The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-07-17
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE PIG PEN.
How to Treat the Ailments Incident to Lit
tie Pig Life.

How to Treat the Ailments Incident to Lit
tie Pig Life.
Scours is generally one of the worst
ailments among pigs, especially L.
damp weather. An ounce of preven-
ton is worth pound of cure in such
cases. Keep the SOW in a dry place,
and do not allow her or her pigs to go
in the wet grass in the morning, as it
viii give the pigs the scours every
time. Should you be so unfortunate
as TO get the scours among your pigs,
do not let them run together. Keep
those that have the scours from the
pigs that are WELL
Feed the sow dry feed-parched corn
or oats, and give the pigs scalded sweet
milk as warm as they can drink it. If
the pigs are very small, and weather
warm, feed. sow sulphur-dose, good
tablespoonful twice day, given in the
feed. In very bad eases double the
dose. have used copperas with
sows when pigs had scours, Civ
ing teaspoonful each morning for
three or four days, in little bran
mash. Either of the. above remedies
have been sufficient TO check the scours
for my pigs. When this win not check,
1 have used in connection with the
above the follow ing: Laudanum, two
and onc-half drachms; sub-nitrate of bis
muth, two drach ms; spiritsof lavender
compound, one-half ounce; strip tolu,
one ounce; simple sirup to make three
ounces. Dose, one teaspoonful every
two or three hours until bowels check.
This is given TO pigs from two to six
weeks old. Another ailment, which is
not so serious, is sore tails The cause
OF this is damp and dirty quarters.
Keep clean straw in pen for bedding,
and 1T is not apt to appear. The best
remedy is to anoint the tail with vase
line and put clean wheat or rye straw
IN Tor bedding. Dat straw or hay is
not tit To use for bedding, especially
for little pigs.
Thumps is another trouble among
pigs, and more especially among early
narrowed litters. don't know of any
remedy for thumps except prevention.
II You are raising early, do not feed
the SOW too heavily; give rather lax
alive food; keep SOW rather thin; give
her plenty of room to exercise; see
that the pigs do not lie in the nest too
much, but make them scurry around
quite frequently Should you see they
are too fat around the neck and shout
ders, notice if their bowels move free
ly, and if not, give some laxative feed,
and if this does not have the desired
effect, give each of them teaspoonful
of castor oil twice day. Five or six
times a day is not too often to make
them take exercise. No danger of
thumps when they are made to run
around. Do not, however, allow them
to run in snow or wet
Sore mouth is another serious thing
y breeder has to contend with. If it is
just the common sore mouth, which is
caused by pigs biting each other, it is
no great trouble to get rid of. i take
small pair of pinchers and break off
those eight sharp teeth, and use car
bolated vaseiine on the affected parts.
But fyou get canlzer sore mouth, it is
another thing. Keep those affected
with the disease separate from the
well ones, for if you have number of
cases you have your hands full with
out any new ones. If the greatest pre-
cautions are not exercised it spreads
rapidly throughout the whole lot of
snckling pigs.
Ii canlSer sore mouth, the pigs have
swollen lips. Take the small blade of
knife and cut out all the cankef
growth. This is hard white or yellow
substance, which, if not attended to in
time, becomes very large and quite
dangerous. After all the canlser has
been cut away, dust the sore with pow
dcred blue vitriol or verdigris, which
is some stronger. These substances
are both poisonous, and care should be
taken when used where children are.
Examine pig at least once day, and
twice day is better, for this canlxer
grows very fast. Often you can dig
out piece as large as grain of corn
and by night the growth will be as
large as ever. Take your time to do
this, and if you want to save your pigs,
don't slight it. If you go at it right
you will soon have them over it, but if
careless, you are apt to lose your pigs.
-George Beschel in American SWINE