Departmental Activities. 115 



old piping, or any other suitable rods can be used. These rails are 

 of considerable help in protecting the litters of big- clumsy old sows 

 whose eyesight and hearing are seldom of the best. 



4. Feed three times a day. It is better to feed in small amounts 

 and often than in large quantities and at long intervals apart. The 

 feed should be of a good sloppy consistency, and, if possible, 

 separated milk should be used, together with some meal mixture, such 

 as mealie meal, pollard, and wheaten bran in equal parts. During 

 cold weather the feed should be heated to about bloodheat. On no 

 account bring the mass to the boil, as this will render the feed less 

 digestible, particularly the protein part of it. 



5. In addition, some succulent feed such as rape, kale, cabbage, 

 kaffir watermelons, makatans, green barley, and rye should, where 

 possible, be fed. It is not advisable to use silage, except if of very 

 good quality, and then not more than 3-4 lb. per sow per day. 



6. Be on the lookout for scours in the youngsters. If found, the 

 cause of the trouble can usually be attributed to the dam's milk. As 

 a rule, it is the result of over-feeding the sow or of feeding too large 

 a proportion of rich feeds, in both of which cases her milk is likely 

 to become physiologically deranged. It is far better to slightly under- 

 feed than slightly overfeed the sow. Immediately the youngsters 

 are noticed scouring, cut down the sow's feed considerably. This is 

 best done by thinning the slop to almost half the normal consistency. 

 Scours in both the dam and her litter may sometimes be due to a 

 dirty trough, especially if the concentrated feed is allowed to turn 

 sour. It is a good practice, therefore, to clean the trough thoroughly 

 each time before feeding, and also to sprinkle it with a little lime 

 once or twice a week in order to neutralize the acidity. 



7. " Black teeth " is occasionally met with and can easily be 

 remedied. One or more pigs in a litter will be found to have an 

 abnormally developed pair of central incisor teeth, which are black 

 in colour. When such pigs attempt to suckle their dams, these teeth 

 cut the teats, as a result of which the sow will refuse to let the litter 

 suckle. Attention is drawn to this particular trouble when the sow's 

 teats show distinct 'cuts and scratches, and the litter appears rather 

 hollow in the flanks. The noise that the litter will make is usually 

 the best proof of their perilous plight. The trouble may easily be 

 remedied by the use of a pair of pliers for snapping off the elongated 

 black teeth. The sow's udder and teats should be rubbed with a little 

 sweet oil or raw linseed oil containing a dash of disinfectant, such as 

 Hycol. If the udder is inflamed, it may be necessary to apply hot 

 fomentations for a day or two. 



8. Wherever possible, let the sow and her litter have the run of 

 a small camp, so that they can take sufficient exercise to keep healthy. 

 When the youngsters are about three weeks of age they will commence 

 nibbling at their dam's feed, and extra feed should therefore be 

 provided for them. Although satisfactory results may sometimes be 

 obtained by giving the extra feed along with that of the sow, better 

 results can be counted upon if a separate feeding-place is provided 

 for the youngsters. A creep about 2 ft. 6 in. high and 5 or 6 feet 

 long, with the spars placed about 5 in. apart, should be put at one 

 corner of the stye, and shallow feeding troughs not more than 8 in. 



