FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



chance to run on grass during the fall 

 and get a good start before winter sets 

 in. There is no reason why two litters 

 should not be produced by the same sow 

 every year she is used for breeding. 



Fig. 344 BREEDING CRATE FOR HOGS 



Care of the young pigs — As stated 

 above, the young pigs will begin to take 

 a small amount of food in addition to 

 the sow's milk at three or four weeks 

 of r.ge. From now on, they should be 

 fed an abundance of such substantial 

 muscle, bone-making, and growing foods 

 as skim milk, shorts, pea meal, ground 

 barley, and pasture. They should gain 

 on the average a pound a day up until 

 the time they are slaughtered for market 

 at eight or nine months of age. Of 



be no loss in growth; if not done at this 

 time, the operation should be delayed 

 until about a month after weaning, or 

 until the pigs have become accustomed 

 to eating solid food. 



After castration, a young boar pig 

 is known as a "barrow." All the female 

 pigs up to the time they are bred are 

 commonly called "gilts," "yelts," or 

 "hilts." The term "gilts" is most com- 

 monly used in America. If wanted for 

 pork the gilts should be spayed when 

 about three months old. (See Spaying 

 in Chapter III.) 



The pigs intended for breeding pur- 

 poses should be fed nutritious growing 

 rations, consisting of pasture, skim milk 

 and some of the more nitrogenous grains 

 or mill feeds. They need plenty of ex- 

 ercise and fresh air and such rations as 

 will keep them growing well without the 

 production of an excessive amount of 

 fat. They must be kept growing. A 

 pig stunted in growth never satisfac- 

 torily recovers. The object in the case 

 of breeding stock is to build up a strong 

 framework, good, healthy, well-developed 

 vital organs and digestive system. The 

 boars should be kept separate from the 

 sows after the third or fourth month 

 of age. All pigs, whether for breeding 

 purposes or for pork, need grain while 

 at pasture. Skim milk is not so essen- 



Fig. 345 — FARROWING PENS AT THE KANSAS EXPERIMENT STATION 



course, during the first few weeks of 

 growth, they will not make so large a 

 gain as this, but towards the end of the 

 feeding period they should gain much 

 more than this. 



Castrating — When four to six weeks 

 of age, or about a month before weaning, 

 all the male pigs intended for pork 

 should be castrated. If done at this 

 time, while sucking the sow, there will 



tial and, in fact, can well be dispensed 

 with when hogs have good and sufficient 

 pasture. For young pigs, however, two 

 to three months old, skim milk will be 

 found very useful when at pasture. 



FOOD EATEN BY PIGS FROM BIRTH 

 TO MATURITY 



Professor Carlyle at the Wisconsin 

 station investigated the amount of feed 



