7 2 SWIXE CEOKGE E. DAY. 



The normal period of gestation for sows is 112 days, though 

 the}' very frequently run a day or two over this time. A 

 week or ten days before she farrows, the sow should be 

 placed in the farrowing pen, so as to become accustomed 

 to changed conditions before farrowing. She should still 

 be encouraged to take a moderate amount of exercise, 

 however. 



The pen should be provided with guard-rails, made of 

 2x8 inch planks fastened with the edges against the side of 

 the pen about ten inches from the floor. These prevent the 

 sow from lying against the partition, and lessen the danger 

 of injury to the little pigs, which often find the space under 

 the guard-rail a very convenient refuge. A little cut straw 

 makes the best bedding, as the little pigs are apt to become 

 entangled in long straw, and find difficult}' in keeping out of 

 the way of the sow when she moves about. The sow should 

 be handled, more or less, before she farrows, so that she mav 

 become accustomed to the presence of the attendant in the 

 pen. A sow treated in this way is less likely to become irri- 

 table and excited when the attendant enters the pen after 

 she farrows. If everything goes well, she will require but 

 little attention after farrowing, and the less she is inter- 

 fered with, the better, except when it is absolutely necessary. 



Many sows will take the boar a few da}S after farrowing. 

 To breed a sow at such a time is bad practice. No sow can 

 do justice to herself and two litters of pigs at the same 

 time. Usually, the sow may be bred again a few days after 

 her pigs are weaned, if not too much pulled down in condi- 

 tion by nursing. If she has raised a large litter and is ver\' 

 much emaciated, the chances are that she will produce a verv 

 small litter the next time, if she is bred immediately after the 

 pigs are weaned. In such instances, she should be given 

 three weeks or a month of liberal feeding to enable her to 

 regain her lost strength and vitality before she is bred. 

 Many a man has been puzzled to know why his sow, which 

 had raised a large litter, should drop down to four or five 



