436 THE PIGS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



of the escape of the urine. It should be covered with short 

 litter, sometimes rough cut chaff is employed. Around the 

 walls, at about Sin. from the ground, should be fixed a board or 

 a rail projecting at least Gin. from the wall. This is of great 

 importance, preventing the sow from lying against the wall, and 

 allowing the young an opportunity of protecting themselves from 

 being overlaid, which without this precaution is by no means 

 uncommon, especially with a young sow during labour, which is 

 often protracted for some hours. The approach of farrowing is 

 indicated by the restless movements of the hilt, as well as by the 

 appearance of the teats and the hind parts. She will be observed 

 carrying mouthfuls of the litter to one corner, as though pre- 

 paring her bed. Whilst carefully watched, she must not be 

 disturbed more than is necessary, and especially whilst farrow- 

 ing she should be left as much as possible to herself. But it is 

 important that the pigman should be near at hand, as her 

 sufferings sometimes make her savage, and cases have been 

 known in which she has killed her offspring as soon as they 

 were bom. 



It is a good plan to accustom the hilt to be noticed and handled, 

 in which case she is not disturbed by the attendant, whose 

 services may be of great importance to the litter. It is also well 

 to have a basket at hand lined and covered over with flannel, in 

 which the pigs can be collected as they are born, and, if the 

 night be cold, placed near a fire so as to insure warmth ; they 

 should be kept from the sow until the business is concluded, 

 which seldom lasts more than a couple of hours, and is frequently 

 over in a few minutes. It is not desirable that a hilt farrowing 

 at the age indicated should have more than seven or eight off- 

 spring ; and if there should be more, as is sometimes the case, it 

 is a good plan either to destroy the surplus, selecting of course 

 the weaker ones, or to make use of them as roasters when they 

 are three weeks old, and before they seriously draw upon the 

 maternal support ; but destruction at birth is the wiser economy. 

 In case the hilt shows symptoms of feverishness after farrowing, 

 it is well to administer a mild aperient in the food — say 4oz. to 

 6oz. of Epsom salts, with loz. of sulphur. The food, for a 

 couple of days at any rate, should be very thin, and, if possible, 

 given warm. Milk and fine sharps or pollards make an excellent 



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