The Dickinson press., 1883-07-14
Feed For Young Pigs.

From the Western Rural.
Perhaps there are no greater mistakes
made in feeding animals than is olteu
the case with pigs. Indeed, We are in
clined to think that the climax of tx
pensive absurdity is reached i'll swine
feeding. Often animals do grow and de-
velop in spite of very bad Feeding. But
our swine, we might almost say as a
rule, do not develop, and somehow we
get the idea that fat is growth. If We
do not make this mistake almost from
the beginning, we are entirely too apt
to fall into the error before the pig
great mistake, and the earlier in the life
Of the pig that we begin to make it; the
greater mistake it is. To expect IL young
pig to develop bone and muscle,
without feeding it anything that will
make bone and muscle is a great absurd
lily. Yet that would often seem to be
theory in hog raising. After its birth
the pig is either left toitake care o fitself,
the dam not even being properly fed
sometimes, or is fed upon that repre-
hensible theory that fat is growth. Men
have been known to feed all the corn
meal that the young man animal would
eat, Just us soon as it could he taught to
eat corn meal. What could naturally be
expected as the result of such IL course?
Corn meal contains %sixty-six per cent.
of starch, seven per cent. of fat, ten per
cent. of heterogeneous elements,a and scarce
ly any phosphate of lime. Now q grow
ing pig can be literally starved to death
upon such a ration, although it may be
so fat that it cannot stand upon its feet.
Indeed, its inability to stand upon its
feet would soon manifest itself, and would
be an evidence that its was
starved. Its legs would not be
strong enough to hold it. It's
bones and muscular system would have
nothing to feed upon, and must nee
essarily grow weak, at least weak in pro-
portion to its age and growth of fat.
There would all the time be a demand
for an increase of muscular and bony
strength to support the growing weight,
and no response whatever to the de-
mand.
In the artificial feeding of yonng pigs
| skim milk stands at the head Of food,
and when there is plenty Of that there
need be no serious %uneasiness about re-
suits. Cooked corn meal may be advan-
tageously added in small quantities to
| the milk-provided there is plenty of
| milk as It is the milk that will furnish
the albuminoids and mineral elements,
Indeed the proportion ofthose is SO very
large, that to produce the very best re-
suits corn meal in proportion ofsav about
II pound to a quart of milk, is very de-
sirable. This ration about equaliZes the
albuminoids and fat producing elements,
as required by the animal system. If
the farmer does not have the milk,
cooked corn meal, and oats in equal
1 =, - 4, -, 49,. .,sl &C I'll .-.,l ..:II .u.,-.
to he a good ration. Some grind oats
and peas together, and feed cooked, and
others feed six parts of peas, and four
parts of corn and one part of fIAxseed.
If your pigs do not gain as much as a
pound a day in live weight We can con-
rlude at once that the e is a radical
defect in our system of feeding. Tie
young pig should be fed liquid food, AS
that is more easily digested, and should,
after weaving be fed five or six times u
day for a considerable time, after which
the number of times can be reduced.
OF course the feeder will not under
value grass as a food for pigs. If he does
he will dispense with a very cheap
means of feeding, and injure the animal
besides. 1t will not answer to feed grow
food. Concentrated food enters the
stomach in a solid mass, and 1t requires
time for the gastric juice to mix with it
ard digest it. But if with the concern
trated food grass is fed, the mass is
loosened up and the gastric juice has a
greater surface to attack. And there is
N other very important matter to
be taken into consideration in
connection with pigs run
ing. upon grass. 1t furnishes them ex-
%ercise, and exercise the reader need no,
be told, is about as important as food.
1t is true that a pig does need a quarter
section to range over to get exercise
enough, but on the other hand, it should
not be too closely confined, and if on
pasture it will be no danger Of that. If
it has plenty Of room it is sometimes the
case that soiling is very profitable. 1t
requires less land to support a pig if the
soiling is adopted, and where there are
not many pigs it is altogether practical
and profitable.
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