Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-03-12
How to Have Good Pigs.

thorough care and kind treatment
are the requisites to observe If one
wishes to become successful hog rails
or, and in order to keep these in mind
without fail he must have liking for
the business. Neither will 1t do In
starting ont to think that any kind Of
SOW 10 good enough to begin with.
What the farmer wants today is not
the razorback or bsckwoods hog, but
an animal that will produce the great
est number Of pounds Of the best pork
at the least cost pound. He should
therefore select his sows with care, and
and choose only such ss are best suited
to his wants. He should certainly see
that they are in good, strong, healthy
condition at breeding time-not too fat,
but on the other hand, not too thin in
flesh, since to stsrve brood sows means,
positively, starvation to ones pocket
book.
The male, of course, should be pure
bred, and 1t is better to have the sows
bred SO ss to farrow in March and April
for spring litters, and in September and
October for fall litters. March litters,
1 think, are preferable for the spring
ones, but in order to have them sue
cess the fsrrowing pen must be good
and warm. With early spring litters
one can grow and sell his pigs before
the poultry market has full sway, and 1t
also enables him to have his sows far
row earlier in the fall, which, in turn.
gives the pigs chance to get good
start before winter sets in.
During the period Of CESSATION with
sows they should be fed, not corn ex-
clusively, but some bone and muscle
forming food. They should have plen-
ty of range, too, that they may take q
proper amount of exercise. Potatoes
boiled and mashed, naked with ground
oats and corn, and a small portion Of
bran added, make good feed for brood
sows during this period. As potatoes
are too high priced to be fed very muct
to hogs this winter, however, one may
substitute, II he has them. clover heads
that have been rubbed off in the feeding
Of the barn stock. They should be gath
cred, and having been boiled with oats, {
small portion of bran added to them
If little whole corn is fed, this con
stitutes whole ration, indeed.
1t is desirable to have the sows at far
rowing time not helplessly porky fat
but broad, strong, active aRd muscular
About week before the little one
are to appear, place the SOW that is t
fsrrow by herself and provide every
thing for her comfort and the welfar
of her expected offspring.
i After farrowing feed the SOW light
at first with slop of dishwater and
handful or two of bran added, warmin
it If the weather is cold. Increase an
enrich the feed gradually, and when th
little porkers are seven or eight days ol
, add some bran shorts and middling
! sweet milk, If Is obtainable, should ais
) be fed, and with 1t, sparingly, some oa
3 and corn.
When the pigs are two weeks old tt
4 SOW may be put on full feed, provide
8 the former are watched carefully to 81
+ they take sufficient exercise. At abo,
: three weeks old they will begin to ca
and should the SOW knock them out
9 the trough, as she may, the way to do
t to place trough for them where tht
!, will be out of her reach. Sweet mi
Il should be given them, if possible, whi
Q after little brown shorts ground os
= and corn may be mixed in.
y" After they are about five weeks o
9 nearly all danger in this line will
passed, and better feeding can then tai
n place. When they are from seven
It eight weeks old they should be wean
l. BY taking thes SOW away; they will n
o fret much at this age, and by caref
. feeding one can soon have them aga
y growing nicely. Frederick o. Siblt
Milford, N, Y.