Fattening for Market 413 



GAINS 



A pig on full feed should gain from one to one-and-three- 

 fourths pounds daily and should make 100 pounds of gain 

 on about 425 pounds of feed. The daily maintenance 

 requirement is about one per cent of the live weight of the 

 pig and about one-fourth of a full feed for mature swine, 

 but less than one-fourth of a full feed for growing and 

 fattening pigs. A 100-pound pig can consume six pounds 

 of feed daily, while the a^-erage daily feed consumed by 

 200-pound hogs is only about seven pounds. As a prac- 

 tice, heavy feeding during fattening is most economical 

 because rapid gains involve a shorter feeding period and 

 a smaller consumption of feed for maintenance. High 

 finish also is not secured on pigs which make their gains 

 slowly ; for they grow instead of fatten, and mere frame- 

 work without finish will not bring top prices. The age 

 of pigs affects the economy of gains as well as the quality 

 of the carcass, and the consequent price for each pound. 

 In the western markets, there is a difl^erence of nearly a 

 cent in the prevailing prices of heavy hogs and of 200- 

 pound pigs. This is not only in accord with the desire 

 of the consumer, but is economy to the producer, since 

 younger and smaller pigs produce more economical gains 

 than older or larger animals. 



Experiments have shown that, other things being equal, 

 pigs will gain more rapidly and economically on three 

 feeds daily than on two, but usually not enough to pay 

 for the extra labor involved. This is, of course, in accord 

 with the better gains made on the self-feeder. 



The palatability of a ration determines in a considerable 

 degree its usefulness to the pig. If unpalatable, the pig 

 will not eat as much as is required for economical gains 



