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Dry-Meal Hoppers for Pigs. 



[Dec. 



partition between the sties. These were roughly constructed 

 as shown in the cross section, the sides of the hopper being made 

 of flat galvanized iron. The length is 3 ft., which is found to 

 be ample for two pigs to feed simultaneously on either side. 



Sows and Litters. — Dry feeders were now tried with great 

 Fuccess for the sows and litters, and the result has been that the 

 sows milk beUer, the httle pigs never suffer from scour, and 

 there are no difficulties at weaning time, as they start eating the 

 ary meal, which is always sweet, and carry straight on with it 

 after weaning without the usual set-back. 



Stores. — For a month after weaning the stores are dry fed in 

 orchards, and several advantages are noticeable, the most impor- 

 tant of which is that no matter how many are run together, they 

 all get an equal chance. After this stage they are usually folded 

 on vetches, kale or roots, and are not dry fed, but have 

 soaked whole maize and beans thrown to them, in order to make 

 them live chiefly on the green food. At about 9 stone live weight 

 they go to the fattening sties, where they are again put on dry 

 food, and a constant supply of green stuff o)' roots, which is most 

 important. Of course the pigs must always have w^ater, and a 

 very interesting point is that the amount of water consumed in 

 the fattening pens is now only half of what it was under the slop 

 system of feeding. 



In-Pig Sows. — An experiment has been made with success 

 in dry feeding the, in-pig sows. It was found that by feeding 

 only palm kernel cake and fish meal, neither of which is very 

 palatable, with green stuff, the sows did not get too fat, but kept 

 in nice breeding condition, only consuming labout 5 lb. of meal 

 per head per day. 



As this is purely a commercial farm, there has not been time 

 or opportunity for a number of interesting experiments which 

 might have been carried out, but the main result of dry feeding 

 has been that the average age of the bacon pig has been reduced 

 from 9 months to 7 months and a substantial saving in meal and 

 a great saving in labour have been effected. 



For outside use it was found that a door over the food troughs 

 was necessary, in order to prevent the meal from being blown 

 away, and to keep out birds and vermin. At first a vertical 

 swing door that pushed inwards was adopted, but it was found 

 that the pig usually took a mouthful of meal, withdrew its head 

 to chew it, and dropped a certain amount on the ground. Lift-up 

 fl.ap doors w^ere then adopted with great success. The pig has 



