228 FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT 



a friend, there is much less danger of trouble from nervous, 

 excited 'sows when the critical time of farrowing arrives. 



Feeding and Management after Farrowing. After farrow- 

 ing, the sow should not be disturbed, and if she lies quietly for 

 ten or twelve hours, or even more, so much the better. When 

 she- wants anything, she will come to the trough for it. At 

 first she 'should have little more than a drink. A very thin 

 slop of middlings and water will answer very well. If the 

 weather is cold, tepid water should be used. During the first 

 three days, great care must be exercised not to over feed, and 

 the ration 'should be kept very light. After this, the feed 

 may be gradually increased, taking a week or ten days to reach 

 full feed. A good mother with a large litter requires very 

 liberal feeding, but if the litter is small, it may be necessary to 

 reduce the feed. 



Many different rations are used for nursing sows. Equal 

 parts of finely ground oats and wheat middlings, allowed to soak 

 between feeds, makes a most excellent ration. If sweet skim- 

 milk can be added to the mixture, it makes an almost ideal 

 ration. Corn may be used as recommended for sows before 

 farrowing, and in larger quantities if skim-milk is available. 

 A certain amount of roots and green feed are always in order, 

 but the sow should not be expected to subsist upon such feeds 

 at this time. A limited amount of bulky, succulent feed helps 

 to keep the sow healthy. 



The sow's udder may become hard and inflamed. If so, 

 it is a good plan to bathe thoroughly with hot water and apply 

 equal parts of lard and turpentine. 



When the pigs are weaned, the feed should be cut down to 

 check the secretion of milk. Dry oats make a safe feed for 

 the sow for a few days after the pigs are weaned. If the 

 udder gets very full, it is a good plan to turn the sow in with 

 the pigs once a day for a few days. 



