EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI. 257 



should be changed every twenty-four hours after she farrows, as damp 

 bedding in cold weather will chill the little fellows, which is the cause 

 of most of the bowel trouble so common in young pigs. 



One week before farrowing I would feed sow on moist bran and one ear 

 of corn morning and evening with just a little oil meal in each feed. I 

 would give nothing but cold water for the first twenty-four hours after 

 farrowing and then a little feed of bran. For the first three weeks feed 

 light. Watch your sows and increase the feed gradually, giving a little 

 more corn as the pigs grow. At three weeks old the sow should be 

 on full feed with one-half of her feed corn or corn meal to keep up flesh. 



One of the most essential things for the well being and thrift of a crop 

 of young pigs is plenty of sunshine and exercise. If the sunshine is 

 lacking, the exercise is all the more necessary and if not exercised all 

 kinds of trouble may be expected. Thumps is one of the worst of all 

 ailments in the pig kingdom, but can generally be avoided if the little 

 fellows are forced to exercise freely every day at three weeks old. Pro- 

 vide a separate feeding place for them and feed them soaked oats. After 

 they commence eating well, mix corn meal, shorts, bran, oil meal and 

 alfalfa. Mix thoroughly and place in feeder where the little fellows 

 can have free access to it. Have a trough that the pigs can drink at, . 

 separate from their dam. If you have milk, give them a liberal allowance. 

 If not, clean water with the above ration will give excellent results. 

 As the pigs grow, if you are feeding for the market, increase the corn 

 from one-fifth to one-half and the last month feed three parts corn, keep- 

 ing up the other feeds, only reducing them as you increase the corn. By 

 this method I produced a carload of hogs that averaged 300 pounds at 10 

 months of age and topped the Chicago market with 40*000 on sale. This 

 is the most successful method I have tried and it has yielded the greatest 

 profit. The only difference in feeding for breeding stock or pork produc- 

 tion is the amount of corn fed, using less corn for breeding stock and 

 plenty of grass for both. 



Mr. Harding's talk again stirred up considerable interest. Mr. 

 Ausman questioned the advisability of giving a sow cold water to 

 drink soon after farrowing, saying that he had been as careful 

 not to do so as he had been to avoid heavy feeding at that time. 

 H. C. Strater of Monroe, Iowa, said he would not give cold water 

 for a week after farrowing and, that if the weather was cold he 

 thought water pumped from the well or spring was about right. 

 Alonzo Baker of Colo, Iowa, said: "I don't know as I have 

 anything to say but I don't see the object of feeding a sow right up 

 to the time of farrowing and just as quick as she farrows give 

 her a different feed altogether and warm water. I have had a sow 

 go out in the cornfield where she did not have soft feed or any 

 care and eat and drink to suit herself. I don't know whether she 

 made a hog of herself or not but she did come up with a litter 

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