Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-21
A Word or Two About Pigs.

Young pigs yet with the SOW should
be fed at a side trough from about two
weeks cid until weaving. Have n
trough which the SOW cannot get to.
and in this place a little skim milk ~
buttermilk for the pigs; mix with it
middlings or cornmeal. Encourage the
pigs to eat this extra feed so as to re-
lieve the SOW as much as possible from
the heavy drain which falls upon her.
Good sows will shrink in weight, de-
spite feed given young pigs at the side
trough.
Experiments at this station show
that young pigs make as good gains
when fed through the dam for a given
quantity of feed as after weaving.
when on the same feed. There is no
danger from heavy feeding with pigs.
provided always that they are given
the right kind of feed and sufficient
exercise. Let the feed consist of milk,
middlings, barley, wheat or rye. all
ground together, with some corn. Corn
may be. ground to meal or fed soaked.
Feeders must never forget that when
pigs are heavily fed they must have an
abundance Of exercise. IL il is sum
mer, let them run in a pasture of clover
or blue grass: if winter they must ba
turned out into the yard, and if very
fat must be driven about for exercise
Pigs which die of humps do so be
cause of excessive fat
Peas are an excellent feed for pigs Of
ali ages. Sow the common field va
rieties at the rate of two bushels PEI:
acre. covering them about four inches
deep. When the peas are planted SOW
three pecks of oats per acre and har
row this in. The oats will help sup
port the peas when growing. Turn
pigs into the pea field when the peas
are two-thirds grown in the pod. Pig;
will do their own harvesting. and the
pea vines and oat straw will afford
much manure to the field. Peas should
yield from Is to % bushels per acre
and the pigs will eat two to three
pounds each daily.
In pig mana cement. care should be
taken to give the pigs feed which ha :
bulk or volume. Ii will not do to feed
growing pigs and breeding stock corn
only, which is we'll enough for fatten-
ing hogs: use middlings. milk, ground
barley. swill. etc, with sour corn frr
pigs. For shotes and breeding stock
cook potatoes. beets or other roots il
an iron kettle and add some cut clover
hay to give the mixture volume. To
this mixture add some -cornmeal. mid
dlings. bran or other meals. With one
feed a day of such a mixture as this
the stomachs of shotes and breedir :,
stock are kept filed with feed withou /
getting too much nourishment. Pigs
kept on concentrated feed have q sma II
digestive tract and do not make good
breeders, nor do they fatten as Well.
Some unground oats may be fed 10
breeding stock. Scatter the cat grains
thinly over the floor or clean place oi
ground and let the sows pick up the
grains one at time. This will give
them exercise. For young pigs oats
are excellent feed, but they should be
ground and the hulls sifted out. Tho
hulls need not be wasted but fed to
COWS. Some oats and bran are always
in order for breeding stock, to give
volume to the feed as well as furnish
| them with nourishing food.
The main rules TO be followed in sue
| cessful pig management are: Give the
animals variety Of feed. not using
much corn until bone and muscle have
been formed For breeding stock use
coarse feeds. Heavy feeding may he
practiced with young pigs and witt,
| fattening animals. All pigs. except
| when fattening. should have an abun :
| dance of exercise. If this cannot be
given the feed should be materially re-
duced. w. A. HENRY.
N. Fl. Agricultural Experiment Station.
. Some farp,erc of Hapcncl, conntx- how,