53 



Feeding and Management after Weaning. — There is considerable 

 difference of opinion as to the best age at which to wean pigs. Some advocate 

 leaving the pigs with the sow for ten or twelve weeks — in fact, the sows is 

 allowed practically to wean her own pigs. For producing show pigs this 

 method may answer very well, but it means only one litter a year; at any 

 rate, it does not admit of two litters a year. The average farmer will find 

 it more proiitable to wean his pigs early enough to permit two litters a year 

 to be raised. If the young pigs have been taught to eat as described, and skim- 

 milk is available, they may be weaned successfully when six weeks old. It is true 

 that many pigs are weaned before they are six weeks old, but it is seldom advisable 

 to do so if they appear to be thriving with the sow. If skim-milk is not available, 

 it is generally advisable to defer weaning for two weeks more, and special pains 

 should be taken to have the pigs well accustomed to their new feed, and eating 

 heartily before they are weaned. (See Part III, "Substitutes for Skim Milk"*)- 

 Skim-milk and middlings make about the best feed for young pigs after 

 weaning. If the middlings are fine and floury, which is not very likely to occur 

 under present-day methods of milling, they will sometimes cause indigestion, 

 which may show itself either in the form of diarrhoea or constipation. Diluting 

 the middlings with a little bran or finely ground oats will help prevent the trouble. 

 Soaking or scalding the middlings will also tend to prevent digestive troubles. 

 Scalding the middlings is especially useful when no skim-milk is to be had, as it 

 makes the pigs like the feed better. To scald the middlings, it is best to pour boil- 

 ing water on them, cover the vessel, and allow to stand several hours, or from one 

 time of feeding until the next. When the pigs are first weaned, it is better to feed 

 four times a day, giving only a small quantity of feed each time, and taking care 

 to keep the trough clean. When well started, they may be changed to three feeds 

 a day. 



It is not well to be in a hurry to commence feeding grain. Generally speaking, ' 

 when pigs are about three months old a little grain may be introduced into their 

 ration. Two parts of middlings and one part of corn meal or ground barley, mixed 

 with skim-milk to form a slop, make an excellent ration for growing pigs. As the 

 pigs grow older the proportion of grain to middlings may be increased, but at no 

 time should they be fed exclusively or almost exclusively upon corn, because corn 

 is a. poor bone and muscle-former. The importance of feeding supplementary 

 feeds with corn has been pretty fully discussed under the work of experiment 

 stations. The need of such feeds is most important during the early life. A few 

 roots will be found most helpful in keeping young pigs healthy during the winter, 

 and green feed of almost any kind will answer the purpose during the summer. 

 The feeder has a wide range of feeds to choose from, and if he understood some- 

 thing of their nature he should have no difficulty in compounding a ration which 

 will give satisfaction. 



The aim should be to develop bone and muscle during the early stages of 

 growth, and, while the pigs should be thrifty and sleek in the hair, they should 

 not be fed in such a way as to overload them with fat. This is especially true of 

 pigs which are intended for breeding purposes, and which should be carried right 

 through to breeding age upon feeds which stimulate growth and general vigor 

 rather than fat. A reasonable amount of fat is not objectionable, but the develop- 

 ment of the frame, the muscular system, and the vital organs must not be neglected, 

 if a satisfactory breeding animal is to be produced. Variety in feeds and plenty 

 of exercise are very essential features in raising an animal that will possess all- 

 round development. 



