20 
BULLETIN 1277, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Net Relation of Feed Input to Feed Requirement for Beef Production 
GRAIN 
REQUIRED 
PER POUND 
OF GAIN 
10 
ROUGHAGE 
REQUIRED 
PER POUND 
OF GAIN 
20 
15 
15 20 25 
GRAIN FED PER HEAD PER DAY. IN POUNDS 
8 12 16 20 
ROUGHAGE FED PER HEAD P&R DA£ IN POUNDS. 
Fig. 8. — Showing how feed requirements per pound of beef change as feeding practices 
change. The average requirement for steers fed 25 pounds of grain per day is much 
heavier than for steers fed 10 pounds, other things being the same 
Net Relation of Length of Feeding Period and Initial Weight to Feed Requirement for Beef 
Production 
RELATIVE 
FEED 
REQUIRED 
PER-UNIT 
OF GAIN 
1.00 
.90 
RELATIVE 
FEED 
REQUIRED 
PER UNIT 
OF GAIN 
I. 10 
i 
LENGTH OF FE 
1 
CEDING PE 
RIOD 
90 
120 150 180 210 
NUMBER OF DAYS IN FEEDING PERIOD 
240 
1.00 
.90 
INIT 
AL WE 
.IGHT 1 
3 ER HI 
EAD 
/fus)\ 
820 
860 900 940 980 1020 
WEIGHT PER HEAD IN POUNDS 
1060 
100 
Fig. 9. — Other things besides the quantity of feed per day affect the economy of gains. 
Gain can be put on much more economically in a " short cram " than over a Ions 
period. However, light animals put on gains more economically, so one advantage 
must be balanced against the other. Sometimes both can be combined, as in the 
production of " baby beef." 
