3. =Feeding and care of the nursing sow.= The feed after farrowing should be about the same as before. At first she should have little more than a drink. A thin slop of middlings and water will serve. The sow should not be overfed and should be given a week or ten days to come to a full ration. The following is one good ration recommended:
(a) Equal parts of ground oat and wheat middlings, allowed to soak between feeds.
(b) Sweet skim-milk added to the above ration makes it almost ideal.
(c) Corn may be used as recommended for sows before farrowing.
(d) A certain amount of bulky, succulent feed such as hay and roots helps to keep the sow healthy.
(e) When the pigs are weaned, the feed of the sow should be cut down to check the flow of the milk. Dry oats are recommended for this purpose.
4. =Record work.= Be sure to keep all records called for on the record pages, including date of farrowing, number of pigs, method of housing, feeding rations, successes, failures, etc. Provision for weighing the pigs from time to time should be provided.
5. =Reading and study.= In connection with the practical work of raising your pigs, read at this time what your text and reference books have to say about care and management of the brood sow.
1. =Feeding the pigs.= About the first thought in connection with raising pigs is that they eat. It is important that every pig in the litter get its stomach full of the first milk of the sow. The young pigs will learn to eat when about three weeks of age. If the pigs can be fed separately from the sow, better results will be obtained. In one corner of the pen place a small trough for the pigs and fence it off from the sow. At least twice a day give the pigs as much sweet skim-milk as they will clean up. Do not leave any milk to sour in the trough. Then a few days after they begin to nibble grass and drink milk, a gruel of oats and wheat middlings may be made with the milk. Later a small amount of corn soaked for twenty-four hours may be placed in the trough. Do not feed more than they will clean up. Young pigs may be weaned at from eight to ten weeks.
2. =Some standard rations for growing pigs.=
(a) Fresh skim-milk as the base for a slop of oat middlings and wheat middlings, to which add a small amount of corn. (Feed three times daily.) As the pigs grow older the corn and middlings may be increased, but the corn should not be fed alone.