OARE OF PIGS 47 



After Six Months Until Marketing. After the pigs have come 

 to about the age of six months, there should not be much change 

 in the feed from what they have had since weaning time ; however 

 it is well at this time to increase the corn or the fat producing 

 element in their feed, and reduce somewhat the other elements. 

 Probably at this time there is nothing better than a rape pasture 

 with what corn the pigs would clean up each day, with the addition 

 of about 10% in weight of corn in good meat meal or tankage. 

 This will bring them on to a finish and put two curls in their 

 tails. This for spring pigs in preparation for early marketing 

 in the fall or for shipping out as breeders. The grain ration of 

 course may be varied, using ground corn meal with 10% tankage, 

 or by using ground barley or wheat or rye with corn meal. Any 

 mixture of fattening grains balanced with a little tankage where 

 skim milk cannot be had is all that is necessary with good pasture 

 to make rapid gain. 



Weight for Age. This is a very difficult subject, as there is 

 no iron clad rule for pigs of certain ages. A litter of pigs from 

 a sow that was a poor milker would not grow out at weaning 

 time nearly as heavy as a litter the same age from a sow that was 

 a good milker. Neither would either litter make as many pounds 

 per age in the hands of a poor feeder as in the hands of a good 

 feeder. Much will also depend on the inherited ability from the 

 sire and dam. Even different individuals in the same litter would 

 differ in weight at a certain age if each was fed by the same 

 man on the same ration, so it seems that not much information 

 can be given along this line, except in a general way. 



One feeder will take a litter of pigs from a sow, that he is 

 particularly interested in making as large as possible at six months 

 of age, and he can make them weigh as high as 225 pounds each, 

 and possibly even more than this. He may take another litter 

 and fail to make, with the same care and ration, even 180 pounds 

 each at six months of age. 



On the other hand the pig that is pushed to weigh every pound 

 possible at six months, will, if he accomplishes the feat of weigh- 

 ing 225 or 250 pounds, as is occasionally the case, be practically 

 ruined for future use in the breeding herd, but of course for the 

 market he could be cashed in quicker than a much lighter weight 

 pig. I think fair weights might be as follows: 



3 months of age 60 to 75 pounds 



6 months of age 140 to 180 pounds 



8 months of age 225 to 250 pounds 



1 year 300 to 350 pounds 



This will be about right unless the pig has been crowded for 

 show, or for the purpose of seeing how heavy it could be made at 

 a certain age. For breeding purposes pigs that are not developed 

 too fast up to from 6 to 9 months of age, generally develop into 

 larger and better breeding animals than those that are crowded 

 to the limit from birth. 



