Management and Feeding in Winter 65 



to over-fatness and inactivity opposed. However, a 

 reasonable amount of fat is an evidence of growth and 

 thrift and should not be received as a danger signal 

 and with starvation rations. The nice point in feeding 

 hogs of this class is to give them just the amount of feed 

 that will secure good growth, yet not enough to permit 

 them to become too fat. The experienced judgment 

 of the practical feeder is the most valuable asset in ob- 

 taining this result. 



The best ration to feed will depend on the conditions, 

 especially the supply and price of feeds. In practice, 

 the same ration fed the bred gilts will be suitable and 

 most practical for the open gilts and young boars. During 

 much of the winter, in fact, the gilts may be fed in the 

 same troughs. 



THE FEED COST OF WINTERING PREGNANT SOWS 



The cost of feeding a pregnant sow during the winter 

 is subject to wide fluctuations, largely due to variations 

 in the price of feeds and also to the opportunity and judg- 

 ment of the feeder in the selection of the rations. Varia- 

 tions in the weather and other natural conditions are 

 also influences which cannot be estimated. It is be- 

 lieved, however, that the practical need for basal figures 

 on the cost of producing pork is great enough to warrant 

 study at this time, even in the absence of any systematic 

 and extended investigations on which to base the study. 



Basing the calculations for mature sows on the average 

 number of pounds of concentrates and other feed re- 

 quired to produce, according to experimental tests, the 

 amount of gain desired during the winter, it is possible 

 to obtain reliable figures fairly representative of average 



