The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1921-09-07
FALL PIGS ARE PROFITABLE
IF WELL FED and CARED FOR

!
Feed Sow Sparingly at First, but
! Bring to Full Feed in Ten Days
Exercise--GOod Pasture is ImpOr-
tant.
, Two lltters of pigs 4 year from one
sow is usually practicable, and adds
materially to the success of the farm
project, the United States Department
of Agriculture has demonstrated.
Spring pigs should be farrowed early
! in March in order to finish for market
in the carly winter. Fall pigs usually
are timed to arrive in September,
which gives them a chance to get we'll
started before cold weather arrives.
After farrowing and before placing
the pigs with the sow to nurse, cut out
the eight small tuskike teeth at the
! sides of the mouth. These are very
sharp and might tear the sow's I'D
! der or cause pigs to hurt each other
at nursing time. They can be broken
with bone forceps, wire nippers, or a
knife, but should never be pulled out.
Give Sow Water but no Food
AS rule the SOW should not be fed
: Tor the first "a hours after narrowing
! but should be given a liberal drink of
water. If the weather is cold the wat
er should BE- slightly warmed. A thin
slop of bran and middlings may be
given if she shows actual signs of
hunger The feeding for the first
three or four days should be light and
the time consumed III getting the sow
on full feed should BE- from week to
J 10 days.
| Great care should be taken to feed
! the sow properly, or the little pigs
will show it. If they follow the sow
around and pull at the teats constant
ly,, 1T shows she is not giving enough
milk and more fed should be given
: her to stimulate its flow. On the
: other hand, overlooking is bad, as it
tends to congcst the, udder, which will
cause securing in the young pigs.
1t is best for the sow and litter to
, be in the open, where exercise, sun
light. and fresh air act bcncfcially for
ell Of them. Even in cold weather
! tEey may be able to get exercise in a
lot sheltered by building and at the
s2me time be in the sunshine. Do not
elbow the little pigs to be out in a
cold rain, and always provide clean
and dry floors in the pens If the pigs
90 not get exercise they may become
fat and lazy. The best way to avoid
this IS not to overfeed and to compel
| ~ S""i'f5 p'So W IttNc plcHly OF cScf-
else.
1t is of the greatest Importance in
| raising pigs for the market that thew
ga gam weight Gas rapidly as possible.
! The flrst opportunity to force the pigs
comes when they are few weeks old.
! Up to this time they have been living
solely on their dams milk, for which
no perfect substitute has been found
! After about three weeks the young
pigs begin to develop an appetite for
some accessory feed to supplement-
the sow's milk, and they should be
given some additional food The pigs
vii eat from the sow's trough, but it
Is better that pen or "crecp" be ar
ranged adjoining that of the sow, al
loving the pigs to have access to a
sself-feeder in which shclled corn alone
IS fed for a couple of weeks and
afterwards shorts or wheat middinps.
Excellent feeds for pigs of this age
are dairy by-products, such as skim
milk or buttcrmlk These, together
with mill feeds, as middlngs, shorts,
and even cheap grade of flour, or
! with ground oats from which the hullS
have been removed, give excellent sat
isfaction.
Pigs should be castratcd while thcv
arc young, preferably when 6 to g
weeks old, and before weaving. De-
tailed information on this subject is
given in. Farmers Bulletin 7S0, which
may be had on application to the Di-
vision OF Publications, Department Of
, Agriculture.
Breeders differ widely as to the age
for wcaning. The majority wcan at
, from to 10 weeks. and some allow
the pigs to run with the SOW ND to
II weeks. If skim milk is not obtain
able it is best to let them nurse up to
, 10 weeks. The wean;ng should be
brought about directly by taking the
/ pigs away from the sow. "Tupcrng
OFF, is not good practice
Feed for Newly Weaned Pigs
Skim milk and corn or skim milk
and shorts. fed in the proportion of
8 to |, make an excellent ration for
wcanlings. If skim milk is not avail
able mixture of parts corn meal,
4 parts middlings, and part tank
age, fed as thin slop is very good.
Good succulcnt pasture is always
beneficial to pigs when weather per
mltS. Rye is much used for fall hog
/ pasture in the North, rye and crimson
clover farther south, while COW peas
and soy beans ar" used in the South
crn States. Soon after weaving il is
best to separate those animals which
are to be kept for breeding purposes
from the fattening stock, as the de-
velopmcnt for best results with each
class requires a different system of