CPIAPTBR IX 



FARROWING TIME 



It is* presumed that all breeders of pure-bred stock keep a record 

 of the date sows are due to farrow. If this is not the case trouble 

 is sometimes the result. As farrowing time approaches no unusu- 

 ally special care need be given to the brood sow if she has been fed 

 along lines laid down in this book, and if she has had sufficient 

 exercise during the gestation period. It is only necessary that she 

 be placed in a quiet, warm, dry place in winter and cool in summer, 

 a week or two previous to the date of farrow. This should be done 

 so that she may become accustomed to the new surroundings. 



As the time approaches for the coming of the litter, see that 

 the sow gets out of her sleeping place daily and takes plenty of 

 exercise, otherwise she will become more or less constipated. If 

 such is the case, two ounces of Epsom Salts should be given her in 

 the slop daily until her bowels are in a laxative condition. See that 

 the place where she is to farrow is provided with a guard rail 

 around at least three sides of the pen, to protect the young litter 

 being overlaid by the sow and crushed. 



If everything is going right with the sow at farrowing time, let 

 her alone. If one finds that after several hours of labor, there are 

 no pigs in sight, it is well enough to investigate. Often by oiling the 

 hand and entering a few inches, one will find either the leg of the 

 pig or its head can be reached, when a slight pull results in an 

 immediate delivery. 



If the sow is unduly fleshy and seems closely built, it is a very 

 good plan, when she is ready to farrow, to inject a little oil either 

 sweet oil, cotton seed oil, or any that is clean and pure that the 

 passage may be made easy. 



During nearly forty years of breeding, we have only had to 

 resort to pig forceps once or twice, and then generally without good 

 results. 



Cold Weather Precautions. If the weather is cold when the 

 young pigs are just farrowed, we have made it a practice to have 

 close at hand a barrel or box with either a hot brick or two or a 

 stone heated and laid in the box and covered thickly and deeply 

 with chaff or cut straw, and as fast as the youngsters appear we 

 wipe them off with a cloth and place them in this box, where it is 

 warm, covering the same with a blanket, and wait for the next 

 one's appearance, keeping this up until the entire litter is farrowed, 

 if not continuing over too long a period. If several hours' time is 

 occupied in farrowing the litter, we let those that have appeared 

 nurse once or twice during the time, placing them back in the box 



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