Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1893-10-28
NO. 9.
FEEDING WHEAT TO STOCK.
Expert Opinions on Methods of Feeding ]
to Hogs and sheen.

Expert Opinions on Methods of Feeding II
to Hogs and sheep.
Professor Henry writes i'll Tho Breed
er's Gazette:
Reports i'll the Gaily papers state that
Ohio farmers are feeding wheat and
making 20 pounds Of pork from {, tushel
that is. three pounds of feed make a
pound OF gain. live weight. While such
gains may be had for Il week or two tae
feeder must not expect more than
pound with lean s.loats from about four
POUNDS of wheat. or say Is pounds cf
pork from a b.shel of wheat when fed
to ssoats that have been running Oh pas.
ture and are not too fat nor the fatten.
ing period too long continued. for the
last few weeks Of the fatteniny period
show a very marked increase in the
amount cf feed for pound Of Ior!S.
Allowing Is pounds of pork for
bushol Of wheat it will he seen that at
present prices farmers can we'll afford to
feed even merch;ltable wheat. This
true, there is evidently mere profit still in
feeding wheat that is rejected because of
some slight fault which Injuries its -four
ing valUe.
Eut | should not feed the wheat by it.
SELF. 1t will pay much better to dilute
Il with soaked corn or cornmeal and a
little shorts. Wheat -four in itself makes
% p"sty mass in the mouth Of the ami
NAL, which can be remedied by usin.
cornnleal and shorts or even little
hr.,, ,rte
corn and one part shorts by weight. will
prove the very best feed for young pigs
and shoats. For fattening hogs. use half
cor,llneal and half wheat The wheat
may be ground into a coarse meal and
Will then not be so sticky. This feed
given to thrifty saoats that have grown
good frame on pasture, with II large,
healthy, digestive tract, should give
splendid hogs, carrying the best Of pork.
Doubtless just at this time there are u
good many farmers who are waiting for
the corn crop to ripar i'll order to fatten
their hogs. Some of these same farmers
may have wheat in bins which is not of
the best quality, waiting for a rise in
the market. Personally l believe wheat
will so higher. but will it not pay to feed
poor and in some cases even good wheat
to hogs i'll crde, to hurry them off, save
time, feed and get ready money which
is quite an object just now with many?
It may seem Il little strange to feed
wheat to hogs, bat there has been more
wheat offered tie last few years than
the markets of the world would buy,
and why take second thought on that
| side SO long as there is more money in
feeding than in selling?
Where a farmer has Il little wheat that
lie does not care to sell and does not
wish to take it to tie mill for grinding
it can be boiled in a large kettle. and a
little of this boiled wheat given to shoats
OR young pigs will pay double, believe,
what the miller will give for the wheat,
in the way of helping the animals on in
growth or flesh.
A correspondent Of tho St. Louis Re
p'7blic says OF feeding wheat to hogs and
sheep:
Wheat is very low in price now, and
there is no question but that in many
cases it can lie fed with good results.
This is especially the case when feeding
hogs CT sheep to fattcn. Under present
conditions q higher price can be realized
by feeding the Wheat to vigorous, thrifty
hogs or sheep aud then selling in tE;s
way than by selling the grains.
With hogs it can lee fed to better adj
vantage if it is soaked long enough to
soften the grains thoroughly. The OBJ
lection to feeding it without soaking is
that it is naturally a hard grain, and
being small mere or less Of it will be
swallowed without being properly mas
t;cated, and the consequence is that
more or less CT it will not be digested,
and OF course this is Il waste.
Wheat, before it is fed to hogs, should
be soaked ct least 10 or 12 hours and "a
would not be too much. Use two bar
1cls. and IS fast as one is fed out fill it
up and put to soak while the other is be-
ing fed.
In putting to soak use plenty of wa
ter. The grain s"ells very much, and
plenty Cf water is needed to soften it
thoroughly. 1t is best to begin feeding
with light ration and gradually in
crease until they arc given all that they
| VIII eau up Cledli s.L each meal Win
all kinds of stock it is comparatively
easy to overfeed 1T the start. and it will
require some time entirely to recover
from the effect. The better plan is to
bring them to full feed gradually, and
then, once on full rations, to crowd as
much as possible. With sheep there is
no special advantage in soaking the
wheat. It is better, however, to feed i'll
shallow troughs.
Another good way of feeding wheat to
hogs is to grind it coarse and then make
it into slop with milk if it can be had,
or with water if milk cannot be secured.
Fattening hogs can be given all that
they will eat CT this, ana if thrifty and
given comfortable quarters and plenty
of pure water will fatten very rapidly.