172 HOW TO FEED YOUR HOGS 



devise different methods and modem methods. It is apparent that 

 the man in the field has not altered his methods of feeding to keep 

 pace with market changes and demands. Hence the reason why 

 self-feeding pigs to handy weights has been long neglected. In- 

 stinctively we tend to do things as our fathers and grandfathers 

 did them, but this may sometimes be a virtue ; so too such imitation 

 of methods may seriously retard real progress. 



13. The development of the free-choice system of swine feed- 

 ing marks another stepping stone in progress toward more efficient 

 methods of swine feeding. It provides a new viewpoint, a new 

 attitude, a new basis for thought and action. It is profitable to 

 look forward to the development of the best possible free-choice 

 system; in the meantime keeping clearly and steadfastly in mind 

 that we can improve upon the pigs ' own method of selection. 



Self -Feeding Don'ts. In closing the chapter it may be well 

 to repeat a few self-feeding "don'ts" which are to the point: 



Don't depend absolutely on the self-feeder for all classes and 

 kinds of swine. Don't self -feed if you don't want relatively rapid 

 gains, or if you wish to grow pigs along slowly unless of course 

 you use bulky feeds, such as pasture or hay. Don't self-feed 

 pregnant sows on highly-concentrated feed, excepting early in the 

 breeding season, or unless you mix bulky feeds, such as ground oats, 

 alfalfa meal, or bran with feeds. Don't expect the self-feeder to 

 save all the work, because it won't. Don't think that although the 

 "self " method works out meritoriously in many circumstances with 

 hogs, that the same would be true of beef and dairy cattle, horses, 

 sheep, poultry and goats. Don't always expect the hog econom- 

 ically to balance the ration, no matter what feeds you allow. The 

 hog is not an economist; he is a physiologist by instinct; he will 

 eat to suit himself, and if you feed him sugar he disregards the 

 price. But it is surprising how well the hog likes corn. In the 

 cornbelt it is the one great feed for swine, and is most admirably 

 adapted to self-feeding. Don't you know that hogging-down corn 

 is practiced by farmers because it pays? Don't you know that it 

 is "the most natural self-feeder method" of harvesting corn? 

 Don't expect pigs on dry, hard bluegrass to do well when self -fed 

 on corn. Either "green-up" the grass or supply rape, alfalfa and 

 the like. Don't self -feed and expect the optimum results unless 

 you keep water before the hogs, so that they be continuously sat- 

 isfied for drink. Don't self -feed tankage or meatmeal if you limit 

 the corn ration and expect the pigs to eat as little as when self -fed. 

 When the pig gets hungry, it is eat tankage or nothing, and he eats 

 the tankage,, and the tankage consumption in this case is a little 

 lighter, but it is now considered a fair practice to self-feed tank- 

 age, even though the corn is hand full-fed, because we have learned 

 that hogs which are receiving a somewhat limited ration of corn, 

 limited by whatever means, actually require more protein feeds 

 daily than when the corn is self -fed. Don't expect the self-feeder 

 to be a panacea for all feeding troubles, because to expect that is 

 to expect that the millennium has come. 



