FEEDING ANIMALS 117 



Feeding Young Pigs and Dams. 



What is the best kind of feed for little pigs from the time they 

 begin to eat until weaning time, if you have no cows' milk to give 

 them? I have some about four weeks old that I have been feeding 

 middlings and bran, mixing with water to a substance like mush and 

 they are scouring. Would alfalfa meal added to any mixture be good 

 for them? I have been feeding the mothers on beets. The pigs seem 

 to eat the tops and a little of the root. What would you advise feed- 

 ing the mother for best results? 



The scouring of the pigs may be due to their eating a grain mixture 

 containing wheat bran, or to eating beet tops, or both. Wheat bran 

 is quite laxative; it is relatively high in fiber, containing about ten per 

 cent thereof or more, and also contains an organic phosphorus com- 

 pound phytin which has a decided laxative effect. The same holds 

 true with beet tops, but in this case the laxative influence comes from 

 their high potash salts, mainly oxalates. Bran is not desirable feed 

 for pigs for the reason stated. Middlings or shorts, on the other hand, 

 make an excellent pig feed, and I would suggest that you feed the 

 pigs a mixture of ground barley and middlings in the proportion of 

 two to one by weight, or include in the mixture a little linseed meal 

 or tankage. Both of the latter, and especially tankage, are high- 

 protein feeds and are valuable for feeding supplementary to the grain 

 feeds given. Ground milo or Kaffir corn may be substituted for barley, 

 if available and cheaper. It would not be advisable to add alfalfa 

 meal to rations for young pigs as it is too high in fiber. A small 

 amount may do no harm, but tankage is better. 



The sows should receive plenty of highly digestible feeds, like 

 cereal grains and mill feeds, with protein feeds like alfalfa, linseed 

 meal, and also some succulent feeds, pasture or roots. Wheat bran is 

 all right for sows, but if they are receiving alfalfa hay or green alfalfa, 

 then middlings are better and a cheaper feed. Feed the pigs at the 

 rate of at least two per cent their weight of grain daily and the sows 

 about one-half pound of hay and three to four pounds of grain feed 

 daily per 100 pounds body weight. If roots are fed they may take 

 the place of grain in the proportion of ten pounds for every pound of 

 grain fed. F. W. W. 



Rations for Brood Sows. 



/ think of putting in about ten brood sows on land in the moun- 

 tains of central Monterey County and can raise all of the feed, such as 

 wheat, barley, emmer, Kaffir corn, Sudan grass, rape, stock-beets, Jerusa- 

 lem artichokes, English horse beans, sunflowers, melons, etc. Have 

 some acorns each year. No alfalfa sown yet. No milk. Now which of 

 this list would make the best combination for a balanced ration? Would 

 it be practical to "hog-off" all of the grains? We have a large range. 



By referring to my book "Productive Feeding of Farm Animals," 

 it may be seen that all the feeds mentioned are good swine feeds; and 

 the question whether they should enter into the ration of the sows 

 must be decided on the basis of relative yields and cost of production. 



