FEED AND CARE OF SWINE 689 



As has been stated before, rations of only grain and such feeds as lin- 

 seed meal, wheat middlings, wheat bran, or gluten feed are not ideal for 

 brood sows. (1013) Where the sows have been on first-class pasture dur- 

 ing the summer and have plenty of exercise in winter, such rations will 

 in many cases give satisfactory results, especially if a mineral supple- 

 ment is added to supply calcium, which is low in all these feeds. How- 

 ever, for both safety and economy, it seems a much wiser plan to supply 

 legume hay in addition, or else add a small amount of dairy by-products, 

 tankage, or fish meal to the ration. 



1019. Grains for brood sows. On account of its cheapness, corn is the 

 chief grain fed to sows thruout the corn belt. Due undoubtedly to the 

 poor results secured when corn is unwisely fed to brood sows without 

 proper protein-rich supplements, several writers have gone so far as to 

 state that corn should not form over one-third to one-half the ration for 

 brood sows, as it is l * too fattening. ' ' However, recent trials have shown 

 clearly that excellent results are secured when corn is the only grain, 

 if it is properly supplemented and provided the allowance is strictly 

 limited to the amount needed to keep the sows in thrifty condition, 

 without becoming too fat. In 3 trials with gilts at the Wisconsin Sta- 

 tion by Morrison and Bohstedt 11 a concentrate mixture which many 

 breeders would consider about ideal was compared with the more simple 

 ration of ear corn, alfalfa hay fed in a rack, and 0.3 Ib. tankage per head 

 daily in addition. The concentrate mixture consisted of 35 parts ground 

 corn, 30 parts ground oats, 30 parts wheat middlings, and 5 parts tank- 

 age. On the average, the gilts required 5.5 Ibs. of this mixture per head 

 daily to keep them making the desired gain of about 0.9 Ib., while the 

 other lot made a trifle larger gains on 4.5 Ibs. corn (reduced to the 

 basis of shelled corn), 0.3 Ib. tankage, and 0.4 Ib. alfalfa hay. Thus the 

 gilts fed ear corn properly supplemented required 0.3 Ib. less feed per 

 head daily, which would be expected from the fact that corn is a more 

 concentrated feed and richer in net energy than oats or middlings. With 

 feeds at usual corn belt prices, the daily cost of feed per sow was 30 per 

 ct. less on this ration. Still more important was the fact that the farrow- 

 ing results were even a trifle better than on the ration which contained 

 only 35 per ct. of corn. In 2 trials by Grimes at the Pennsylvania 

 Station 12 a mixture of equal parts of corn, oats, and middlings was no 

 better and was more expensive than a ration of corn and tankage or one 

 of corn and alfalfa hay. Sometimes, as has been pointed out, such a 

 mixture as this, fed without legume hay, will give poor results, as it is 

 low in calcium, and furthermore, the protein is not well balanced. (118) 



Where other cereals are cheaper than corn, pound for pound, they may 

 often be used economically for brood sows, but none, with the possible 

 exception of ground wheat, is equal to corn in feeding value. In a 

 trial with gilts at the Iowa Station 13 Eward found ground barley, fed 



"Wis. Bui. 302, pp. 62-3; unpublished data. "Information to the authors. 

 "Penn. Bui. 168. 



