THE FREE-CHOICE SYSTEM 167 



about 125 pounds, self-feeding them for a period of 76 days, the 

 groups self -fed and hand- fed respectively, both given corn, showed 

 results as follows : The self-fed pigs -outgained the hand-fed pigs, 

 making 2.05 as compared to 1.87 pounds daily more than a 10 

 percent increase; ate more feed daily, showing that under this 

 system of feeding they could work at higher speed, or 9.21 pounds 

 as compared to 8.79 pounds daily per hog, an increase of close to 5 

 percent; required less feed for 100 pounds of gain, or 449 pounds 

 as compared to 469, a saving of 20 pounds of corn on every 100 

 pounds of gain produced when the animals were self -fed as when 

 compared to where they were hand-fed twice daily. 



At another 4ime young two and one-half-month-old pigs were 

 taken and during the first 100 days of the trial the self-fed group, 

 which was given shelled corn, wheat middlings, and tankage in 

 separate feeders, gained 1.13 pounds, requiring 408 pounds of feed 

 for 100 pounds of gain. The group fed three times a day gained 

 practically the same (they were fed free-choice style also, feed 

 being placed before them three times a day, in open troughs) ; but 

 required 10 pounds more feed for 100 pounds of gain, namely, 418. 

 The third group fed twice a day gained more than 10 percent less 

 rapidly or .59 of a pound daily and required 430 pounds of feed 

 for 100 pounds of gain. Peculiarly enough the gains were more 

 expensive in the hand-fed groups because they ate a larger portion 

 of the expensive feeds, namely, of wheat middlings and tankage in 

 proportion to corn. This is what should be expected on physiolog- 

 ical and general nutritional grounds. 



Self-Feeders on Pasture. On pasture we have fed some 

 groups, self -feeding them as compared to full-feeding them by hand, 

 with gratifying results for self-feeding. One summer on timothy- 

 clover pasture two groups were fed, one receiving a self-fed free- 

 choice ration of corn and tankage, and the other a full-fed ration 

 of corn hand-fed plus as much tankage in addition two times daily 

 as was eaten by the self -fed free-choice group. These pigs were 

 started out when they weighed 53 pounds and were fed from July 

 6 to Nov. 13 on pasture, and if at the close of the pasture season 

 the pigs in each group did not average 225 pounds they were con- 

 tinued until they did. The figures therefore, taking the pigs from 

 53 up to 225 pounds, show that where they were self-fed free-choice 

 style it took 120 days as compared to 148 days where they were 

 hand full-fed. Tankage was kept the same. The big difference then 

 is in the amount of corn allowed and in the method of its allowance. 

 Of course where they are self-fed they eat much more than where 

 they are hand-fed, because they have it continuously before them 

 and they can eat night or day. Here is a saving by self -feeding of 

 some 28 days, or practically a month. This means considerable in 

 the fall in getting pigs off to market, because the market begins to 

 decline in September and usually hits the bottom along in January 

 or February, and every day that a man keeps his pigs after 

 September he is keeping them on a steadily declining market. This 

 statement is based on the average of a number of years. 



