80 MISC. PUBLICATION 194, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



mternal parasites which give sheep so much trouble. If goats are 

 closely confined to one pasture and the pasturage is not in excess of 

 their needs so that they eat it down closely, they are quite as suscept- 

 ible as sheep to stomach worms and similar parasitic infestations. 



Goats are usually grazed on brushy pastures and ranges. Although 

 they are primarily browsing animals they cannot subsist throughout 

 the winter on brush which loses its leaves in the fall. Green bark is not 

 a good feed for the bulk of their ration. Evergreen brush, such as 

 mountain mahogany in the West, and evergreen oak in the South are 

 good winter feeds. Where such green winter browse is not available, 

 goats require pasture or hay the same as other livestock. They make 

 regular use of weeds and grass where such plants are available, as a 

 sole ration or as a supplement to browse. 



In humid regions goats are used extensi\rely to kill brush as a part of 

 clearing land. For best results they should be confined to limited 

 areas so they will keep the foliage and sprouts stripped. Generally 

 from 2 to 5 goats per acre will kill most brush in two seasons. 



Tall brush and trees should be cut so that sprouts coming up from 

 the stumps can be grazed until the roots are killed. In order to keep 

 the goats in good condition and have the sprouts eaten off thoroughly, 

 the area to be cleared may be divided so that the goats can be moved 

 as often as a substantial quantity of new growth is available. If this 

 is not practicable or does not keep them in tlii-ifty condition, they 

 should have supplementary grazing during the times when no new 

 growth of sprouts is assailable. 



PASTURES FOR SWINE 



Although pastures have an important place in the production of 

 hogs they cannot be used so extensively as for other livestock which 

 have a greater capacity for bulky feed. Hogs can live and even 

 make some gain on grass alone, but young hogs do not make satisfac- 

 tory growth and cannot be fattened to a desirable market condition. 

 When allowed free range and given access to plenty of mast, hogs are 

 able to care for themselves and will fatten to a moderate degree. 

 The chief attributes of pasture on the ordinary farm consist in the 

 opportunity to employ sanitation practices and the supplementary 

 values of the grass as a source of minerals, vitamins, and proteins. 

 Oidy breeding stock should be allowed to range over large pastures. 

 Hogs being fattened should be confined to areas which, though 

 furnishing adequate grazing, prevent excessive exercise. Pasturage 

 may replace, on the average, 15 percent of the concentrates and reduce 

 the protein supplement requned by about 50 percent. 



Ordinarily, an acre will furnish pasture for from 5 to 15 hogs aver- 

 aging 100 pounds in weight. It is a good plan to have two pastures 

 for each lot of hogs. By alternating them the pastures may be grazed 

 fairly closely and still provide good, succulent feed. Pasture crops 

 that are allowed to mature are not good feed for hogs. 



It is best to furnish hogs somewhat more pasture than they can 

 keep closely cropped in order to keep them out of the dirt. Bare or 

 nearly bare ground is a temptation to rooting when it is moist and a 

 greater source of parasitic infection than a good cover of vegetation. 



It is natural for hogs to root when the ground is soft. To avoid 

 having the sod broken and the pasture pitted with holes, ringing of 



