Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-03-02

Watering HOGS
In the hygienic management Of the
horse it has been found that the best
results from feeding follow where the
animal is only allowed to drink prior
to meal. This is a subject that SO
far as we are aware has not been suf-
ficiently considered as regards the
management of hogs. The stomach OF
the pig is somewhat similar to that OF
the horse, SO that it requires COM
paratively small amounts of food al
frequent intervals. Its capacity is but
from one-and one-half to two gallons
and, like that of the horse. digestion
Of grain goes on therein rather than
in the intestines, which in the pig ars
about 72 feet long, counting large and
small intestines together. It stands
to reason that when the stomach con-
tains that amount of food which it can
properly care for as regards digestion,
it also contains the average supply OF
gastric juice necessary for the perfect
digestion of the food SO far as it is
carried out in the stomach. If at this
time of repletion, when digestion IL
going on, the hog is allowed to drinh
all 1t cares to of water. We must cons
clude that loss is entailed by this act
The water taken into the stomach does
not all stay there, even when the stom-
ach is empty. A large portion OF II
passes into the large intestines, so that
water taken just after a hearty meal
must of necessity wash part of the un-
digested food into the intestines, and
here it cannot possibly be as fully d.
gested as it would have been in the
stomach proper. We conclude, there
fore, that there is loss from feedina
corn meal and at the same time allow
ing the hogs to drink all the water
they care to take. If this idea is cor
rect, then the proper way to feed
would be to give the hogs all the water
they want before feeding and keep tbs
water away from them after and him
der them from drinking water until
the meal is digested. 1t is fact that
hogs require much less water when
fattening upon corn meal than they do
when living upon other meals, such
as rye or barley meal. If they require
one part of water when eating corr
meal they require one and three-quar-
ters parts Of water when eating barley
| meal. Although this is the case, there
is no evidence to show that the water
| is required during the meal, but every
reason to show that it should be given
before the meal so that it will moi
| wash out the contents of the stomach
| and remove undigesed food to the
| bowels. 1t would also seem likely
| that undue dilUtion of the gastric
| juices by water taken during a meal
would tend to reduce the power they
| have in the digestion of food, and
| this would be an added argument
! against allowing hogs drinking water
| while feeding upon corn meal or other
| dry rations. When it is remembered
that the fattening period is a short
one-the shorter the better-the feeder
| should do all in his power to have
the hogs assimilate the largest possi-
BILE proportion of the food nutrients
| of the meals consumed. The greatest
gain from amount of food consumed Ia
made during the first four or five
weeks of the fattening period ana the
| greater the gain made during this
| period the better, for the reason that
/ after that period additional gain can
only be made by the feeding of a larger
amount of food per hundred pounds
| of gain and the amount of food con-
sumed for each pound of gain increases
fast the longer the pigs are fed Our
argument is, then, that during the
first period of feeding upon corn meal
more than at any other time. the hoga
| should not be allowed to drink water
after or during the feeding time, as
it will tend to waste food, lessen the
amount of food nutrients assimilated,
and so lessen the amount of gain made
per hundred pounds of food consumed.
| 1t should be understood that this
would apply equally to other foods
than corn when fattening pigs. We
| hope that readers of the Farmers Re-
view will put this idea into practice
and if possible test the truth of the
| theory by applying it to two lots of
| hogs and weighing them at the end OF
| given periods of feeding