The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1915-12-24
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ARE WE LOSING TIME AND
MONEY BY KEEPING OUR HOGS
MORE THAN OR 10 MONTHS?

making the most profit is the end to
look the facts square in the face and
see what we find. First, to have a
balanced ration for the pig we must
have water, protein, carbohydrates,
ether extract, mineral matter and
bulk. All of these must be in a digest
ible form and in the correct proper
ton to obtain the best results.
In all feeds we find water from
to 20 per cent and in succulent feeds,
such as clover, alfalfa and other
grasses, the water contained is as
high as IS to 80 per cent; but with
all this water the pig must still have
plenty of good fresh water to drink
and contrary to first thot needs more
water in winter than in summer be-
cause we feed more dry feeds in win
ter.
Protein goes to make bone end
muscle, carbohydrates make fat, eth
er extract blood corpuscles, and min
eral matter aids digestion. OF all the
nutrients protein is the one that the
pig cannot store away in the body
for future use-so if we feed twice
as much protein as we should we are
losing one-half of it by being thrown
out of the system thereby setting
- - footor Of xuo ta which ic dqtri-
ment to the pig as long as he lives;
not only that we lose the protein
but also lose more or less of the di-
gestible nutrients at the same time,
all of which loss increases in direct
proportion as the pig grows older.
Carbohydrates make the fat on the
pig and he can digest more Of these
and eat more than any of the digest
IDLE nutrients without setting up the
factor of waste; therefore we can
feed more carbohydrates than any of
the other nutrients.
Ether extract and mineral matter
are needed only to keep the pig
thrifty.
Bulk is made up by roughage and
serves a double purpose: first, it sat
isfies the appetite of the pig; and
second, it has a tendency to increase
his capacity so that later in life when
the pig can't eat as much as he can
digest he will have more capacity.
Naw ws yet t9 the different feeds
Our principal feed here is barley and
alfalfa. Barley is high in carbohy-
drates; alfalfa is high in protein and
also high in indigestible bulk. Now
along with carbonaceous foods alfal-
ia gives plenty Of protein but with
alfalfa the principal feed the pig is
getting too, much protein and too much
bulky waste, therefore greatly stimu-
lating the factor of waste so that at
IL to Is months of age it will take
considerable more feed to put on a
pound of live weight than as If the
pig had been given more carbonaceous
food earlier in life.
Therefore, mixture OF barley,
wheat, oats, peas, salt, ashes and al
falfa fed in the first ten months will
make Just as many pounds of pork as
the same AMOUNT Of feed fed IN eight
cen months, In other words eight
hundred pounds Of feed given to pigs
the first ten months should and will
ordinarily make 200 pound hog, and
the same amount of feed given in
eighteen months will make no larger
if as large hog.
Now If you will supplement this
amount of grain with skim milk you
can reduce your grain about one
third for the first ten months but
for longer period you will need to
increase both the quantity of milk
and grain.
mean to say this: with five hun
bred pounds of feed, alfalfa pasture
and four pounds of skim milk per day,
you can put pig on the market tat
and weighing two hundred pounds IN
eight to ten months.
This is the size pig the packer is
clamoring for. Then why keep this
pig eighteen months to get the same
results on more feed?
Then again, we do not feed our
sows enough during the nursing per-
iod. 1t takes four pounds of grain
per hundred pounds of sow to simply
maintain her, so if your SOW weighs
three hundred pounds she needs IL
pounds Of feed per day and then
little for her litter, so her ration
should be twelve to fifteen pounds
per day at five or six weeks after
narrowing
Can you make a profit on a two
hundred pound hog which has cost
you five hundred pounds of barley,
oats and peas, most Of which is bar
ley, and four pounds skim milk per
davf