62 Pork Production 



to secure an adequate gain during the pregnancy period. 

 In view of the fact that they will eat treble this amount 

 if given the opportunity, the folly of measuring the amount 

 fed by the appetite is apparent. In practice, the only 

 safe rule to follow is to measure the amount by the condi- 

 tion and weight of the sows. 



The gilts were fed, on the average, 1.61 pounds of con- 

 centrates daily for each hundredweight, and made the 

 average gain of 94 pounds during the pregnancy period. 

 The gilts fed at the North Platte, Nebraska, station re- 

 ceived chopped alfalfa hay with their grain, while those 

 at the Iowa station were not given any roughage. 



Gilts must be fed more heavily during the pregnancy 

 period than mature sows because in addition to the 

 demands for maintenance and the developing pigs, their 

 own requirements for growth should be provided for. 

 Although their loss of weight at farrowing time and 

 during the suckling period is less than with mature sows, 

 their gains may safely be made larger. In actual prac- 

 tice, the purpose should be to keep the young sows thrifty 

 and growing without endangering their activity by 

 allowing them to become too fat. 



The extent to which early breeding of gilts may result 

 in a permanent check to their development is largely 

 determined by the kind and amount of the rations fed 

 during the first gestation period. As with mature sows, 

 the best guide to follow in feeding pregnant gilts is to 

 limit the amount by their condition. 



Preparation of feeds and method of feeding. 



It seems to make little difference whether the sows 

 are fed their concentrates in a wet or a dry condition, 

 although many still maintain that the feeding of slops is 



