 

 where cattle are intelligently fed at regular intervals 

 according to the common practice. This difference 

 under favorable conditions is so slight that it could not 

 be said to be a strong argument against the use of the 

 self-feeder. The larger consumption of feed and greater 

 gains undoubtedly tend to shorten the period of profita- 

 ble full feeding. 



Almost all concentrated feeds and mixtures have 

 been successfully used in self-feeders. Undoubtedly 

 this system of feeding has appealed strongest to the 

 careless and indifferent cattle feeders, who are persist- 

 ently seeking methods that require little effort on their 

 part, and, as a consequence, many careless cattle feeders 

 have employed this method and have condemned its 

 use because they have not understood and heeded its 

 limitations. 



DOES NOT PERMIT OF WASTE 



Some of the objections raised may be disposed of 

 by saying that a properly constructed self-feeder does 

 not permit the cattle to muss and slobber over any con- 

 siderable quantity of the feed. 



