I30 



SWINE IN AMERICA 



corn. Those sows died because they had been fed too 

 much corn, and their pigs were too large and fat, and the 

 sows could not give birth to them. I had fed corn, as 

 my neighbors had done; now I feed scarcely an ear to 

 my brood sows. They are not fed a great deal, and there 

 is no trouble in farrowing; I haven't lost a sow for a 

 dozen years, I feed so as to make bone and muscle. I 

 am not feeding the sow then; I am feeding the embryo 

 pig, and what I want in that pig is bone and muscle." 



SOWS EATING THEIR PIGS 



A disposition by the sow to eat her pigs may be the 

 result of a number of causes, and not all of them natu- 

 rally the fault of the sow. The erroneous opinion some- 

 times prevails that the sow is the only farm animal which 

 molests her young at time of parturition, yet mares have 

 been known to kick and bite their foals, cows to gore 

 their calves, and sheep to butt their lambs to death. With 

 the sow the desire to eat tlie pigs may arise from the 

 failure to promptly remove the afterbirth. When this 

 is passed it should be immediately removed and buried 

 or burned. If left where the sow can scent it she is 

 more than likely, especially if a young sow, to devour it, 

 and, as the scent of the newly born pigs is similar some 

 of them may also be eaten. If the sow has not been 

 properly fed during pregnancy or has lacked exercise 

 her labor will be more difficult, especially if she is con- 

 stipated, and in her distress she may attack her young. 

 If she has lacked growth-producing and bone-making 

 feed a taste for blood may seem to possess her, A sow 



