The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1895-07-25
Six Months Of Pig Life.

III OSS MOluS8 laSI week, WIN. hOOeftS
spoke on feeding and managing pigs
up to six months old. A part of his re-
marks were as follows:
II the topic would allow Of it I would
like to take run and 90 before jump.
Say about two weeks before the pigs see
daylight. l do not know but that to
get at the subject just right, one would
need to go back good ways and come
up to the topic. I will only take up your
time for brief period. For two weeks
before narrowing 1 feed as near the
kind of food as possible 1 intend to
feed afterward. I have we'll arranged,
roomy breeding pens with good tenders
IN which put the SOW a few days before
narrowing time. When the time is up
for her to travail l am on hand, but
to tell you just what to do l will not at
tempt, for my doings are various, to suit
the case. One may need no attention.;
another may need all the skill OF
breeder. l put water in clean trough
few hours after the SOW has farrowed;
that Is all the first day. The next day
all the food give her is handful OF
shorts in water and increase from day
to day until she has had shorts five
days. l then take mother and pigs to
one-eighth acre lot of grass in which
there is a nice house, SKI feet, dirt
floor. Now is a critical time, and no
iron-clad rule will do; of a dozen sows,
no two are exactly alike, hence the
necessity of having them in lots to
themselves. One may have voraclous
appetite and will need holding in, or
you will soon have a patient on your
hands with dyspepsia. Another may
have but little appetite, generally occa-
stoned by fever in bag. She will need
close attention. battle the belly with
cold water, and have bottle OF flax
seed oil with little carbolic acid in 1t,
and with turkey feather put this over
her teats. The washing with water
cleans off all dirt and allays fever; the
oil and acid preserves the pigs from sore
mouths. / try to coax up an appetite
sometimes with little scraps of meat,
milk, mush, etc. / now, if they have
good appetites, increase the feed, clear.
fresh water. shorts and little oil meal
mixed, as feed, and give all they Will
eat up clean. At this time l commence
on one-half ear of dry corn, increase
from day to day until on full feed. l
keep on in this way. At about three
weeks old the pigs will begin to come
up to the trough. 1t is fixed low so that
they can eat all they will. Then soak
oats and corn and put it in shut-on
corner. Stand and look at them eat,
and grow, and feel happy. At five weeks
of age l open the doors of each pen or
lot, and have the sows from six to eight
come up to common feeding place. OF
course the pigs come too. Toll the pigs
into clean-hoored house and feed slop
as heretofore, and soaked oats and corn,
all they will clean up-alwayS sweet.
At eight or nine weeks of age turn the
sows in back pasture and leave the pigs
in their pasture and keep right on CIV
ing same feed and care. When fair time
comes we select what We want to ex-
hibit. After the roundup Of the fairs,
we separate the sexes, caStrate what
males appear to be below the standard,
put them with such of the sow pigs as
we do not want to retain either in our
own herd or to ship for breeders, push
them as fast as possible and try to have
them in Chicago before the first of Feb
ruary, at from 200 to $50 pounds. After
selecting what want to retain, try to
have the rest in other hands by the time
they are six months old.
This year have had the personal care
and oversight of over $50 pigs. There
has not been a single case Of scours. but
one case of thumps and only three
or four with sore mouths. There is not
an unhealthy looking pig in the bunch.
They are in five groups and kept sep
arate. If could so arrange it l would
prefer still smaller groups. l would
give you all personal invitation to
come and see nv pig town
A most interesting discussion fol-
lowed. led by Mr.. w. z. Swallow of
Bonneville, who was made the target
for a long array of questions bearing
on the subject. His plan was to keep
each SOW and litter separate from the
others in a grass lot of not less than
one-half acre until six or eight weeks
of age. so they could not acquire the
habit of robbing Later a dozen in a
lot will bring better results. Feed reg
ularly. three times a day, milk and
shorts. The milk should be sweet, as
sour milk fed to SOW or pigs is apt to
scour, Red shorts are better than
vnite. Feed no soaked corn, prefer
ring. il corn is fed, to feed it dry, and
in small quantities after the other feed.
Seldom feed oil meal. Feed we'll and
give plenty OF exercise. but do not
overfeed. Keep salt and ashes always
where the pigs can get them. Bed with
clean sand on ground floor. Yearlings
can be made to shed by washing daily
with warm water. Best breeding sOws
are those bred twice year regularly.
He also advocated the feeding of wheat
because of its Strengthening influences
on bone and muscle.
Mr.. F. A. Shafer, of Campbell, feeds !
ground corn. oats, wheat, rye, and /
everything a pig will eat, but no shorts. |
Thinks bad influence follows advocat- |
ing the feeding of shorts and Stops. He
feeds corn because it is cheap and the /
best pork producer known. Considers /
bone a result of breeding rather than |
feeding.
Source of Mongrels.-A writer asks, |
"Since so many breeds are being intro !
duced, is it not likely that the common |
fowl will soon become extinct?" We /
do not see how. 1t is common prac-
tice by people who start with thorough