The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-04-04
FARMER AND PLANTER.
A CHAPTER ON SWINE.

and Condition Before and AFTER Weans
ing
BROTHER SWINE BREEDERS / am
called upon to tell you how | keep my
pigs thriving before and after weaving.
In discharge Of my duty ! VIII pre-
kent to you for your consideration
part of my experience In raising pigs.
II there should be a single thought
suggested whereby. anyone might be
benefited, shall be simply repaid for
my trouble. lido not expect to tell you
of any new theory, or make known
any great discovery. confess that /
know but very little that did not
learn from some one else, and gener-
ally when learned something By ex-
perience, found out shortly that some
one else knew the same thing and
more. But we can renew our minds
with things that bate been fepfatsd IN
word and practiced time and again,
with benefit to some.
In the first place would say that
would want to begin very early with
the pigs, If should expect excellence.
Even before the cross is made that is
to bring about its existence. We want
the sire and dam from some of the sub
stantial families, of good form and
well developed and in good thriving
condition ut time of coupling. New II
The TINS 20 feed the expected litter.
Give the SOW plenty of good, clean
range. Induce her to take as much ex-
ercise rs possible. Be careful and not
feed her too much coin because it is
handy. Use more bran, shorts, oats
and roots. Have her in good condition
at narrowing time, but not over fat.
We can reasonably expect an even
strong litter, one whirh aiy person
will rel like looking after. A pig well
born is half raised.
The first two weeks of the pigs life
] consider the most critical, or at least
it was always hard for me to get over
Most. people are irelifed to wait 70
iced TOO much at this time. Better go
little slow on the feed and pay
moro ftAention to bed and bedding.
Keep the bed dry and clean. Get the
little fellows out in the sun the first
day if 1t Is possible TO dc So Get them
70 exercise, There is nd medicine as
good as plenty If exercise and sun
shine for pig, boy or any other grow
ing thing. Come up gradually on the
feed, and at the end of two weeks have
the SOW on full feed. At about two
weeks old we begin to tempt the pigs
with something good, such as new milk
ar shorts. II does not tsBe them long
70 lsarn 10 eat. If you get one started
the balance soon catch on. | think
the best thing I have tried to feed
pigs is shorts and milk, though
we don't always have milk enough
W GO around. Sd we supply the lack
with wafer End l,itcteri slor iiiage .
Thick slop and feed sweet. Have a
place away from the sow to feed the
pigs. Feed nearly all they will clean
up. As rule we only feed twice a
day. BY all means give them the run
of grass lot. / like bluegrass best
in the forepart of the season. while II
Is young and fresh, in The after part
clover. We let the pigs run with the
sow as much as eight weeks, and if we
only want TO raise the one litter in the
year, we leave them together as long
ia tho SOW will let them suck, which Is
usually about twelve weeks.
One week before weaving time we
begin to increase the feed for the pigs
and feed the SOW less. At time of sep
Hratien ws take the sow away from the
pigs and leave the pigs at home in the
quarters they are used to. Take the
sow clear out Of hearing: Then if thers
Is any fretting 1t viii be done by tho
sow, which will be benefit to her or
causing Der to dry up rapidly and in
good shape. At this time | feed the
pigs literally with shorts ard mill
three times day for awhile. In about
two weeks we drop back to two feed:
a day. BY this treatment W,
never notice any check in growth
AT weaving time. From this time
ON we continua the former feed ant
add bran, ground oat, some time
ground barley or rye and apples o.
mostanything have that pig likes
Do feed corn? Yes / most always
have crib with some corn in it and
use 1t at all seasons of the year when J
think it advisable, But it Is no Use t,
tell anyone to feed corn to hog
Nearly all of us feed too much or IL u
pigs intended for breeders. Many use
full prospect has been ruined asa breed
or by feeding too much corn. We keel
on hand all the time and use at all sea
sons plenty of wood ashes, charcoal
lime and salt. BY all means study you
business and attend to it every day
/ recognized the fact that in this
as everything else in life, if one woul'
excel, or even succeed, it must be a
the cost of eternal vigilance. Don
expect in the last few weeks to max
amends for a whole season OF neglect
The paper brought out some discus
sion, mainly on the question of tn
number Of feeds a day, two or three
At the close of the discussion the stu
alton remained unchanged. Man
breeders, all successful, were repre-
scented on both sides, and the genera