440 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



acquainted with some concentrated feeds, they are sure to be seri- 

 ously checked in their growth. The farmer who has some skim 

 milk will experience no difficulty at all in carrying the pigs through 

 this period, as the skim milk, with the proper grain ration, takes the 

 place of the mother's milk. (F. B. 411.) 



Breeders differ widely as to the age of weaning. The majority 

 wean at six to ten weeks, with a considerable number at twelve 

 weeks; some wean later than twelve weeks and a few earlier than 

 six weeks. The breeders who wean at the early periods usually are 

 situated where dairy by-products are plentiful, and they usually 

 raise two litters each year, making the demands of the pigs on the 

 sow as brief and light as possible. Breeders in the corn belt wean 

 at the more mature ages, rarely weaning as young as 6 weeks, and 

 often allowing the pigs to reach the age of 16 weeks before the sow 

 is taken away. A considerable number make no attempt to wean 

 as the word is generally used ; that is, there is no enforced separation 

 of the sow from her pigs; the pigs run with the sow until her 

 instinct tells her that they are old enough to shift for themselves. 



The method of weaning will depend somewhat on circum- 

 stances. If the pigs are so little dependent on the sow's milk that 

 she is gaining rapidly in flesh and lessening in milk flow the wean- 

 ing may be abrupt, the sow being taken away out of hearing. If 

 she is still milking considerably she may be returned to the pigs 

 once a day for two or three days, or the pigs may be taken away in 

 detachments, beginning with two or three of the largest and strong- 

 est, then the next strongest, leaving the weakest ones of the litter 

 to complete the drying off. 



Whether the weaning is brought about directly or gradually, it 

 should in all cases be complete and decisive. The pigs should be 

 placed apart from the sows in quarters secure enough to prevent 

 communication. By no means should pigs be allowed to follow a 

 sow until she is almost worn out. The pigs are no better and 

 the sow infinitely worse than if weaning had been brought about 

 properly. (F. B. 205.) 



Pigs begin to eat at 4 to 5 weeks old and it is always best to 

 have them eating well before weaning. They can best be fed in a 

 creep or small pen away from the old sows. The ration should 

 be fed from an easily cleaned, small, V-shaped trough. They will 

 early learn to eat shelled corn, and a small quantity should be kept 

 handy in a trough or clean spot on the floor. This dry corn pre- 

 vents the slop ration from causing scours. 



It is very important to keep little pigs from getting off feed. 

 They should thrive and grow steadily ; have fresh feed, clean troughs 

 and comfortable quarters. The young pigs should be fed three 

 times a day, but not an excessive amount, and may be weaned at 

 6 weeks, or, better, 8 weeks. If a few smaller pigs are left with the 

 sows when the larger ones are weaned, the milk flow will be dried 

 of? gradually. Otherwise the sows should be turned in with the 



