Oxford Democrat., 1911-05-16
Hos Houses.

II tended Tor this department 20 hN1H "
HAMoNp, Agricultural Editor Oxford DEN
ocrat. Paris. Ne.
Hos Houses.
PROTECTION FROM THE WEATHER AM
PLENTY OF SUNSHINE IMPORTANT.
| (Fsrmers' Bulletin No. 1876, by J. A. Warren.
II is still hard for many farmers to ge
rid of the notion that anything is good
enough for hog. Yet there Is no ami
NAL on the farm which requires better
protection from cold; none for which 9
good bed is more necessary, and mono sc
much in need of sunshine as the little
pig. The horse and the COW have good
coats of hair-even q calf or colt when
left in the cold is provided with good
fur coat; the hens feathers are the best
of protection against cold, but the hog
has almost nothing between his skin and
the weather.
One of the first requisites for success
with hogs is shelter where young pigs
can be kept warm and we'll supplied
with sunshine and fresh air. A little
pig takes cold very easily and RECEIVERS
slowly if at all. To prevent taking cold
he must be kept dry, warm, away from
drafts and provided with fresh air.
On the average, the hog house Is the
poorest building on the farm and the
least adapted to the purpose for which
il was intended. Good barns may be
seen or q large proportion of the farms,
but good hog houses are generally hard
TO find. II is economy to put up first
the buildings that will help most to
make money. A large portion of the
farmers recognize this and build good
barn before putting up good house,
saying "the barn will help build the
house, but the house will never help
build the barn" The principle seems
to be lost sight of when it comes to the
hog house, yet no other building on
the farm pays for itself so quickly. I'm
published data collected by the writer
show that good hog men average about
seven pigs raised to the litter, and many
surpass this record. The same data in
dicate that the general average raised on
the farm does not exceed four pigs to.
the litter. This wide difference is very
largely due to the housing.
good are thoroughly unfit for the pur-
pose because the sun cannot shine into
the pens. Nearly every large hog house
is deficient in either sunshine or ventila-
ton, or in both.
A little pig loves sunshine and needs
it almost as much as be needs food. No
piggery is fit for the purpose unless it
admits direct sunshine on to the floor OF
every pen at the time the pigs are far
rowed, furnishes plenty Of fresh air, and
provides for exercise in the open air.
Dryness, sunshine, warmth, fresh air,
freedom from drafts, and exercise are OF
primary importance in raising pigs.
These secured, the battle is half won.
In putting up buildings the six require
ments just mentioned must be kept con-
stantly in mind; not one can be neglected.
The variety of hog houses is almost as
great as the variety OF individuals using
them. 1t is rare indeed to find even
mblance of uniformity prevailing in a
community. There are, however, only
two or three general types which COM
mend themselves to the careful hog man.
OF the two styles of large houses, the
larger has two rows OF pens, an alley
through the middle, and jog in the
roof for windows TO light the north pens,
W while the smaller has only one row Of
pens, with an alley and row OF win
dows on the south side. The double
house is much cheaper per pen, aud for
that reason is tG be preferred. Less work
is also required to care for the hogs than
where a single row of pens Is used.
A large hog house should always stand
east and west, facing the south, so that
the maximum amount of sunshine may
be had in each pen. When double
house is used, which is much the cheap
est, the outside pens on the north are
often of little use in early spring and
late fall on account of the shade and the
cold winds. This difficulty can be par
TALLY overcome by changing sows so
that those which have not farrowsd and
those with the oldest pigs, which have
least need of warm outside pens, are on
the north side.
In the majority of large hog houses
the upper windows are not so placed
that the sunshine will strike the floor
when Ii is most needed there. Indeed,
a hog house with the windows in the
proper position is rarely seen. Direct
sunshine should strike the floor in every
pen for as many hours in the day as pos
sible at the time when the pigs are far
rowed. Nearly every one realizes this is
a matter of the greatest Importance, but
too often the builder does not take the
trouble to find out whether he Is getting
it or not Ordinarily, the farmer has no
means of ascertaining where to put the
windows SO as to get the maximum
amount of sunshine at the time he wants
it, unless he happens to be building just
at that time, which 10 very unusual.
The country is dotted with hog houses
in which the owner thought he was put
ting the windows where he wanted them,
but found later they were in the wrong
place.
In double houses the windows for
lighting the south pens must be as high
up as possible in order to get them away
from the hogs.