Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-13

| junction with the corn ration. For sew
| eral years the Iowa experiment station
| has been working on this problem. Inc
| results Of these experiments are very
valuable to the corn belt farmers. Three
! different classes and ages Of hogs We're
+ used. Young shoats weighing around
| 1873 pounds, young sows weighing Zlo
pounds and 2-year-old sows weighing
| $50 pounds each.
Shoats weighing 1873 pounds and fed
! 100 days made the following averages:
Average Feed for
Ration daily gain. 100 lbs gain
Corn alone ... .661 lbs 672 lbs
Corn and 40 tankage 1862 lbs 52s lbs
! Corn and go tankage 1861 lbs 476 lbs
! Corn and so tankage 1870 lbs Alb lbs
Corn and 1929 tankage 1928 lbs 51S lbs
Fattening of sows after weaving lit
! ters-
| Young sows of 21O lbs. for 70 days:
Ration daily gain. 100 lbs gain
Corn alone LAOS lbs 470 lbs
Corn and 7Te tankage 1912 lbs 419 lbs
Old sows of $50 lbs. for IS days:
Ration d aISf ssin. 100 i lbs gain aEn
Corn alone .......... 1910 lbs $50 IDS
Corn and 10 tankage 2.190 lbs AT lbs
1t will be noticed that in every in
stance where corn alone was fed that
the daily gains were lighter and that
the number Of pounds of feed required
to produce 100 pounds Of gain was
greater than in any Of the ratlons
where tankage was fed in conjunction
with the corn ration. (Meat meal gives
equally as good results as does tankage
to balance the corn ration for fattenlng
hogs).
With the younger animals weighing
around 1873 pounds each, ration COM
nP o,,I rot
produced an increase Of 107 per cent in
the rate Of daily gain and required 70
per cent less feed to produce 100 pounds
of gain than in the ration where corn
alone was fed. At first thought it would
seem almost unbelievable that there
could be such marked difference IN
the results Of two rations fed to hogs
Of the same age, weight and breeding
at the same season Of the year The
first ration was composed solely OF
corn. while the second ration had 80
per cent corn and s per cent tankage,
q supplemental feed containing about
80 per cent digestible protein. The rea-
son for the marked difference In the
rate of gain and amount Of feed per
100 pounds Of grain lies in the fact that
corn Is lacking in protein and ash mat
ter. two very necessary constituents IN
the growth and development Of the
young hog. To insure satisfactory gains
the needs Of the animal must be sup
piled. 1t will be noticed in studying the
above tables that when less than per
cent Of tankage was added to the corn
ration the results were not so good,
nor were they when more than per
cent Of the tankage was used. Tankage
is an expensive feed, costing about two
and a half times as much as corn on
an average year, and a little more than
twice as much this year, thus no more
Of it should be fed than is necessary
to properly balance the ration.
1t will be noted that in the case Of
the ! year old sows, weighing around
30 pounds each (these sows were thin
in flesh. having just raised a litter of
cent tankage to the corn ration caused
them to make heavier daily gains. and
it also reduced the number Of pounds
of feed required to produce 100 pounds
Of gain. The rate of the daily gain
was increased over Sc per cent, while
the amount Of feed required to pro-
duce 100 pounds Of gain was reduced
on the market weighing $50 pounds
each would require about 100 days
feeding on the corn ration and but 73
days on a ration composed of corn SO
per cent and tankage per cent. This
is a point worth keeping In mind.
Think of the labor saved, interest saved
and the saving in risk due to q day
shorter fattening period.
Where the thin 2 year old sows,
weighing around $50 pounds each, were
fed, there was very noticeable diff
ference in the results obtained in the
two rations fed. The addition of Il
per cent tankage to the corn ration
increased the daily gains and reduced
the amount of feed required to pro-
duce 100 pounds Of gain. The heavier
and more nearly mature the hog the
This is due to the fact that bone and
growth producing material are not SO
necessary in the older animals. In
other words, a sole corn ration is much
better adapted to the needs Of the
heavy hog than in the case Of the
young and growing animal.
Experiments at the Iowa experiment
station, in connection with the fatten-
ing of thin brood sows for market. have
shown that 1t IS much more satisfactory
to finish such animals in the dry lots
on corn and tankage, or meat meal,
than to use forage crops. While the
young and growing pigs make excellent |
use Of forage crops, the older animals |,
appear to thrive better and make
heavier and more satisfactory daily
gains when finished in the dry lot.
bout all tney neeu is plenty VI pdldl- |
able feed, pure drinking water and but
very little room for exercise. !
In summary the benefits to be de- |
rived from feeding a supplement with
corn for fattening hogs In the dry lot
are:
l. Gains are more rapid
9 Feeding period shortened.
9. Pork produced more cheaply /
a. Less risk, interest and labor
Chica go Farmers and Drovers Journal. !