Show VARIETY OF HOUSES FOR THE HOGS J A well built and well arranged hog house houie showing Arrin arrangement gement of out sido aldo pent pens tho the variety of hog houses housea to Is almost BB as great OB am tho variety of individuals using thorn them it is rare indeed to find oven even a semblance of uniformity prevailing in a community there are however only two or three general types which commend themselves to the careful hog man of tho the two styles of large houses tho the larger has two rows of pens an alley through the middle and a jog in the loot for windows to light the north pens while watlo the smaller has but one row of polis pens with an alley and a row of windows on the south side the double house is much cheaper per pen and for that reason is to be preferred less work to is also required to care for tho hogs bogs than whore where a single row of pens is used says bays tho united states department of agriculture probably the cheapest house possible is a low building with a row of pens and no alley but such house is much less lesa convenient especially in storay stor wy weather A large hog house bouse should always stand east and west facing the south ia eo th that atthe the maximum amount of sunshine may be had in each pen when a double house is ia used which is much the cheapest tho outside pens on the north ire are often of little use in early spring and late fall on account of the shado and tho cold winds this difficulty can bo be partially overcome by changing sowa mows so BO that those which have not farrowed furrowed far rowed and those with the tho oldest pigs which have least need of warm outside pens are on the north side in the majority of largo hog houses tho the upper appe windows are not so BO placed that tho the sun sunshine will strike tho the floor when it to la moat deeded there indeed it a hog house with the windows in the proper position in ia rarely seen been direct sunshine should strike the floor in every pen for as many hours in the alyas day aa possible at the time when the pigs are farrowed furrowed far rowed nearly every one realizes realia es this is a matter of tho the greatest importance but too often the builder does not take the trouble to find out whether he ha la Is getting it or not ordinarily the farmer has hag no means of ascertaining where to put the windows so as to got get the maximum amount of aun shino at tho time he wants it unless he be happens to bo building just at that time which Is very unusual the country to la dotted with hog houses la ia which tho the owner thought ho he was waa putting tho the windows where he wanted them but found later they were in the wrong place whether tho large house with individual pens la is better than tho the individual cot Is an open question perhaps largely a matter of individual preference each has its distinct advantages which can not bo be secured in the other many mn ny of the best hog raisers aro now providing themselves with both types of oc houses and this seems to bo be the most satisfactory method it is no more expensive in the long run for all the buildings can be kept in use the year round in such cases tho the larger houses are used for rowing farrowing far quarters and as soon boon as the pigs are a week or two old or as soon eoon as the weather permits tho the BOWS and utters litters are removed to the individual cots during the remainder of the year the large houses are utilized for sleeping quarters tho small cot has tho advant advantage ago of keeping each sow from being disturbed byrhe by the others and lessens the danger from contagious and infectious diseases the disturbance in a large house however Is IB usually not a serl ous matter and la is aften 0 aten unduly emphasized pha sized after the pigs got get a little start there Is usually more or loss robbing where many are together the individual cot lessens this trouble when the surroundings become no anitaray ani tary the cot can easily be moved to a clean place probably the greatest disadvantage in the cot ts to the large amount of work required to tend the stock this Is a matter of no small importance there are usually no windows so BO there Is no sunshine or light when the root roof door Is closed there Is 19 however aho 10 reason why windows and ventilation should not bo be provided the open toot loot which Is commonly used places the pigs in more danger of being chilled by cold winds and sudden storms when the attendant is IB avay away unless the cot is unusually well built it Is somewhat Bome what difficult to keep warn in very cold weather than the larga house the variety of individual hog housea house to la greater if anything than that oi 01 largo large houses bouses but they are readily sop sops amablo into two general classes classee tha A shaped cot and the various cots cota with perpendicular sides bides the A shaped cot to is quite satisfactory when well built and provided with a window and ventilating door but generally these are lacking nearly all of tha cots with perpendicular sides have hava doors in the roof or la in the south side eldo to be opened in sunny bunny weather it ip if easier to care for tows in thead houses housea than in the A shaped ahamed cots all cots cota should bo be built on skids the hog house floor is an unsettled question the ground with woven wire stretched on top to prevent the tha hogs from rooting makes a good floor electrically welded corncrib wire la is very satisfactory this makes a floor which is in easy on the hogs almost free from rats and if properly bedded it is warm and dry it Is however more difficult to keep freo free from dust than some other floors many blany concrete floors are used but they are cold liable to bo be wet and are hard on the hogs bogs feet often almost an entire pig crop and many mows are lost by taking cold on concrete floors concrete floors are however very satisfactory is when covered with plank overlays or false also floors which should be raised from the concrete about an inch by nailing cleats on the under bide aide the wood portion of this floor consists of two by four inch timbers laid about one fourth inch apart abart to allow drainage cork brick on con crete makes an ideal floor from the standpoints of warmth and sanitation but to la very expensive and the brick are eb duj by the pigs board floors are expensive short lived cold ioup it up off the ground and make the worst kind of rat harbors harbora an old hog house with ith wood floor was waa visited in which the owner said tho the rats had gotten over half the pigs several men report that rats may bo be kept out by packing sand or cinders to the top of the foists before laying the floor but these materials are often too expensive to be ba used tor for this purpose pig ralla rails or guard rails should be placed on the inside of the pen from six to ten inches from tho the floor according to the size elzo of the sow BOW and should stand out six or eight inches to prevent the sow BOW from mashing the pigs against the wall vall it will bo be found convenient to havo have the alley gates removable by lifting out six by eight feet to Is generally found to bo a very satisfactory size tor for pens but if feeding Is to be done inside inrid the pen will need to be longer in order to give room to feed and water with out getting the bed befouled very large such as are sometimes kept for breeders bleeders bre eders may need mors more room but the producer of pork will not need a larger pen small sows bows do not need this much room and it might bo be good economy to make half of tha pens five feet wide five by eight feet will accommodate a small email sow BOW very well in most cases either ventilation la is lacking or the house is drafty in a wel double walled building little litile moisture will gather on the tha walls even in cold weather while in a poorly TOnti ventilated one thick coats coata of frost will often gather and the whole house will be damp when the tha frost melts it is not easy to secure a good supply of fresh air and prevent all drafts from striking xa pigs there are however sey beyerl erl quite satis satisfactory factor Y methods method 8 0 of f bentila vent ven lla tila tion in use time the commonest one is to make some of the windows so they will either slide or swing owing on hinges whitewashing tl inside of tho the bouso Is tin an excellent practice 4 besides going a long way toward bisin fec ting it increases the light materially when tho sunshine strikes a whitewashed wall much of it is reflected to the floor and does a great deal of good dark houses which mu must at be used will be much improved by whitewashing i pen showing floor with removable a wood overlay |