OCR Text |
Show Better Care, Feeding Increase Hog Profits Improved Rations and Cleanliness Stressed Extra care for the brood sow snd her litter, with emphasis on cleanliness clean-liness and better feeding, will assure extra profits whether the herd includes in-cludes one sow or a hundred. Proof of that assertion is contained con-tained In the experience of Joseph O'Bryan of Hiatville, Kas., jiation-ally-known breeder and exhibitor of purebred Hampshlres, who raises about 3,000 hogs a year, most of them for market. Although O'Bryan raises hogs on a wholesale scale, ho keeps his op- wwiqspx '.y;-'.-snf 'mtfWyintnM i..i.im, i.j 4 $r 4 Si'iit- ii-jif.iMi.ii y.fi iiii-Mirirl,ti 'it,) ,m-mi O'Bryan with part of his herd of 2,000 purebred Hampshire gilts. eratlon on an individual farm basis as a means of insuring proper care. A program of better care and better feeding for sows and their litters, introduced on his farms in the fall of 1947, already has paid dividends, O'Bryan reports. With 100 litters last spring, he raised as much pork as he formerly raised from 150. Early In the gestation period sows were given a special ration of 80 per cent oats, 5 per cent meat scrap, 4 per cent palletized milk product and the balance either corn or wheat Sows were sprayed and washed thoroughly prior to farrowing. farrow-ing. Clean pens and a brooder for the little pigs also were provided. The sow's ration was changed when the pigr were about two weeks old, cutting down oats to about 40 per cent and Increasing portions of wheat or corn. At less than two weeks of age little pigs were started creep feeding feed-ing in a low pan or trough. Their ration consisted of 80 per cent oats, 4 per cent meat scrap, 8 per cent pelletlzed milk product and the balance bal-ance coarse wheat. Pans and troughs were washed and disinfected regularly. regu-larly. As the little pigs grow, oats In the ration is reduced while corn or wheat is increased to about 70 to 80 per cent Summarizing the program, O'Bryan maintains that he had much stronger strong-er pigs at birth, with earlier, faster and cheaper gains snd a marked reduction re-duction in mortality. |