Saint Mary's beacon., 1914-10-22

House, Showing Arrangement Of Out
Pens.
storms when the attendant Is away
Unless the cot is unusually well built
It is somewhat difficult to keep warm
in very cold weather than the large
house.
The variety OF Individual hog houses
Is greater, II anything. than that Of
large houses, but they are readily sep
arabic into two general eiaases--ths
A-shaped cot, and the various cots
with perpendicular sides. The A
shaped cot is quite satisfactory when
well built and provided with window
and ventilating door but generally
these are lacking. Nearly all Of the
cots with perpendicular sides have
doors In the roof or IN the aouth side
to be opened In sunny weather. II Ii
easier to care for sows in these
houses than In the A-shaped cots. All
cots should be built on skids.
The hog house floor is an unsettled
question The ground with woven
wire stretched on top TO prevent the
hogs from roofing makes a good floor.
Electrically welded corncrib wire is
very satisfactory This makes floor
which is easy on the hogs, almost
free from rats. and. II properly bedded.
i ls warm and dry. It Is. however.
more difficult TO keep free from dust
han some other floors. Many con
crete fioors are used. but they are
cold, liable to be wet, and are hard
on the hogs feet Often almost an en-.
lire pig crop and many sows are lost
by taking cold on concrete floors.
Concrete floors are. however. very sat
lsfaetory when covered with plank
overlays. or false floors. which should
be raised from the concrete about an
inch by mailing cleats on the under
side The wood portion OF this moor
consists OF two by four inch timbers
laid about one.four;h inch apart TO
allow drainage. Cork brick on con.
crete makes an ideal icor from the
standpoints Of warmth and sanitation,
5ut Is very expensive and the brick
ire sometimes eaten out by the pigs.
Board doors are expensive. short
lived, cold, II up on The ground, and
make the worst kind OF rat harbors.
IN old hog house with wood floor was
islted In which the owner said the
ats had gotten over half the pigs.
jcyeral men report that rats may be
Kept out by packing sand or cinderu 70
The top Of the joiSts before laying the
loor. but these materiaiA are often too
expensive 10 be used for this pur.
lose.
Pig rails or guard rails should be
placed on the inside. OF the pen. from
TX 70 ten inches from the floor, &C.
gording TO tho Eize Of the pow, aud
should stand out six or eight inches
70 prevent the SOW from mashing the
pigs against the wall
II viii be found convenient 70 have
the alley gates removable by lifting
out.
Six by eight feet Is generally found
70 be very satisfactory siae for pens.
but II feeding Is 10 be done inside.
lhe pen will need 10 be longer in order
10 give room 10 feed and water with.
cut getting the bed befouled, Very
large sows, such as are sometimes
kept for breeders, may need more
room, but the producer OF pork viii
not need larger PEN Small Eows do
not need this much room. and II might
be good economy 10 make half OF the
pens Ave feet wide. Five by eight
feet VIII accommodate a small SOW
very we'll
In most cases, either wntiIatlon is
lacking or the house IL drafty. In
a well.yentilated double-waIled build.
ing, little moisture win gather on the
walls even IN cold weather. while IN
poorly ventilated one thick coats
Of frost WIN often gather, and the
whole house will be damp when the
frost melts. II is not easy 20 40
cure good supply Of fresh air and
prevent all drafts from striking the
pigs. There are, however, several
quite satisfactory methods Of yentila-
tion In use. The commonest one IL
to make some Of the windows no they
win either slide or swing on hinges.
Whitewashing the inside OF the
house Is an excellent practice. BE.
sides going long way toward disin-
fecting, Il increases tho light mate.
rally. When the sunshine strikes
whitewashed wall, much Of II is re-
hected to the floor and does a great
deal Of good Dark houses which must
be used viii be much improved by
whitewashing.