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Progress Report Series No. 64
A GRICULTURAL E XPERIME NT 
of The Alabama Polytechnic Institute,
S E. V. SMITH, Director
Increasing Weight And Slaughter 
Grade Of
Thin Beef Calves By Grazing And Feeding
OTTO BROWN1, HAROLD YATESI, J. E. BARRETTI,
CHARLES M. MARTIN2, and W. D. SALMON2
M ANY CALVES that are marketed as Commer-
cial or Utility slaughter calves in Alabama
have sufficient beef breeding but lack sufficient
condition or finish to grade higher. The value
of such calves could be substantially increased in
many cases by further pasture and feed.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
In September, 1954, 30 grade Angus steer calves
were purchased for grazing and feeding test at
the Gulf Coast Substation. They were thin and
their slaughter grades were Utility or Commer-
cial.
These calves were divided into three groups or
lots for comparison of three different methods of
finishing as follows:
Lot 1 was fed in dry lot from September 15,
1954, to March 30, 1955 (196 days).
Lot 2 gleaned cornstalk fields from September
15 to November 10, 1954 (25 days); grazed oats
and crimson clover from November 11, 1954, to
April 25, 1955 (196 days) ; and was fed in dry lot
April 26 to June 19, 1955 (55 days).
Lot 3 gleaned cornstalk fields and grazed oats
same as Lot 2; grazed white clover-Dallisgrass
pasture and was fed an average of 11.7 pounds of
mixed rations per steer per day April 26 to June
19, 1955 (55 days) ; and was fed in dry lot June 20,
to July 17, 1955 (28 days).
Composition of the ration fed to each lot during
the feeding periods is shown below.
Item
Ground snapped corn
Ground Alfalfa
Molasses
Lot 1 Lot 2 Lot 3
Pet. Pet. Pet.
55 65 75
35 25 15
10 10 10
The cost of all rations was $48 per ton. Since
corn and alfalfa cost the same, the variation in
percentages of these two items did not affect the
cost of the mixed ration.
Average stocking rate during the grazing period-
for Lots 1 and 2 was one steer per acre, qxcept
from March 15 to April 25 when it was two teers--
per acre, using only half the acreage. This was
done in order that crimson clover seed could be
harvested from half of the winter pasture area.
The winter grazing was charged at the rate of $27
per acre. No charge was made for gleaned fields
after harvest of corn since this would have been
waste material if0i ad not been utilized by the
calves. No credit was given for the crimson
clover seed harvested from 10 acres of the winter
pasture. The Dallisgrass-white clover grazing
was charged at $2.50 per steer for 55 days. An
abundance of palatable forage was available for
Lots 2 and 3 throughout all grazing periods.
evaluated at the end of the oats-crimson clover
grazing period.
RESULTS
The average daily gain per steer for the 221
days was 1.55 pounds in Lot 2 and 1.60 pounds in
Lot 3. There were 3 Good, 6 Commercial, and 1
Utility in Lot 2, and 4 Good, 5 Commercial, and 1
Utility in Lot 3. They were valued by a packer
buyer at $17.51 per hundredweight for Lot 2 and
$17.78 per hundredweight for Lot 3. This gave a
value of $130.98 per steer in Lot 2 and $135.64
per steer in Lot 3.
The increase in value per steer for the 221-day
grazing period after deducting the cost of grazing
was $39.92 for Lot 2 and $44.06 for Lot 3.
IGulf Coast Substation (Fairhope, Ala.), Agricultural Experiment Station of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
2Department of Animal Husbandry and Nutrition, Agricultural Experiment Station of the Alabama Polytechnic 
Institute.
4I
I 56
ST ;AT ION
Auburn, Ala.
r r \I i 1
TABLE 1. SUMnARY OF RESULTS
Lot number
Item 2
Number of steers ------------------------------------- ----- 10 10 10
Treatment
Grazing, days ..........------------ -------------................... 221 
221
Grazing + feed, days --- ---1 ------ -- --------------- 55
Dry lot, days.... . .. ------------------------------------- 196 55 28
Average initial weight, lb. -------------------- ....... 385 404 408
Final weight, lb. -------------- -------------- 759 850 901
Total gain, lb. ........-------------------------- ----------- -----------...... 374 445 493
Live grade, end of feeding:
Choice ------- ------ ----------------------- 9 9 9
Good ..--------------------- ----------- .------------. 1 1 1
Carcass grades:
Choice----------------------- ------------ 3 10 3
Good------------------------------- 6 .. 7
Commercial .--------------------------------------------- 1
Dressing percentage:
Hot --..----.-----------------.....--------------------- 60.6 60.8 61.9
Chilled ................. ----------------------------------------------- 58.9 58.8 60.8
Purchase price per cwt. -$15.82 $15.82 $15.82
Initial cost per steer ------------------.. ----------------------- 60.86 64.06 64.58
Pasture cost per steer --------------------------------------- ----- 27.00 29.50
Feed cost per steer .-------------- -..---------------------------- - 84.77 31.17 31.82
Total cost per steer ..-------- ....-.........----------- - .. 145.63 122.23 125.90
Selling price per cwt. ---------------------------------- 21.63 21.50 21.26
Total value per steer ...............------------------------------------- 164.17 182.79 191.49
Increase in value over feed and pasture cost per steer* ..... $18.54 $60.56 $65.59
*No charge was deducted for labor in feeding, interest, or depreciation on facilities. The net increase is market value
of steer less pasture and feed costs and original value of the steer calf.
SUMMARY
A summary of results is given in Table 1. There
were 27 Choice and 3 Good steers (live grades)
when they were sold. The value of these steers
was increased from an average of $63.16 at the
beginning of the experiment to $164.17 in Lot 1,
$182.79 in Lot 2, and $191.49 in Lot 3. The in-
crease in value per steer after deducting pasture
and feed costs was $18.54 for Lot 1, $60.56 for Lot
2, and $65.59 for Lot 3.
On the basis of weights and evaluations made
at the end of the 221-day grazing period, the in-
crease in value per steer after deducting grazing
costs was $39.93 for Lot 2 and $44.06 for Lot 3.
Therefore, of the $60.56 net increase in value per
steer in Lot 2, $39.92 was produced during the
grazing period and $20.64 during the 55-day feed-
ing period in dry lot; of the $65.59 net increase
per steer in Lot 3, $44.06 was produced, during
the grazing period, $0.94 during the 55-day feed-
ing period on pasture, and $20.59 during the final
28-day feeding period in dry lot. Although Lot 3
showed a net increase of $5.03 more per steer than
Lot 2, $4.14 of the difference had accumulated at
the end of the 221-day grazing period. It is ap-
parent that the 55 days of feeding on pasture was
not profitable.
One year's results of this experiment definitely
indicate possibilities for profitable use of winter
pasture in the Gulf Coast area for increasing the
weight and improving the market grade of thin,
light-weight calves of good beef breeding. This
one year's results show that finishing such calves
in the dry lot for the entire period was much less
profitable than the use of winter and spring pas-
tuijre. They do show, however, that a short finish-
ing period in dry lot at the end of the grazing
period was more profitable than selling direct
from pasture.