PART VII. 

 SANITATION 



The hog is a difficult animal to treat when attacked by disease, and hence the 

 breeder must adopt every means within his power to prevent disease from entering 

 the herd. One can never be too careful in this matter, and the proverb : " An 

 ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is especially applicable in the 

 management of swine. 



Cleanliness. — Filth is an excellent harbor and breeding ground for disease 

 germs. Care should be taken to have the pens cleaned frequently, and the pens 

 should be so constructed that there are no places for filth to accumulate where it 

 cannot be cleaned out. Water-tight floors with as few cracks and corners as pos- 

 sible, together with adequate drainage, are important in a piggery. 



Disinfection. — Every swine breeder or feeder should acquire the habit of 

 using disinfectants freely. There are numerous proprietary or patent disinfect- 

 ants upon the market, and, so far as the writer is aware, the well-known ones are 

 quite effective if used according to directions accompanying them. Crude carbolic 

 acid and creolin are excellent disinfectants. A five per cent, solution of either, or 

 five parts of the disinfectant to one hundred parts of water, will be found effective 

 for disinfecting pens. Chloride of lime is also good, and is especially recommended 

 by some for pens where cholera has existed. Five or six ounces of chloride of lime 

 to a gallon of water makes an effective disinfectant. 



In case of disease, all bedding and manure should be removed and burned. 

 Loose boards or planks should also be removed, and all adhering filth scraped off 

 the floors, partitions and troughs. It is of little use applying a disinfectant on 

 top of a coating of filth which may conceal and protect millions of disease germs. 

 A good spray pump is best for applying the disinfectant, so as to force the liquid 

 into every crack and cranny, and it is not wise to be economical in the use of the 

 disinfectant. Every part of the pen should be thoroughly saturated with the 

 solution. 



If there are small outside yards attached to the piggery, they should be floored 

 with concrete, and then they can be disinfected in the same way as the interior of 

 the building. If they are not floored it is almost impossible to disinfect them 

 thoroughly, and they are a constant menace to the health of the animals. 



Pasture lots and large paddocks or feed lots are more difficult to deal with. 

 Liberal liming and plowing up is about all that can be done. In case of some 

 diseases, such as cholera, it is safer to remove the hogs to other feed lots or 

 pastures for at least several months. Of course, the lots could be disinfected by 

 saturating the surface soil with a good disinfectant, but it would be an expensive 

 operation. 



Systematic disinfection of the premises should not be neglected even if there is 

 no disease. A small spray pump and a constant supply of disinfectant to be used 

 at frequent intervals about the buildings constitute an important part of the equip- 

 ment of a piggery. At least once a year, a general house-cleaning is advisable, 

 and whitewashing the walls, ceiling, and partitions with lime and crude carbolic 

 acid will go a long way towards keeping the building sanitary. A good pint of 

 crude carbolic acid to three gallons of whitewash will answer the purpose. 



Quarantine. — Provision should be made in large herds for quarters where 

 hogs that have been purchased, or brought home from shows, can be kept entirely 



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