The Breeding Herd 403 



success possible ; a bad one makes success very uncertain. 

 The advantages of the creep are that cleanhness is more 

 easily secured, and a smaller amount of high-priced feed 

 is necessary, as the sow does not require so expensive 

 a ration. 



If green pasture of any kind is in season, the weanling 

 pigs should still have access to it : and if they are to be 

 hurried for market, their other feed should be continued 

 in liberal quantities. If skim-milk is abundant enough to 

 permit its use in quantity for the pigs, it may be fed to 

 them twice daily in quantities not to exceed eight pounds 

 to 100 pounds live weight. Their other feed may well be 

 given through a self-feeder, or it may be given by hand 

 either at noon, if they are not to be hurried to the limit, 

 or at morning and night if they are. A better return 

 will be made for the skim-milk if used at the rate of only 

 five pounds for each 100 pounds of live weight. The other 

 feed of the pigs at this time may be ground oats, barley, 

 wheat, speltz, kafir, milo maize, or corn, according to the 

 price. If skim-milk is not available for the weanling pigs, 

 tankage, about one part to ten of grain, making a nutritive 

 ratio of about one to five, will be found satisfactory. 

 Oats should not form to exceed one-third of the ration if 

 rapid gains on the pigs are desired, but if only moderate 

 growth is to be secured, ground oats may form the greater 

 portion of the grain ration. If more rapid finish is de- 

 sired, the proportion of ground wheat or ground barley 

 should be increased so as to form at least two-thirds of 

 the grain ration. A good quality of middlings is more 

 valuable than any of the grains if fed in connection with 

 other feed, but as a single feed is unsatisfactory. In any 

 event, except for the suckling pigs, one should not pay 

 more than $5.00 a ton more for middlings than for the 



