154 HOW TO FEED YOUR HOGS 



the wheat middlings at 3 cents a pound and the corn at 3 cents a 

 pound, the value of 100 pounds of buttermilk is equivalent to 91.7 

 cents when fed in this limited quantity. - 



Skimmilk or buttermilk is particularly fine for suckling sows 

 and more especially for young pigs that are following. Next in 

 order it is good for the pigs at weaning time. The younger the pig 

 and the more rapidly growing the more valuable, realtively, are the 

 milk products. They are all-around supplements, and may be used 

 to advantage in producing animals for show purposes or for the 

 feeding of pregnant sows or breeding boars. The milk products are 

 excellent in convalescence of pigs and have helped in saving many 

 a pig. 



We have found in most of our tests that 100 pounds of skimmilk 

 or buttermilk is equal in value to 6 pounds of corn plus 6 pounds 

 of meatmeal tankage, when fed in quantities of from 2 to 10 pounds 

 per head daily. This was determined in this way: One group of 

 pigs was self -fed corn and tankage, free-choice style ; another group 

 was fed the same with the exception that from 2 to 10 pounds of 

 buttermilk was fed daily per head. Receiving the buttermilk, they 

 held up on the tankage ration, and also saved some on corn for every 

 100 pounds of gain ; so that when we figured the value of the butter- 

 milk we found that 100 pounds of buttermilk or of skimmilk, which- 

 ever it might be, saved 6 pounds of corn, in addition to 6 pounds 

 of tankage. With suckling sows and their pigs following, we have 

 found that it has a higher replacement value than this, running up 

 to 10 pounds of each ; and in the case of heavier and more mature 

 swine, not so badly in need of milk as the young growing pig or 

 the suckling sow, the value has been somewhat less than 6, running 

 down to say 5 of each. On the basis of per pound of dry matter 

 no feed is so valuable as is milk, particularly whole milk. 



Buttermilk. Buttermilk may be considered as the practical 

 equal of skimmilk, analyzing about the same. Buttermilk may be 

 fed exactly the same as skimmilk. We believe, however, that both 

 should come from tested cows (cows that do not have tuberculosis) 

 or from creameries that pasturize milk, or else it should be thor- 

 oughly heated before feeding in order to prevent disease being 

 transmitted to the swine herd. All of our milk products should be 

 carefully handled, so far as disease is concerned. We have done 

 some work wherein we fed grain with buttermilk versus no butter- 

 milk, in which case the buttermilk was fed in very large quantities, 

 practically all the pigs would eat. The pigs were started at about 

 56 pounds in weight. Group 1 received shelled corn self -fed plus 60 

 percent protein meatmeal tankage self-fed, plus wheat middlings 

 self-fed, plus rock salt self -fed, all feeds being allowed free-choice 

 style ; Group 2 exactly the same, excepting that buttermilk, in addi- 

 tion to the other feeds, was kept continually before them. The 

 following table shows approximately the number of days and the 

 feed required to reach approximately 300 pounds in weight : 



