6 
COLORADO EXPERIMENT' STATION 
TABLE B 
FEED FOR GAIN AND COST OF GAIN—200 LAMBS IN EACH LOT 
Lot 
No. 
Ration 
Average 
Gain Per 
Head, 14 
Weeks 
(lbs.) 
Pounds Feed For 
100 lbs. Gain 
Cost of 
Feed For 
100 lbs. 
Gain * 
Corn 
Alfalfa 
Hay 
I. 
Corn, Alfalfa Hay, Cut, in Self Feeder. . 
38.3 
267 
605 
$4.48 
II. ... 
Corn, Alfalfa Hay, Whole, in Self Feeder 
34 7 
297 
601 
4.47 
Ill ... 
Corn, Alfalfa Hay, Whole, on Ground. . 
33.7 
306 
733 
4.89 
*NOTE—Corn at 1 cent per lb., Alfalfa Hay at $5.00 per ton, Cut Hay at $6.00 
per ton. 
ECONOMY 
By the table above we see that the cut hay lot gained on the 
average of 3.6 pounds per head more than those fed whole hay. It 
required for 100 pounds of gain with the cut hay lot the same amount 
of hay and 30 pounds less of corn. This resulted in a cost of $4.48 
and $4.47 for each hundred pounds gained by the two lots, estimating 
the cost of cutting hay at $1.00 per ton. The actual cost of cutting 
amounts to about 50 cents per ton, but counting interest on the 
capital invested in machinery and depreciation in value of machinery, 
the cost of cutting will approximate $1.00 per ton. Firms cutting 
hay for others charge even more than this. 
This trial shows no economy in cutting a good quality of alfalfa 
hay. The hay used was well cured, first and second cutting hay. The 
only point in favor of the cut hay is that changes in the construction 
of the hay self feeders may result in a greater saving of the hay, and 
further trials will be made with this point in mind. In this trial 
the lambs were made to eat the whole hay about as closely as they 
do in a commercial feed lot, no unusual amount of stems being 
cleaned from their racks. 
For the present the author feels justified in saying that so far 
as the experimental work with cut hay has gone at this Station, 
there is not sufficient evidence in favor of cutting hay to justify sheep 
feeders in putting in machinery for that purpose. The indications 
are that it does not pay to cut good alfalfa hay. 
SELF FEEDERS FOR HAY. 
The trial reported above also included a test of the value of self 
feeders. Lot II was fed whole hay in a self feeder and Lot III was 
fed whole hay in racks on the ground such as are in common use 
in many sections of the state. 
From Table B, we find that the average gain of the two lots 
was 34.7 pounds and 33.7 pounds respectively; and the amount of 
corn required for 100 pounds gain was 297 pounds for Lot II and 
306 pounds for Lot III. When we look at the amount of hay re¬ 
quired for 100 pounds gain, we find quite a difference, 601 pounds 
being required by the self feeder lot, and 733 or over one-fifth more 
