284 FARM ANIMALS 
point for steers, will be 1.5 for sheep and 5.8 for hogs. 
I’rom this it is clear that in proportion to its weight the 
sheep eats more food than the steer and yields a greater 
increase in consequence; but the pig, by eating more 
heartily, consumes more food and yields more meat or in- 
crease than either. 
3. Fastest gains during early growth.—It used to be 
that hogs were kept as stockers on grass until they had 
reached a year or two in age, and then were fed until they 
weighed from 300 to 500 pounds. When slaughtered or 
sold they, of course, showed great returns, but the cost of 
FATTENING HOGS-FOOD CONSUMED TO PRODUCE 100 POUNDS GAIN 
100 200 300 400 500 6900 700 
FIRST FORTNIGHT 
SECOND FORTNIGHT ees 
THIRD FORTNIGHT Sen 
FOURTH FORTNIGHT [it itiiEnenneeeneneenerS 
FIFTH’, FORTNIGHT [iia nennereemenees 
Foop Consumep BY Hocs DuriNG FATTENING PERIOD 
During a 10-week fattening period, with hogs, the food consumption increases 
more than 50 per cent to produce 100 pounds of increase. There is a limit to 
which hogs may be profitably fed. 
bringing them up to such weights was not considered. 
When put to the test it was soon realized that while such 
hogs in the feed lot would take on large increase, the cost 
of the increase was far above the returns in money. In 
other words, large hogs will steadily take on increase, but 
they do so only with great consumption of food. 
4, What weight limit is best?—A pig of proper age and 
weighing under 100 pounds will require less than 300 
pounds of feed to yield 100 pounds of increase, while a 
mature hog weighing 300 pounds will demand over 
500 pounds of feed to yield 100 pounds of increase. 
There is, therefore, a decided economy in feeding hogs 
