The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-06-02
THE PIC.EATINC SOWS.
What Usually Causes This
Abominable Habit.
MANS MIsMAHAaRxExT OF HOGS

sviss Are Osasisg Aninsls, sd Mood
0r.ss ssA nay The sa.s - OtAss
Domestic Other Ysrn Hat.
ter 81 Gsssssl Interest.
A subscribes In Iowa Il In great per
turbation Of mind, says Galen Wilson in
the New York Tribune, because % many
Of his sows eat their pig 1t birth; and
then when he watches and takes them
away he has very poor "luck" in rails
ing them BY hand, ~ mine ont Of ten
die. In view Of the high price Of pigs
and prospects Of pork ruling high next
fall he would like help out Of his dilR-
culties. il possible. He fails to tell how
his sovs have been handled, on what or
how he has fed them. But this can b
readily surmised, for he ID in . corn
country and has COINED his pork BE-
fore it was grown; that 10, the sows have
been wintered probably mostly on Q corn
diet. While this 10 not always the cause
Of pig-eating. It 10 usually %. Hop,
like human beings, are Of different dis
positions. In very rare cases the pains
Of parturition frenzy the animals, and
then they are likely to fight and bite
everything near them. They would be
- likely to attack person - fowl or
their own young. One vas known to
wrench IN ear from enother hog. Such
sows arc extremely nervous. bat they
are % exceptional that there il little 70
fear on this account. Generally the
cause 10 an exclusive grain diet OF nearly
%, and this 10 usually cogn, the worst in
the list Of grains. Swine are grazing
animals, and need grass and hay the
same - other domestic animals. Who
would expect his horses, cattle and sheep
to flourish il he gave them nothing but
grain? Yet this il . consideration sell
dom taken into account in regard TO
swine. The desire Of SOW to destroy
her young ID directly chareeable to man's
Encouragement Of her. Pregnant sovs
should have continuously an easily di.
geeted but nutritious diet, not Of one
material. but Of several, - one may Be
situated to furniah-a little of any OF
the grains, grass or clover in summer.
and in winter chopped hay in . vet feed,
bran. oatmeal, middlings, beets, turnips,
carrots, apples, potatoes. Surely here
lie . sufficient list Of ordinary foods to
select from that viii keep breeding sows
in normal, healthful condition and OBJ
viate their pig-eating propensities. They
should be allowed to range for exercise,
have access to salt. ashes and coal, and
have . warm, dry bed. Where one shuts
them in pen and gives them nothing
but grain, house Stops or water, he may
expect his attempt to grow pigs will Be
Q failure. An exclusive grain diet keeps
the system in . feverish condition, and
creates constipation, Of which the of.
spring also partAke. This condition
causes the mammsry glands of the dam
to be sore and tender. and when the Of
spring Try to suckle there ID immediate
trouble in the family" and the dams
wrath is appeased only when one or more
of the young is sacrificed on the altar of
ignorant feeding. The milk OF sows
Possesses . greater proportion Of sugar
and fat than the milk of COWS. To bring
pigs up by hand the milk Of the COW
should be made a. near like that Of the
COW a. possible. This can be done by
adding sugar and faxseed Jelly to the
former. The young things must Be fed
with . teaspoon ct first, little and often.
They will learn to drink in . few days.
Frequency Of feeding can be diminished
gradually. At two weeks Of age five
times . day will Be enough, and at three
to four weeks three times . day. The
sugar may be dropped At two weeks and
middlings be added. and wheat bran
later on. Skim milk can take the place
Of entire milk at two weeks. 1t ehould
be given sweet and warm until about
four weeks, when the temperature can
be rapidly reduced TO ordinary cold milk.
Then the sweet milk can be changed to
sour If right from the skinner; but
acid milk is neither good for pigs nor
hogs. Pigs should never be fed al they
will eat. Soours will Get in il they take
more than they can digest readily.