478 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



When the grain is fed in the form of meal, better results will 

 be secured by mixing with water, or better still skim-milk, and 

 fed as a mash. If skim-milk is used, much care should be taken 

 not to feed the animals too much, as they will take on flesh 

 rapidly and may become too fat. A very good mixture is made 

 by using one part meal to five parts of water or skim-milk. 



Another common mistake is confining the herd too closely in 

 the winter season. The quarters become very muddy. While 

 it is not possible to keep swine from rooting when the ground 

 is soft or from wallowing when the weather is warm, they 

 should be given sufficient room for exercise, and provided with 

 quarters free from mud where they may eat and sleep, although 

 the platform on which they feed should be separated from the 

 one on which they sleep. 



Feeding the young and old herd. — Since the young animals 

 are building bone and flesh for their own bodies, they need a more 

 nitrogenous ration than the older animals that have attained 

 their growth and need only enough protein to supply the waste. 

 While the feeding of the young herd will depend much on the 

 age at which the animals are bred, it may be said in a general 

 way that the young herd needs a narrower ration than the old 

 herd. Thus if the feeder has only sufficient skim-milk for a 

 part of the herd, it would prove more profitable to feed the 

 young herd the milk in connection with the grain and give 

 the old ones water with their other food. In this way the 

 younger animals will get the necessary mineral matter. The 

 importance of well-chosen nourishment for the young herd 

 cannot be overestimated. 



FATTENING SWINE 



Feeding swine for fattening differs essentially from feeding 

 the breeding herd. In fattening, the sole object is the economic 

 production of pork. As a rule the animals are forced to the 

 limit of their ability as feeders, fattened and marketed under one 



