Show EFFICIENT FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT By Dr Bohstedt Professor of 0 Animal Husbandry University of Wisconsin For Sows In Winter Corn silage or grass silage in brood sow rations makes a fall fair winter substitute f for pasture provided the silage is of good quality Since silage is u a bulky low low- energy feed it needs to be properly prop prop- properly erly supplemented It would al- al also al so seem to be somewhat better suited for older sows that have If larger capacity h capac- capac ity than gilts c J ing the use vf of oft I f t silage allege for t I t sows and the Indiana Iowa Experiment Stations Stations daily fed from 10 to U 12 pounds vf of corn silage or Dr po pounds un d s of grass silage to sows and gilts While sows might consume more silage if the supplement is fed on tol top of the sIlage adage this may resu result t in some waste of supplement so It Is usually fed at another time of day Corn silage on account of it its corn grain is the higher in energy en- en energy ergy but is b lower In protein minerals and vitamins The Indiana workers fed 1 pounds of a 38 percent protein hog supplement daily per sow with corn silage and just enough additional corn to keep the sows In a trim breeding con con con- condition On such rations gilts should gain about a pound a day and sows about three quarters of a pound The Iowa sows were fed from 2 to 6 5 pounds of 20 per percent tnt protein supplement a day Feed Feed- Feeding ing 2 to 3 pounds a day the first half of the pregnancy and 4 to tG 5 pounds the last half was considered advisable so as to meet the needs of the sow when the unborn pigs are developing most rapidly Without silage sows would need from G 6 to 8 pounds of a balanced grain mixture mIx mIx- mIxture ture daily Keep in mind that corn silage on the dry air basis has 7 per per per- percent cent total protein and grass sil- sil silage silage age about 12 percent where the over all ration for a sow should have 16 percent protein It is necessary therefore to have a higher protein supplement for forthe forthe the corn silage Unless the supplement Is well fortified with salt and trace minerals as well as calcium and phosphorus it wont won't hurt to let the sows BOWS have free access to a divided mineral box with witha a feed feed- feeding lag ing phosphate on one side and trace mineralized salt on the theother theother other Even if the supplement is fortified the divided salt min min- mineral eral feeding box is a good idea Questions How Is milk fever in cows prevented by the use of irradiated yeast yeast Answers Anwer According to Ohio and Maine research results 30 million units vf of vitamin D Dare Dare are fed daily to a cow mixed in her grain beginning three to seven days before the expected date of calving and one day after calving Feed this mix mix- mixture mixture ture not longer than about eight days |