The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-04-01

10y NNMAACE IL AeOAAACIa ARENGmNEmRaN HXs
tension Department, international Har-
VesteF Company
TIME next spring pig crop will
soon be here. We ought to be
II ready for them. Hogs are val
liable property today and the indi-
cations are that they will continue to
be for the next year or IL months. /
I don't mean that we should neces-
sarily be any better equipped to take
care of u pigs this spring than any
other time, but it is always more of
an incentive to work harder for some
thing which is worth money. The
corn and hog ratio is better now
than it has been for several wears
and if there ever was an incentive TO
take good care of u pigs, il ought
to be this spring.
The man, however, who plans for about
the same number of hogs every wear and
cares for and feeds them right is the man
who makes the most money over . 0ariod
OF years. And that, after all, is the only
way to determine the profits from q hoe
business as 1t IS IN any other business.
The lin and outer" seldom makes q dime
in the hog business or in any other busi-
ness, for he's in when he ought TO he ont
and out when he ought to be in. And
Just now is a time when a farmer with
plenty Of corn and hogs to feed it TO with
a sufficient number Of sOws to farrow soon
to insure a good bunch Of pigs this sum-
mer is surely in clover.
RatiOns Are Important
AS one breed paper editor declared in
his January issue, IF we resolve To ha
optimistic about business throughout the
year, we will be better able physically and
mentally to do good work in raisinS bet-
ter pigs, which is really the main reGuisite
to a good hog business for any one in
1871. We must have a sincere interest in
seeing that the brood sOws have the nroner
faJlOnS before and after narrowing and
that they have sufficiently warm Quarters
IN Whlch TO harrow their early spring lit
tiers. 1t is especially important that their
quarters be dry and free fOm draughts
The narrowing season is the most imDOTtant
OF all seasons in the swine business. Many
successful breeders give their entire atten-
ton to the SOws that are narrowing. sDend-
ing seven days and seven ghts weekly in
the hog house. A little heat is very helnful
on eOl9 Gays and nights. A lantern hung
In an individual hog house does we'll and
q small stove in a community narrowing
house is a big help. Take heart: pick mn
courage. Resolve to be optimistic. 1t will
give you the right spirit that is necessary
for assuccessful year in the swine business
or any other business for that matter. on
p0rtuntties are plentiful in 1927"
There is annually a tremendous loss Of
pigs between narrowing and weaving time
as we'll as during the feeding and growing
period. The average number of pigs far
r0wed per SOW in the United States is
Slightly more than eight, the average num-
Der weaned is only a little more than five
and the losses after weaving bring the
average raised per sow to an even lower
figure. Obviously the greater number of
pigs raised per SOW, the greater will be
Table Of Losses
Someone, in the United States department
Of agriculture l believe, has worked out
the losses on the following basis and l
know from experience and observation that
: the proportions are approximately correct.
He says that it has been demonstrated that
1t takes an average Of q sOws to farrOw
200 pigs, which is not quite seven and
one-half pigs per litter. But only 112 OF
dying before that.
Official surveys taken over a period OF
years explain the loss of the So as follows
e Eighteen born dead due to improper feed
ing of the sOws before narrowing or other
causes due to mismanagement; 20 killed
at narrowing time by being mashed or so
crippled that they died afterwards due to
the negligence of the owner; 10 more died
during the first 10 days after narrowing
because of low vitality due to poor feeding
and other wrong handling of the sOwS dur
ing the period of pregnancy; seven died
from other causes. Seventeen more died
or were killed accidentally after the first
10 days and during the period of sucking
n and 16 more died during the growing and
fattening period. Thus a total of IS OF
S, what should furnish a good car load OF
lie pork is on an average lost out Of every 20C
re pigs narrowed.
he Exercise Helps
N y obviously IL is not possible 70 stop al
- these losses, but we can pare them down
very materially. If we have our sOws gain
ing in flesh at breeding time and keep then
n gaining slowly up until narrowing time
~ induce sOws to take daily exercise through
~ the winter by feeding them at a distanc,
20 from their sleeping quarters; keep theil
~ ~ratiOns balanced with some protein con
n centrate, such as soy beans, alfalfa o.
~ bright clover hay, soy bean hay or abOu
~ a third of a pound of tankage to each SOW
- per day in addition to keeping block sal
- and a mineral mixture before them at al
~ times; take care about letting them out il
slippery, icy weather or out among horse
iiS or cattle that might kick them, wen hav
~ fewer pigs narrowed weak or dead and
a. larger number of strong, healthy ones. /
y we're careful about not getting our SOW
too overly fat; careful about using to
much bedding; to see that the pen is dry
&c warm and protected from draughtS: an
al are on hand at narrowing time, especial
~ during chilly weather, to see that each ri
NJ connects with the feed supply, we'll hay
~ fewer pigs killed or chilled to death. The
if we provide nothing but clear fresh waite
for the SOW for at least the first "a hour
70 after narrowing or until her fever has sui
sided, then start her in on a light ration
,r- gradually increasing it each day and tai
FL ing about 10 days to get her on full feed
On and keep the quarters and feed trOug
ne clean and sanitary, we'll lose fewer pig
" from scOurs, thumps and other little pi