152 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



In a day or two the food supply should be in- 

 creased. It should consist of milk-stimulating and 

 milk-producing foods like middlings, shorts, gluten, 

 linseed oil meal, pea meal, .skim milk, etc. A little corn 

 or corn meal may be given, but this should be limited. 



Exercise for Brood Sows. See that the brood 

 sows take exercise and that they get succulent food. 

 It is doubtful if any other factor in hog raising has 

 brought about quite as much injury as the practice 

 of placing brood sows in little pens, preventing them 

 from getting juicy roots or green foods and cutting 

 off their opportunity for exercise entirely. The run 

 of the pasture field, or in the winter of rye or wheat 

 lots, or in fall of harvesting peanuts, artichokes, 

 cowpeas, or of cleaning up old meadows, all add 

 vigor to the sows, largely wipe out the cost of keep, 

 and increase the vitality of the coming offspring. 

 The best mother is one that supplies a heavy flow of 

 milk. To do this she must be healthy, strong, and 

 be liberally supplied with food. From well fed 

 brood sows, therefore, usually come the healthiest 

 and quickest maturing offspring. 



The Brood Mare. There is no objection to work- 

 ing the brood mare or of exercising her right up to 

 foaling time. Liberal feeding on oats, or bran, bal- 

 anced with corn and hay, will furnish a satisfactory 

 ration for the mare before and after foaling. The 

 same precaution should be taken to diminish the 

 food supply when the colt is born as when the calf 

 is born. The mother at foaling time is in a fever- 

 ish condition, and weak also. She should be fed 

 only what is needed for appeasing the appetite. 



