Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-04-01
Saving and Raising Young Pigs.

As this is about the season of the
year when all good farmers and stock.
men are called upon to exercise their
greatest skill and attention in the
way of saving and raising their annual
crop of spring pigs, upon which SO
often depends one half Of their bank
account next fall, will give little
of my experience on this subject,
which may not be of much benefit to
you, but which has cost me- good
many pigs and good many more
dollars than pigs.
To begin with, give hogs, old OF
young, plenty of exercise. This for
health alone should never be left out.
1t is cheap medicine at all seasons OF |
the year.
Never contne brood sow to her
pen until she is ready to farrow. A
week or two before narrowing learn
her to go to Ler pen at night to sleep,
but always allow her to go out in the
day time, if she is not tame you can
do much to make her so at this time,
by little patience and Kindness, but
remember this is the only method of
DEMONSTRATING hog. A wild SOW is
seldom of any use as a breeder. When
the pigs arrive often the greatest
mistake Of all is made, by overlooking
the dam. The first twenty four hours
she should have nothing but pure
water. For the next three or four
days, feed twice day three or -four
quarts of thin swill made of bran and
shorts, after this time increase this
Swiil very slowly for two or thret
weeks and feed a few ears Of corn each
day. When pigs are three or four
weeks old the dam should have all she
will eat up clean and if she is losing
too much flesh, feed considerable corn.
When pigs come early, say in March
and April, there are two bad conditions
to contend with; namely, thumps and
SCOUTS. The latter is apt to show up
any time in the first month or two of
the young pigs life and is caused from
several reasons some of the most
prominent being wet bedding, lack OF
sunshine and feeding the dam too
heavy or by feeding her sour swill. l
can generally stop scours in a day or
two by Stacking up pretty well on the
Swill aud feeding more hard corn and
by keeping the pen extra clean and
bedding strictly dry. Remember II
you don It cure them in few days 1t
will not make much difference after
that if they are never cured.
Thumps always begin to show up
when the pigs look best, at week o.
two old. "a thin pig never has thumps
as the trouble comes from being TIC
fat. The first warning of thumps ii
when the little fellows look as fine al
silk, fat enough to butcher. They
will then begin to pant as If suffer
ing from heat, but you feel of then
and they are cold. The excessive IA
around the heart soon prevents II
from performing its natural duty anc
4 in few days your pig has lost hi
fine glossy coat as we'll as his big IA
neck and shoulders. Ii you neve
knew what thnmpS were you know
now. The best and cheapest curt
then is to hit him with club ant
put him out of pain, as he has only
few days to live anyway. Now there
can be considerable done to prevent
thumps even if weather is cold: first
if the dam is a free mixer, iced hel
very light until the weather Is mt
enough to turn her and her litter GU
short time every day or two. II i
is too cold for this turn out the SOY
an hour each half day and If the littl
ones don't fret and exercise to nm
her take whip and compel them to
Some people place pigs In bare
where they will fret and exercise t
get out; but remember, all these pain
can be avoided if the weather permit
them to be out short time every da
or two. When your pigs are montl
old you have most of your trials over
IL you have done all things righu S
far. Now you can commence to fee
them little shorts and sweet Skin
milk and soaks d shelled corn, jus
what they eat up real clean each time
They can soon get along without mil
il it is scarce. Then ground oats
corn and shorts, equal parts D
measure, is good in their swill with
little soaked Shelled corn. let IN
sows wean their own pigs and dom
expect any loss of growth at Wean1n
time IL fed in this way. l like oat
and rape for pasture with enoug
grain to keep up good growth but no
much fat until at least six month
Il old, by this time they will have
savage appetite for corn and you ca
give them plenty If they are to b
used for pork purposes and you wi
soon have a bunch of beauties pei
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