Part 8 (2/2)
There is a tendency on the part of some pigmen who are over anxious to succeed to feed the sow too large a quant.i.ty of food during the first ten days or so after she has farrowed. During this period the demand on the sow is really not much greater than it was during the last two or three weeks of carrying the pigs. As the pigs grow older an increased supply of food is necessary, but for a week or two after the arrival of the pigs twice feeding of the sow should suffice unless she is very low in condition, or a very large litter of pigs is left on her. In such cases it may be advisable to feed her three times per day just as much as she will promptly clear up. It is a great mistake to give so much food at one time that a portion is left over in the trough, particularly is this so when the pigs are over three weeks old, as nothing so quickly upsets the stomachs of the youngsters as sour food.
If in ordinary cases feeding the sow three times daily is persisted in, the same quant.i.ty of food given should simply be distributed over the three feedings, as an excess of food is only less a mistake than underfeeding.
Three of the most common troubles with young pigs are diarrha, fits, and loss of the tail. There is a belief amongst many old pigmen that every litter of pigs is bound to have at least one attack of diarrha ere it is weaned. They look upon it as a fatality which is certain to eventuate, no matter what steps may be taken. Of course, this is folly.
The liability of little pigs to an attack of what is commonly called scouring is great as the causes are several, amongst them the greatest is perhaps a chill which may arise from draughts owing to faulty construction of the sty doors or ventilators neglected; insufficient, unsuitable, or damp bedding; neglect of proper sanitation, or the frequent cleaning out of the sty; and most frequently of all from injudicious feeding of the sow. In fact, anything which affects the health of the young pig to any great extent appears to result in indigestion, which causes constipation, and this in turn nature endeavours to remove by a special effort which softens the faeces somewhat. On removal of the cause of the constipation, the bowels perform their duty normally, but if this be not removed the result is diarrha, which again if continued for any length of time often becomes dysentery, when the fever is acute; the pigling neglects its mother's teat, and instead sucks up any moisture however foul which it can find in the sty. This is almost invariably a precursor of death.
From the above it will be gathered that prevention is better than cure.
In case of an attack, the first thing is to discover the cause, and the second is to remove it, when, generally speaking, the trouble ceases. As a help to this end, depriving the sow of one meal is recommended. Coal, cinders, or even earth will be readily eaten by the young pigs and prove of benefit. Medicine is not often required if the steps recommended are promptly taken.
In our earlier days hog's madder was the common medicine used with pigs for most ailments, but of late years sulphur appears to have taken its place. It is less violent than castor oil, which is apt to cause constipation of the bowels after its first effect has pa.s.sed off.
The soreness of the tails, which if not attended to generally results in the pig becoming bob-tailed, appears most generally in damp and cold weather, and is the result of impaired circulation of the blood. The cure is simple. The application of fat or oil as soon as the tail becomes red and cold, twice per day, and continued for two or three days will almost always result in a cure. For some years we used boro-glyceride, a compound, we believe, of boracic acid and glycerine, but we are not certain that it is now procurable.
The third of the common troubles of the young pig is fits of an apoplectic and epileptic character. As a rule the shortest, thickest, and fattest pigs of the litter are those which are affected. This points to the chief cause, too much food in the form of mother's milk. A reduction in the quant.i.ty of the food fed to the sow will generally be effectual, except when the pigs are old enough to eat. Then both the quant.i.ty and the quality of the food given to them should be reduced.
Prompt removal of the cause is usually sufficient, but it may be necessary to mix a little medicine in the food in persistent cases, or when remedial measures are not promptly taken. The ordinary symptoms are unmistakable, the pig falls on its side, struggles and gasps for breath, then in a minute or two it rises and appears to be little the worse.
Unless continued over a period, fits are not usually fatal.
Very occasionally young pigs suffer from the protrusion of the r.e.c.t.u.m, or as it is commonly termed ”shooting of the gut.” This is due to various causes which result in straining. Of these constipation and diarrha are the two most common. As soon as the protrusion of the gut is noticeable, the enlargement should be carefully washed, then oiled and gently pressed back into its natural position. Some pigmen advise the dusting of flour on to the protruded portion before it is returned, but there is a risk of increasing the amount of inflammation which is generally present. If known the original cause of the trouble should be removed, but in any case it is advisable not to give any solid food to the pig for two or three days after the operation.
Still another of the troubles to which pig flesh is heir is hernia, or rupture. This is of two kinds, umbilical and s.c.r.o.t.u.m. The former is the escape of a portion of the bowels through an imperfectly closed navel opening, whilst the latter shows itself in an enlargement of the s.c.r.o.t.u.m or purse due to an escape into it of a portion of the abdominal contents. Both of these ailments are considered to be hereditary, but the most common and the most troublesome is the latter, since there is always a chance of strangulation of the escaped portions, which nearly always results in death.
At one time it was considered to be inadvisable to castrate the boar pigs affected, but of late years the plan has been adopted of making only one incision in the s.c.r.o.t.u.m in place of two, and making that one as high as possible. Then after the operation is performed, the aperture is sown up. The pig should be fed lightly for a day or two in order to give time for the healing of the wound.
Umbilical hernia is not generally of much importance, the navel opening gradually closes as the pig grows stronger and the enlargement disappears. It is advisable not to breed from a sow pig which has been affected, nor to continue to use a boar which has begotten ruptured pigs, as both failings are hereditary.
For a time at least, there is certain to be a difficulty in obtaining a full supply of sharps, even of the greatly reduced feeding value of the present quant.i.ty available. It may, therefore, be advisable to refer to another system of feeding the suckling sow and the young pigs. It is now perforce being generally adopted, but the result is not generally considered to be equal to the old system recommended. It is that of feeding pigs of the kind mentioned on vegetable food, and a mixture of palm nut, cocoa nut, ground nut, or linseed cake. The proportions fed at the Cambridge University Farm are mangolds 20 lbs.; a mixture of two parts palm nut cake, and one part cocoa nut cake, 2 lbs.; linseed cake, 2 lbs.; and ground nut cake, 1 lb. The two former were fed in the morning and evening, and the other two at midday. The various cakes seem to have been fed in a dry condition, but other pig feeders have found it beneficial to soak the cake in water for some twelve hours. This view seems to have received support from the practice at Cambridge, which was to mix the cake with the cut mangolds twenty-four hours before being fed to the pigs so that at least a portion of the cake would become softened by the mangold juice. Almost any kind of vegetable matter containing a fair amount of nutrition would be equally as suitable as mangold, indeed more so during the period from October to April. In the winter months cooked potatoes; kohl rabi, swedes, parsnips, cabbages, artichokes, etc., fed raw; and in the summer gra.s.s, lucerne, clover, vetches, rape, or almost any kind of vegetable food will be readily eaten by the pigs.
Even where the wasteful practice of peeling the potatoes before being cooked for the household is still followed (and just how wasteful this old-fas.h.i.+oned plan is has been lately proved to be a loss of nearly one quarter of the nutriment)--it is advisable to boil the parings and then mix the whole with the pig's food.
It cannot be too strongly impressed on pig keepers that a certain proportion of vegetable food is most beneficial for pigs of all ages, as not only is a saving in cost effected, but the pigs will continue in a more healthy condition than when fed solely on meal or other concentrated food.
[Ill.u.s.tration: LARGE WHITE BOAR. The property of the Author. The Winner of many Prizes.
To face page 80.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo, Sport and General._
TAMWORTH SOW, ”QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES.”]
CHAPTER X
WEANING PIGS
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