234 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. (orm 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 piys arc weaned, the feed should be ent 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. 
