CARE OF PIGS 



Sanitary Precautions. In addition to the feeding and water- 

 ing, there are other little attentions that must not be overlooked. 

 The pigs should, if possible, have a shallow cement pool that could 

 be used as a wallow, and jt should be so made that the water can 



PLATE XI. A Convenient and Sanitary Hog Wallow 



be changed every day or two. By having this kind of a wallow, 

 and adding a good disinfectant and a little crude oil poured on the 

 water, the skin of the pigs will be kept in perfect condition, without 

 any danger of skin disease or eruption. 



Where one is not prepared to place these clear water pools or 

 wallows, he should have a dipping tank. A dipping tank certainly 

 gets the dip and oil on every part of the body, for the animals have 

 to plunge or slide down the chute into the dipping tank, which 

 thoroughly immerses them. 



One great trouble is that the pigs are not run through the dip 

 as often as they should be. Once every week in warm weather is 

 none too often if there are any lice or indications of skin trouble. 

 After they once become entirely free from all such troubles, once 

 every two to four weeks will do. 



If, however, there are lice on the pigs, a good quality of crude 

 oil should be added to the dip, and the sleeping quarters carefully 

 looked after. It would be useless to dip a drove of lousy pigs and 

 allow them to return to an infected sleeping place. The sleeping 

 quarters should be thoroughly cleaned out and the ground or floor 

 thoroughly wet with the dip. This would be beneficial in several 

 ways ; if the ground was used instead of a floor, it would be damp- 

 ened by the dip and oil. The oil would certainly be a great help 

 here as well as in the dip, as it would keep down the dust. After 

 the sleeping place has been oiled once or twice, there would be no 

 danger of an accumulation of dust during the season. If the ground 

 is treated in this way, there will be no need of bedding during the 

 summer months, or until the weather becomes cold and bedding is 

 needed for warmth. 



We have noticed in caring for pigs, that it is often the case that 

 the feed used lacks in mineral matter, and we have therefore found 

 it a great help to keep a mixture of mineral matter in troughs or 

 boxes where the pigs and hogs can go to it at will, and it is surpris- 

 ing how much will be eaten by them. The mixture we generally use 



