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THE baby pig "blitz" of the 1947 

 farrowing season confronted farm- 

 ers with an old problem in a new 

 form. Nearly 100 per cent of the 

 spring pigs died in several cases. 

 Attention this spring is now focused 

 upon the problem of raising more baby 

 pigs. Statistics show that 40 per cent 

 of the pigs farrowed are never weaned. 

 That figure is not for 1947 alone, but is 

 an average for the past several years. 

 During the farrowing season last year 

 the temperature was below average. In 

 fact, March of '47 was 

 the coldest since 1932. 

 Besides low temperatures, 

 rain, snow, and sleet con- 

 tributed to unfavorable 

 farrowing conditions. This 

 weather condition was one 

 big cause for the heavy 

 baby pig losses of last 

 spring- 

 Economic conditions 

 during the fall and winter 

 of 1946 no doubt added 

 to the troublesome '47 

 farrowing season. Fluctua- 

 tion hog markets, due to 

 the removal of ceilings, 

 scarcity and high cost of 

 good supplements and pro- 

 teins no doubt contributed 

 to the poorly-conditioned 

 sows reported from many localities. It 

 would seem that all forces combined in 

 1947 to deal the new-born pig a knock- 

 out blow. 



I never prophesy what might happen, 

 but if I did, I would say that there 

 probably will be less trouble this spring 

 than last. Why? We cannot control 

 weather conditions, feeds are higher than 

 a year ago and diseases are always prev- 

 alent. So why am I optimistic' The 

 trouble encountered last spring made 



everyone keenly aware of the necessity 

 of having good breeding stock properly 

 nourished, and suitably housed for suc- 

 cessful pig raising. Sure, a lot of baby 

 pigs are going to die again this spring. 

 In some cases entire herds may die, but 

 I have faith in the farmers and their 

 willingness to apply what they know to 

 better advantage this spring, and con- 

 sequently raise many more pigs. 



Those of you who read this article and 

 have sows that will farrow are not going 

 to be able to change such things as the 



Clean sews and clean ground plus good 

 management equals profitable pork produc- 

 tion. 



As I indicated a moment ago, cold 

 and the chilling of baby pigs has a big 

 influence on their chances to live through 

 the first few days of their lives. The 

 Extension Service of the University of 

 Illinois attributes 41 per cent of the 

 baby pig deaths last year to chilling. 

 Of course, we can't influence the 

 weatherman, but we can improve the 

 protection we can give these sows and 

 their litters. By having sheds in good 

 conditions and weather-proofed, by in- 

 sulating them with straw, by using straw 

 lofts or anything that will keep these 

 baby pigs warmer and prevent them from 



By DR. DON VAN HOUWELING 



lAA Veterinary Medical Relations 

 Department Director 



getting chilled is a good practice. 



Pig brooders, by that I mean a light 

 bulb in one corner of the pen with a 

 hover around it. has saved one pig per 

 litter on an average under many trials 

 Central heating of farrowing houses has 

 the wide approval of those using it. Some 

 of this equipment may seem expensive 

 and impractical, but in the long run 

 will pay for itself by the pigs it will 

 save. 



Filthy hog lots (left) 

 make successful hog- 

 raising almost impos- 

 sible. Undernourished, 

 diseased pigs like the 

 one below have a 

 bleak future. 



yVarm Quarttrly Photof} 



selection of your breeding 

 gilts or the boar now. Nor 

 is there any use for me 

 to tell you what you should 

 feed these gilts before 

 they are bred and during 

 the first few weeks of their 

 gestation period. In other 

 words, the farrowing season is at 

 hand and you want to know what 

 you can do now ! 





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18 



L A. A. RECORD 



