688 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



On the average the gilts fed 0.3 Ib. tankage in addition to ear corn 

 and alfalfa hay made somewhat larger gains. Also the average weight 

 of the pigs at birth and the proportion of vigorous pigs were greater with 

 this ration. When the additional gains of the gilts fed tankage are 

 credited at 7 cents per Ib., the feed cost per head daily was also a little 

 less on this ration, with ear corn at 56 cents a bushel and with tankage at 

 $60 and alfalfa hay at $15 a ton. Thus from all standpoints it was ad- 

 visable under corn-belt conditions to add a small amount of a protein-rich 

 concentrate to the ration of corn and alfalfa hay. In trials by Robison at 

 the Ohio Station 8 with old sows, adding tankage to corn and clover or 

 alfalfa hay was also beneficial. When alfalfa hay is of excellent quality, 

 old sows will generally eat a pound a day or more, if the allowance of 

 corn is strictly limited. There may then be no appreciable advantage in 

 adding any other supplement. 



If sows will eat a reasonable amount of legume hay when it is fed un- 

 cut in a rack, there is no advantage in chopping or grinding the hay and 

 mixing it with the grain in order to get them to consume a larger pro- 

 portion of hay. Snyder 9 found even under conditions in western 

 Nebraska, where alfalfa is cheap, that the cost of wintering brood sows fed 

 a mixture of half ground corn and half chopped alfalfa was greater than 

 for sows fed shelled corn with alfalfa hay in racks. 



1017. Tankage versus tankage and legume hay. Often the recommend- 

 ation is made that brood sows be fed grain supplemented by only about 

 10 per ct. of high-grade tankage in the case of gilts or 6 to 7 per ct. in the 

 case of older sows. Such a ration will usually give quite satisfactory 

 results, but it lacks bulk and the sows will not be as well satisfied as tho 

 there Were added some legume hay or, if this is not available, some other 

 bulky feed like wheat bran or oats. In one trial at the Wisconsin Sta- 

 tion by Morrison and Bohstedt 10 the pigs from gilts fed only ear corn and 

 tankage were not quite so vigorous as from others fed alfalfa hay in ad- 

 dition. Especially since legume hay is usually cheaper than grain, it is 

 wise to add it to all such rations. 



1018. Dairy by-products; other supplements. If skim milk or butter- 

 milk are available for the sows, there is no better ration than grain and 

 legume hay, plus 4 to 6 Ibs. of either of these dairy by-products per head 

 daily. There is no need whatsoever in adding any purchased concentrates 

 to such a ration, unless perhaps a little wheat bran or linseed meal 

 shortly before farrowing, to ensure the sows being kept in a laxative 

 condition. 



Whey is relatively low in protein, but nevertheless the protein it does 

 contain is of such high efficiency that a ration of grain, legume hay, 

 and whey will be found satisfactory for sows. If legume hay is not fed, 

 a small amount of a feed like linseed meal, wheat middlings, or wheat 

 bran should be added to a ration of grain and whey, especially if the 

 grain is corn. 



"Ohio Mo. Bui. 48. 9 Nebr. Bui. 147. "Unpublished data. 



