CHAPTER XI 



FATTENING PIGS IN THE DRY LOT (THE 

 USE OF NITROGENOUS OR PROTEIN SUP- 

 PLEMENTS) 



BEFORE the pig crop is ready for market, a more or less 

 extensive period of dry lot feeding is usually necessary. 

 Early spring pigs which have been liberally fed during 

 the summer on good forage crops, or those which have 

 " hogged-down " corn until December, usually have the 

 weight and condition which make a long feed unnecessary. 

 Pigs which have been farrowed late, on the other hand, 

 and have received little grain during the summer, require 

 a rather extended period of dry lot feeding before attain- 

 ing the weight and finish desired by the market. The 

 average spring pig does not reach market until December 

 or January, which means a feeding period of sixty to 

 ninety days. 



One of the easiest classes of live-stock on the farm to 

 feed successfully is the well-known pig which is being 

 fattened for market. The problem of accomplishing this 

 most economically is rendered complex only by the great 

 variety of feeds available and the variations which occur 

 from year to year in the price of these feeds. 



The most profitable ration to feed in any year should be 

 determined ordinarily by the supply and price of home- 

 grown grains and the availability and cost of the different 

 nitrogenous or protein supplements on the market. 

 Usually, although not always, corn or some other home- 



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