Feeding and Handling the Herd 13 



Approximately one part of tankage or meat-meal, or two 

 parts of linseed oil meal, or five to six parts of wheat 

 shorts or middlings, to twelve parts of shelled corn will 

 make a balanced ration. Outside of the corn-belt, the 

 available grains should take the place of com, and be 

 fed, when supplemented with a purchased protein feed, 

 in practically the same proportions. 



When it is necessary to feed grain to sows that are 

 already in strong condition, or when reducing show sows, 

 the above suggestions as to kind of rations are appropriate. 

 With good forage crops or pasture or roots available, 

 however, little grain will be necessary. The rations 

 most suitable for the gilts should contain more protein 

 than those for mature sows, because a large proportion 

 of their food is used for growth. About one-half more 

 shorts, tankage, or other protein feed should be given 

 than in the proportions recommended above for older sows. 



Amount to feed. 



The best and most practical guide in determining how 

 much to feed the sows at this time is the condition of 

 flesh they are in. It is probably true that the amount fed 

 must be subjected to more variation than the character 

 of the ration or the combination of feeds. The necessity 

 for grading is largely due to the ill effects of feeding the 

 fat sow as liberally as the thin one. A mature sow in 

 breeding condition can be maintained without loss of 

 weight, as a rule, by a little less than li pounds of average 

 grain daily for each 100 pounds weight. Also, a mature 

 sow wiU nearly maintain her weight on good blue-grass, 

 and will make some gain when on a suitable forage crop, 

 if medium to thin in condition. These facts are useful 

 in estimating the quantity of grain to feed in the begin- 



