WEANING THE PIGS 237 



crowd out the smaller ones which will allow the larger 

 ones to develop as they should, but the smaller ones will 

 become runty or stunted and unable to make satisfactory 

 gains thereafter. 



REMOVING A PART OF THE LITTER. 



In regard to the second practice, the arguments as seen 

 by the writer are unfavorable. If part of the pigs are 

 weaned or taken away from their dam and fed properly, 

 they will get along and develop all right, but the little 

 ones that are left with the dam for the assumed purpose 

 of drying up the sow gradually will not develop as they 

 should. As previously stated, the pigs as soon as far- 

 rowed take their places at the udder of the dam. These 

 places they will hold through the lactation period except 

 when they are crowded away by larger pigs of the litter 

 or by pigs of another litter. Usually the pig has only one, 

 but sometimes two teats of the udder. When the smaller 

 pigs are left with the sow after the larger ones are taken 

 away they will naturally keep their own places at the 

 udder. If the dam is to furnish milk for these pigs she 

 must necessarily be fed, and while she is supplying milk 

 from the parts of the udder occupied by these pigs, she 

 will also have it in the rest of the udder. Because the 

 pigs have been accustomed to their respective places, they 

 will drain only this part of the udder which will result 

 in an oversupply of milk in the greater part of the udder 

 and may produce either a caked udder or milk fever, and 

 result disastrously for the pigs that are left as well as for 

 the dam herself. If the little pigs that are left with the 

 dam in such a case make an attempt to perform their duty 

 as intended and try to drain the udder, they will likely 

 get such a great quantity of milk and get it in such a con- 



