Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-03-02

sow should be given nothing but a
bran mash with little oilmea added
This will cool her system and reduce
the likelihood of her eating or killing
her pigs.
With old sows little attention will be
needed at narrowing time, though it
always pays to be on hand to see that
everything is going we'll If the wealth
er is cold the pigs should be dried and
warmed as soon as DO. H. A good way
to do this is to have basketful of
straw. with jug of hot water in
the middle. If the pigs are put on the
straw and the basket covered with a
sack they will soon be warm. lively
and ready for their first meal. If the
SOW is in an individual house. hanging
lantern in the peak will help to keep
up the temperature. In extremely cold
weather pens inside a large hog house
should be covered with boards or blan-
kets. The house should be provided
with a stove if many early pigs-are
expected.
Do not make the mistake of feeding
the SOW right away after narrowing.
For the first day or two she is better
off without anything but water. At
the end of this time a few dry oats
may be given The feed should be in
creased gradually. using the same ra-
ton as was given before narrowing.
The appearance of the pigs will be the
tn 1n = a
be given the SOW. If they begin TO
scour give the SOW tablespoonful of
blood meal with her next feed or half
dozen eggs. If the pigs are consti-
pated add a little Oilmeal to the sOwS
ration or give her more sloppy food.
The pigs should be given considera-
BILE exercise OF they are liable to get
too fat, get the thumps and die. There
should be a place where they can get
outdoors every pleasant day Sun
shine is as essential to a little pig as
it :, to a corn plant
Feeding the Pigs.
The cost of gains on pigs is so per
cent lower while they are nursing than
it is afterward. AS soon as they are
we'll started they should be pushed as
rapidly as possible. The sow should
be given all the feed she can USE
Sloppy feed, increases the milk flow
and should be given in liberal amounts.
The same may be said of skimmilk.
The following rations will serve as a
guide for feedtng.sows at this time:
Corn. one-sixth; skimmilk. five-sixths.
Corn. one-third; oats. one-third; mid
dlings. one-third.
Corn, eightninths; tankage, one
ninth.
Corn. fve-eighths; oats. one-quarter,
gluten feed, one-eighth.
1t will not be long until the pigs are
able to eat a little for themselves.
They should be encouraged by giving
them feed in a pen by themselves.
where the older hogs cannot get to it.
In few days the pigs will get to eat
ing regularly. For the first three
months it will pay to feed them three
times day. A pigs stomach is small,
and it cannot eat enough in the morn
ing to last until night.
Pasture and forage crops are essen
tial for cheap and rapid gains in
young pigs. They are also much
healthier than when kept in a small
pen with no green feed. At the Wis
consin experiment station it was found
that from 500 to 1000 pounds of pork
could be produced from an acre of
rape. Tests at the Iowa experiment
station show that nearly 300 pounds of
pork can be produced from an acre of
timothy. In both these experiments
grain was fed in addition. but the
gains given are those produced by the
green feed alone.
The best results are obtained when
grain is fed on pasture. The amount
to feed will depend largely upon the
relative prices of grain and pork. A
light ration of grain produces cheaper
gains. as the pigs will eat more grass.
The gains produced in this way are
not so rapid as where more grain is
fed. When grain is not too high and
pork a good price it pays to feed a