Fattening Steers 69 
produce one bushel of shelled corn, and would, therefore, 
much more than fill a bushel basket. Steers getting all 
the corn they want will eat but little hay, not over seven 
or eight pounds a head after they are on full feed. Most 
of the feeders in the Corn-Belt pay little attention to the 
kind of roughage, although it has been conclusively proven 
that the use of legume hay, such as clover or alfalfa, will 
cause the steers to gain faster at much less cost. The 
steers will not only eat more hay, but will at the same time 
eat as much or more grain. In all cases it is the intention 
to give the steers all they will eat of both hay and grain, 
except for the first few weeks. Steers not used to heavy 
feeding can be allowed only a small amount of grain or 
they will gorge themselves and go off feed. This makes it 
necessary to begin with a small amount, three or four 
pounds daily, and gradually increase until they are 
eating all they will clean up twice a day. This increase 
is usually at the rate of about one-half pound a day, 
although some feeders increase the rations one pound a 
day for a few days, and then do not increase them at all 
for several days more. It thus takes from a month to 
six weeks to get the animal on full feed. This process of 
“getting on feed” applies only to grain. Steers may be 
given all the hay they will eat from the start, even if 
turned in the feed-lot very hungry. The steers fed in 
the central states are largely twos and the average weight 
is around 1350 at market time. The length of the feeding 
period will be four or six months, and the gains each day 
under favorable conditions are two pounds or more in 
winter and about two and one-half pounds in the summer 
on corn and grass. The gains made in summer are 
cheaper than those made in winter, and many feeders are 
now feeding in the summer instead of the winter as 
