Fattening Steers 79 



feeders sometimes feed from narrow troughs, about twelve 

 or fifteen inches wide, but usually change to the standard 

 feed-bunks after a year's experience. In building bunks, 

 as with all other cattle equipment, strength is essential. 

 In feeding grain, it is important that the correct amount of 

 bunk room be provided. The steers should have plenty 

 of room so that all may get to the bunks at one time ; 

 otherwise the timid ones will get nothing. On the other 

 hand, there must not be much vacant space, since the 

 greedy steers will get their grain eaten first and then go to 

 the vacant space and obtain a second helping. As in 

 the racks, about three feet of space for each steer will 

 be needed; that is, three feet along one side or at 

 the end. 



The steers must be started with a small amount of 

 grain and gradually worked up to the desiied ration just 

 as in corn feeding, but it does not take long to have the 

 steers eating as much grain as is ever used in the West. 

 Some find it profitable to feed no grain until about the 

 last month or two, and then to use a little in order to 

 give the steers a better finish and make them stand the 

 shipping better, but the usual practice is to feed hay alone, 

 making no attempt to use grain at all. The price of grain 

 in the West is too high to enable the feeder to make much 

 profit by its use. If the hay is of the best quality, a good 

 gain may be made, and, while not as large as on grain, 

 at a cheaper cost. But the hay must be good. Poor 

 or damaged hay is not worth feeding for fattening pur- 

 poses. It will produce nothing more than a fair growth, 

 and the steers will be worth no more a pound when through 

 than at the beginning. It is argued that the time to 

 feed the grain is when the hay is poor ; ■ and it is true that 

 good results may thus be obtained, but the gain all comes 



