430 Western Live-stock Management 



MANAGEMENT 



The heavier investment in pure-bred stock justifies 

 and in fact demands greater care to prevent disease and 

 loss than is given grades for market purposes. The diifer- 

 ence in feed, however, is slight since the best feed is usually 

 the most profitable in producing market pork even on a 

 very economical plan. The great problem of the breeder 

 is marketing. One can sell pork for the market price at 

 any time, but he has to make a particular effort to sell 

 breeding stock. 



MARKETING 



Breeding hogs are usually marketed somewhere between 

 three and twelve months of age with the larger part be- 

 tween five and ten months. Gilts are commonly sold 

 after they have been bred and safe in pig. The beginner 

 may thus buy only one animal yet in a few days have a 

 whole litter. He will also not have to buy a boar until 

 ready to breed for the second litter, and when purchased 

 the boar may be used both on the original sow and upon 

 the females of the first litter. A full herd is thus obtained 

 with the purchase of but two animals. For these reasons 

 bred gilts are very popular. They are usually about ten 

 or eleven months old and due to farrow in a month or six 

 weeks. If sold immediately after breeding the purchaser 

 cannot be sure they are in pig, while if due to farrow in a 

 few days they cannot be moved without danger. Boars 

 and open gilts are usually marketed at not over nine 

 months of age. Pigs of any kind over twelve months old 

 are difficult to sell, and have consumed a large amount 

 of feed. 



