Show rn r N 1 PEA SILAGE FEEDING OF LAMBS IN WISCONSIN green feed will eventually cut a wide swath in beef and mutton making As result of experiment at waukesha esha into the cavernous maw ot a silo 70 i feet in diameter and 43 feet in height i a vast quantity of green teed can bp tucked away from such a silo a waukesha county wis firm market ed during the past winter fat western bred lambs As results in this case showed a profit of around til aou better testimony as to the value of silage for lamb finishing purposes could not be desired for the purpose of making comparisons the firm fed during the winter a smaller band of the same kind of lambs on hay and corn and that operation barely paid expenses the waukesha feeding was largely of an experimental nature and was revolutionary in that the grain ra alon was reduced to a minimum and silage forced on the stock results were so convincing that the ration of last winter practically one pound of grain per lamb per diem with an un wisconsin pea silage ped lambs ready for market limited quantity of silage will be adopted by the firm its standard the feature of this feeding was the limited quantity of corn used in the previous years work self feeders were used and the lambs given all the screenings they could consume this resulted in only limited con of silage the cambs iambs filling up on grain gains by this method were satisfactory but cost was excessive and the feeders determined on a radi cal change hand feeders were buted and the stock practically forced to eat silage A small quantity of corn sheared and ready to kill was fed take dally the grain ration from beginning to the end ol 01 a feeding period of 60 to 70 days never exceed 1 pounds per day and not aver aging a pound it was a mixture of corn and oll meal the proportion of the latter being to one quarter pound per day at the outset one quarter of a pound of corn per head was used this being gradually in creased to the maximum the areri ous season when allowed all the screenings they could eat the average consumption of grain was three pounds per head while heavier gains have been made in the teed lot from the standpoint of economical production this experiment was satis factory in every respect the season s work may be summarized by the statement that cambs iambs fed on hay and a heavy corn ration lost money fed on silage and a limited grain ration prof its were handsome corn used in this feeding cost 50 to 63 cents screenings were worth 1617 per ton had last winters ration of screenings three pounds per day been used the cost per bead for grain would have been 2 cents corn cost but little ovel one cent per day the feeders demon to their own satisfaction at least that pea silage and corn constitutes a ell balanced ration montana mountain bred lambs were used as the feeders consider them far superior to plains bred stock every lamb was bought on the chicago mar ket and in dividing the two bands care was exercised to give each teed lot an equal chance the first feed began october 19 and ended december 14 the average weight going jinto the feed lot was 71 pounds at 9 stock maids on selling day 85 pounds thu 3 lambs costing 55 as when put in sold in one lot at 7 after a 40 day feed on the silage and corn ration the second feeding period was strung out during the winter drafts being purchased at the chicago market aa opportunity offered investment prices ranged from 5 25 to 7 20 and sale prices of the finished stock from 7 to they went in 75 to 80 pounds none weighed less than 90 pounds coming out and some reached pounds all of the second feeding were shorn and while the fat lambs were mainly disposed of before the spring rise in prices otherwise elnan caal results would have been greater a booming wool market added materi ally to the profits these lambs en joyed popularity in killing circles they dressed well and were regarded by buyers as fully up to the standard of lambs fed on bay and grain the grain delegation brought no better prices than the silage fed contingent the grain fed band consumed more than twice as much grain as the others all this relates to pea not corn silage and the feed used in this in stance was cannery waste the exper ament has determined the feeding value of pea silage in combination with a small corn ration it indicates possibilities for a vast extension of cattle and sheep feeding in an area not regarded as within the corn belt proper embracing wisconsin mahl gan and minnesota where the pea crop thrives the sheep will eat off the young sprouts and the foliage causing the sprouts and the roots of the original stumps to die allowing intervening spaces among trees to catch la blue grass or other pasture grass they will not eat the bark from standing trees of any considerable size |