606 Feeds and Feeding. 



command. Middlings, ground oats and corn meal are particu- 

 larly useful and should be liberally supplied; some bran, ground 

 peas, barley and other grains will also prove helpful. The by- 

 products of the dairy — skim mUk and buttermilk — are always 

 in place and may be used to almost any extent. Cooked roots, 

 potatoes or pumpkins with a liberal admixture of meal form an 

 acceptable ration. 



At farrowing-time, as soon as the young pigs have drawn theii | 

 first sustenance, it is well to at once separate them from the dam, 

 placing them near by in a chaff -lined box or barrel. Sows which 

 have been properly handled before farrowing will not usually re- 

 sist such separation. Here the pigs are safe from harm, and the 

 attendant can pass them to the dam at intervals of a few hours 

 for nourishment. Mature sows are often so clumsy that unless 

 some precaution is taken they will kill their young by lying upon 

 them. After two or three days the pigs are sufficiently strong 

 and active to be entirely given over to the care of the dam. 

 Pigs often injure the teats or udders of the sow while sucking, 

 because of sharp teeth. Their mouths should be examined and 

 the injurious members filed or broken off — a simple operation. 



When two or three weeks old, pigs will take a little nourish- 

 ment provided for them in a separate trough, which should be 

 located at a convenient point in pen or lot accessible to the pigs 

 but not to the dam. At first, place only a pint or two of feed in 

 the trough, and when this is eaten give more. Skim milk will 

 be the most relished, but in its absence a thin porridge of mid- 

 dlings or sieved ground oats with a little oil meal will prove sat- 

 isfactory. Soaked grains of corn scattered over the feeding floor 

 will keep the young things busy and on their feet, getting exercise 

 while securing nourishment. The pigs should be encouraged to 

 eat as much as possible from the side trough. 



914. Exercise for young pigs. — Well-nurtured young pigs often 

 become very fat, and many die unless abundant exercise is pro- 

 vided. If sufficient exercise cannot be given, danger can in part 

 be averted by reducing the feed supply, though by this growth 

 is more or less checked. In the absence of more natural exercise, 

 the herdsman should turn the pigs out of doors two or three 



