FEED AND CARE OF SWINE 699 



is best done by providing a " creep" in a corner of the paddock or 

 pasture, with openings of such size that the pigs can run in and out, 

 while the sows are excluded. At first a little shelled corn seems about 

 the most palatable feed. Later they may be fed a suitable mixture of 

 concentrates, either being hand-fed all they will clean up twice or three 

 times a day or else being fed by means of a self-feeder. For young pigs 

 skim milk and buttermilk are easily the best of all protein-rich feeds. 

 Nothing else aids so greatly in keeping them growing lustily. The con- 

 centrates fed pigs at this time should consist of the farm grains, with 

 a considerable proportion of protein-rich feeds like middlings (stan- 

 dard middlings or preferably flour middlings), linseed meal, and tank- 

 age. If there is an abundance of skim milk or buttermilk, relatively 

 little of other high-protein feeds need be used. Where no dairy by- 

 products are available, such a mixture as the following is good for young 

 pigs: Corn, barley, or grain sorghum, 50 Ibs. ; standard or flour 

 middlings, 40 Ibs. ; tankage, 10 Ibs. For very young pigs ground oats, 

 with the hulls sifted or floated out, and red dog flour are excellent feeds, 

 but they are often expensive. 



Young pigs must always have plenty of exercise, especially when 

 liberally fed, or some will be almost sure to die from thumps. On 

 pasture the pigs will usually not suffer from lack of exercise, but special 

 precautions are necessary with early spring litters in the northern states. 

 When it is too cold outside, the litters may be turned together in the 

 alley of the hog house, where they will get much exercise playing and 

 tussling about. If the pigs show a tendency to become too fat the first 

 few weeks, the dam 's ration should be reduced gradually, so she will give 

 a little less milk. Scours should be avoided by keeping the quarters dry 

 and clean and the troughs sanitary. Overfeeding the sows or letting 

 the pigs run out in a cold rain are other frequent causes of this trouble. 



Boar pigs not to be kept for the breeding herd should be castrated 

 when about 6 weeks old, or 2 weeks before weaning. This should be done 

 on a clear, cool day, and the pigs should be kept in dry, clean quarters 

 afterwards. Before the operation the pigs should receive only a light 

 feed. 



1033. Weaning time When only one litter of pigs is raised a year, 

 the pigs may run with their dams 10 to 12 weeks, or the sow may be 

 allowed to wean the pigs herself. However, when 2 litters are to be 

 raised, the pigs must be weaned at the age of about 8 weeks. The sow 

 should be separated from the pigs, and only returned 2 or 3 times, long 

 enough for them to empty the udders. On weaning, pigs of the same 

 size should be placed in groups of not over 20, in order that each may 

 receive its share of feed and also have proper care and attention. It is 

 especially important that the pigs have excellent pasture at this time. 



Since the pigs no longer get their mother's milk, the ration after 

 weaning should contain a somewhat larger proportion of protein-rich 

 feeds than before. An abundance of skim milk or buttermilk with grain 



