34 



any great extent, uneconomical gains- may be obtained: 



1. A 1, 000 -pound pregnant beef cow should receive daily 

 19. 1 pounds of hay averaging at least 6. 5 percent 

 crude protein. 



2. When 1, 000-pound beef cows are nursing calves less 



than 4 months old, they should receive 28. pounds 

 of hay daily in which the crude protein content 

 averages at least 7. 8 percent. 



3. Calves between 400 and 550 pounds should receive 

 daily approximately 11.7 pounds of hay with a crude 

 protein content of 10. 2 percent in order to gain 0. 75 

 to 1. 00 pound per day. 10/ 



The various feeding trials conducted by Willhite, Rouse, and associates 

 were concentrated primarily in the area of requirement 3. The conclusions 

 of these workers substantiate Morrison's standards. For instance, heifer 

 calves on feeding trials conducted at Gunnison, Colo. , gained an average of 

 1. 03 pounds per day on a daily ration of 11. 81 pounds of hay containing 10. 1 

 percent crude protein. 



Analysis of hays grown on 20 different ranches from 1950 to 1954 showed 

 that unfertilized hay averaged 9. 47 percent crude protein and ranged from 

 6. 25 to 16. 43 percent. When 100 pounds of available nitrogen per acre were 

 applied, the crude protein content averaged 9. 17 percent and varied from 

 6. 78 to 19. 64 percent. Hay produced without nitrogen on 18 of the 20 

 ranches equaled or exceeded the minimum requirements for the breeding 

 herd. When 100 pounds of available nitrogen were applied, hay produced on 

 16 of these ranches exceeded the requirements for the breeding herd. 11/ 



10 / A fourth requirement that could be examined might be stated as follows: 

 When it is desired to have young cattle gain faster than condition No. 3, hay 

 of higher quality will be desirable to increase the protein and TDN intake of 

 the animal. For our purposes, the fourth requirement will not be considered 

 because it is essentially a feeding program designed for slaughter cattle and 

 not within the scope of this publication. 



11 / Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station. Mountain Meadow Improve- 

 ment. Gen. Ser. Paper 615. Fort Collins. 1955. 



