Profitable pork production: a book for farmers and swine growers

Preface

This little book is published to meet the demands of the busy man on the farm. In the preparation of this work, special attention has been given to present day problems as they affect the corn belt farmer. It is presented in simple, plain language. The sole object of this book is to help the farmer and hog raiser in the growing and fattening of swine for market purposes. The statements herein contained are the results of practical tests in which over two thousand head of pigs were grown and fattened for the market. No theories or speculations are offered. My earnest hope and desire is that each man who reads this work will find some useful suggestions which he can apply profitably in his swine growing operations.

W. J. KENNEDY.

CHAPTER I The Profitable Type of Hog

PAGE

Constitution 6

Body Capacity 7

Feet and Legs 7

Straightness of Body Lines 9

Shoulders _ 9

Quality 9

CHAPTER II Preparation of Corn and Other Feeding Stuffs

Corn 10

(a) Dry ear corn (d) Soaked corn meal

(b) Soaked shelled com (e) Dry corn and cob meal

(c) Dry corn meal (f ) Soaked corn and cob meal

Barley 13

Shorts 13

Wheat 13

Tankage or Meat Meal 14

Rye 14

Oats 14

Oil Meal 14

Cottonseed Meal 14

Gluten Feed 14

Potatoes : „ 14

Pumpkins 15

Skim Milk 15

Alfalfa and Clover Hay 15

CHAPTER III Feed, Care and Management of Brood Sow

General Introduction 16

Early or Late Litters 18

Feeding Sows Previous to and During Breeding Season 20

Feeding During Pregnancy Period 22

Rations for Brood Sows 23

Influence of Rations on Size of Pigs at Birth 24

Influence of Rations on Condition of Pigs at Birth 26

Feeding at Farrowing Time 26

Feeding During Suckling Period 28

CHAPTER IV Forage Crops and Summer Feeding of Swine Points to be Observed in Selecting Forage Crops 29

Alfalfa 31

Rape 33

Clover — Medium Red 36

Oats, Medium Red Clover and Rape 37

Oats, Canadian Field Peas and Rape 38

Sweet Clover _ 39

Blue Grass and Timothy '. _... 41

Rye 42

CHAPTER V Hogging Down Corn General Introduction 43

Kind of Corn and Supplements to Use 44

(a) Rape (b) Soy Beans (c) Rye

Size of Hogs to Use 46

Time to Turn Hogs in Corn Field 47

Watering the Hogs 48

Size of Field to Use 48

Number of Pigs per acre 49

CHAPTER VI Fattening Hogs in Dry Lot Advantages of Dry Lot Feeding 50

Rations for Pigs From 50 to 75 Pounds 53

Rations for Hogs From 100 to 150 Pounds 13

Rations for Hogs 175 Pounds and Upwards 54

Fattening Hogs Behind Cattle 55

CHAPTER VII Treatment of Worms, Lice and Prevention of Diseases Parasites 56

Lice : 57

Mange 57

Worms 58

The Round Worm 58

Thorn Headed Worm 59

Treatment for Hogs Infected With Worms 59

Treatment to Use as Prevention of Worms 60

Canker or Sore Mouth 60

Thumps : 61

Sun Scald 61

Coughs - 61

Black Teeth 61

Sore Tails Q2

Paralysis 62

Tuberculosis 62

Hog Cholera 63

Drenching Hogs 64

Importance of Sanitary Conditions 64

S PROFITABLE PORK PRODUCTION

CHAPTER I The Profitable Type of Hog

The first and most important point in pork production is to have the right type of hog. This hog must meet the demands of the consumer. He must also produce large and economical gains so as to insure a profit for the producer. In other words, he must be a utility animal. The question of individuality is of much more importance than breed. We have good hogs and also undesirable hogs in each and every one of our recognized breeds. Each individual hog raiser must settle the question of breed for himself. The ideal farmer's hog is the animal which never lies to the assessor. He is farrowed after the assessor arrives this year and is marketed at a weight of three hundred pounds or better before he comes back next year. Such hogs are not all confined to any one breed nor are they all red or black or white in color. This is the kind of a hog which can convert feed into dollars and cents at a profit to his feeder.

POINTS TO LOOK FOR IN SELECTING HOGS

Constitution. In all classes of live stock we. can never pay too much attention to the question of constitution. This is especially true of swine. The daily gains and health of the hog are largely determined by the question of constitution. The more vigorous the hog, the more he will eat and the more he eats the heavier and the more economical the daily gains. Thus vigor insures the two most important points to be observed in pork production, namely: rapidity of gains and economy of gains. Now what are some of the indications of constitution? (1) A large heart girth, as

THE PROFITABLE TYPE OF HOG 7

indicated by depth of body behind the shoulders and width of floor of chest. (2) A broad head with good month and nostrils. Avoid a hog with a narrow tucked in chest or a pinched muzzle with small nostrils, as both of these defects are very serious.

Body Capacity. The hog is simply a machine to convert food into meat. The greater his body capacity the greater his ability to make rapid and economical gains from the food furnished. Body capacity is obtained in three ways and all of these are to be found in real useful hogs, namely : length of body, width of body and depth of body. The two most serious defects in this connection are lack of length and lack of depth. Insist on having all these and especially the last two.

Feet and Legs. A large heavy bodied hog requires good strong feet and legs to take him to market. If he breaks down on the way he is sold as a cripple at a very much reduced price. The legs should be straight, strong and well supported below both the hocks and knees. The bone should be fairly large and of good quality. Avoid a meaty boned hog as it indicates coarseness and lack of strength. The ideal bone, below the knee and hock of the hog, is clean cut and gradually tapers to the pastern joint. The pasterns should be short and strong. The toes should be short and kept well together. Spreading toes are very undesirable. Avoid a hog with crooked hind legs or knock kneed in front as both are very objectionable.

Head. The head of the young pig is a fairly good index of his future development. If the head is broad, strong in the muzzle, with large nostrils and a large mouth, the pig should develop into a large well proportioned hog. Avoid a pig with a narrow head, small muzzle and small mouth as it is seldom that such an animal ever amounts to much. These

A USEFUL TYPE OF BOAR

THE TYPE OF HOG WHICH CONVERTS CORN INTO DOLLARS AND CENTS

THE PROFITABLE TYPE OF HOG 9

are the points which indicate utility or the lack of utility, thus should be observed.

Straightness of Body Lines. In all young animals it is advisable to insist on straight top, or slightly arched and straight bottom lines. These indicate strength and vi gor, also go to make up a well proportioned hog. We always look for an arch back in the pig, but with age the animal may show some deviation in this respect. A straight underline is always desirable. The width of back should be carried well down on the sides. Avoid a V-shaped body conformation.

Shoulders. The shoulders should be wide but sniooth on top and on the sides. Every market discriminates against a coarse, rough shouldered hog as lacking in finish and quality.

Quality. While size should not be lost sight of for quality, still we must have quality. It is something which is demanded by all packing house men. They object very seriously to coarse, rough shoulders and wrinkles or creases on the sides, back or loin. A nice thick, straight coat of hair always helps the general appearance and attractiveness of a bunch of market hogs. Coarse, curly or wirey coats are always considered as external indications of wastefulness from a dressing standpoint and coarseness of grain of meat. Insist on a large smooth hog with plenty of finish. No attempt is made in this conection to describe the breed characteristics of the different breeds of swine. That is a subject in itself. The utility, or dollar and cent end of the pork proposition alone has received attention.

The hog for the corn belt farmer is the one which will make the largest number of pounds of good edible meat from a bushel of corn and the various kinds of supplemental feed fed in conjunction with the corn.

CHAPTER II Preparation of Corn and Other Feeding Stuffs

In all swine feeding operations, we must ever keep two things in mind, namely: economy of gains and rapidity of gains. Any method of feeding or of preparing feed for hogs which insures more rapid and more economical gains should commend itself to the swine raiser. We must always be able to answer the all important question, "Does it pay?''

The most common methods of preparing feeding stuffs for swine are grinding, soaking, cooking or cutting, depending upon the nature of the feed used. Each and every one of these methods of preparation means additional cost. In the discussion which follows each feeding stuff will be considered separately. It is believed that this arrangement will prove more convenient to the reader.

Com. In all of the corn belt states com stands as the peer of all feeding stuffs from the point of economy of gains. It leads all others from the standpoint of total digestible matter. In carbohydrates, the fat forming compound, corn ranks high. While corn should always constitute from sixty to ninety per cent of all hog rations, still the addition of some other feeding stuff, rich in protein and ash matter, to the corn ration, always insures more rapid and generally more economical gains.

Very extensive experiments in regard to the preparation of corn for swine feeding have been conducted at the Iowa Experiment Station. These cover the feeding of ear corn, soaked shelled corn, dry corn meal, soaked corn meal, dry corn and cob meal and soaked corn and cob meal to some 312 head of all

PREPARATION OF FEEDS H

ages and weights. The various costs of the different methods of preparation were as follows:

Shelling corn Ic per bushel.

Grinding shelled corn to meal 2c per bushel.

Grinding ear com twice to fine corn and cob meal 6c per bushel.

Soaking corn or corn meal Ic per bushel.

Where soaking was practiced the water was added 12 hours before feeding time. The table, on page 12, giving the weights of hogs used, the average daily gains, the amount of feed per 100 pounds of gain and the cost per 100 pounds of gain with corn at 50c per bushel and the return per bushel of corn when pork sells at $6.00 per cwt. will be found useful and instructive.

Experiments reported on page 12 were extensive, thus should be reliable. The results obtained would seem to justify the following general conclusions in regard to the methods tested of preparing corn for hogs.

1. That pigs from weaning time up to 200 lbs. in weight made the most economical gains when fed on dry ear corn, although in some instances shelled corn soaked 12 hours made somewhat faster gains.

2. Hogs over 200 lbs. in weight made more economical gains on shelled corn soaked in water 12 hours than on dry ear com or com meal in any form and the gains made were almost as rapid. The amount of corn saved by shelling and soaking ranged from 4 to 7.5 per cent, in the different lots, being highest in those lots on pasture.

3. Shelled com soaked 12 hours was more palatable and produced faster and more economical gains than shelled corn which had been soaked 24 hours. It proved useless to grind com for hogs of any ag©

Lots

Kind of Corn

Total days fed

Ave. daily gain

Feed ICost per 100

per lUU corn at 50c lb. gainj per bu.

Return from bu.

of com Pork--$6.

Three months old pigs weighing from 45 to 50 lt)s. each fed on grass.

Dry ear corn

Soaked shelled corn...

Dry corn meal

Soaked corn meal

Dry corn and cob meal Soaked corn and cob meal

$4.28

4.43

5.02

4.95

6.36

6.12

Copn 10 parts — Meat Meal 1 part

Hogs weighing around 100 lb. at start, fed during spring

and summer in dry yards.

1 I Dry ear corn

2 I Soaked shelled corn.

3 I Dry corn meal

4 Soaked corn meal...

$4.56

4.41

4.77

4.59

Corn 10 parts — Meat Meal 1 part.

Hogs weighing around 200 lb. at start, fed during spring

and summer in dry yards.

1 I Dry ear corn ,

2 I Soaked shelled com,

3 I Dry corn meal

4 I Soaked corn meal . , ,

$4.65

4.53

4.71

4.80

Corn Alone.

Hogs weighing around 200 lb. at start fed during summer

on pasture.

I Dry ear corn

Soaked shelled corn.

45 45

Corn 12 parts — Meat Meal 1 part.

Thin sows weighing around 225 lb. at start and fed during fall in dry lot.

1 I Dry ear corn

2 I Soaked shelled corn.

3 I Dry corn meal

4 I Soaked corn meal..

$4.13

3.92

4.08

4.13

PREPARATION OF FEEDS 13

when the weather was warm enough to permit soaking.

4. Com and cob meal is not a practical way to feed corn to swine. It is not conducive to either rapid or economical gains. This is due, no doubt, to the fact that it is too bulky to be utilized in sufficient quantities by the young pig or more mature hog because of the relatively small size of their stomachs.

5. In summary, it may be truthfully said that in the case of hogs under 200 pounds in weight that the scoop shovel is all that is needed to prepare the corn for feeding. With hogs over 200 lbs., in mild weather, soaked shelled corn will produce rapid and economical gains, thus should be used.

All of the experiments conducted to date, with the cooking of corn for swine, have shown that it required a smaller amount of the raw or uncooked corn than of the cooked corn to produce a hundred pounds of pork.

Barley. Barley stands next to corn as a feed for pork production. In many countries it heads the list. In this country it is usually too high in price as compared with corn. Large amounts of discolored barley are used for swine feeding. Barley, on account of its hard shell, should be ground and soaked in preparation for swine feeding. When prepared in this way the feed is much more palatable and produces more economical gains than when fed whole or in the dry ground meal form.

Shorts. Shorts should be fed in the form of a rather thick slop for best results.

Wheat. Damaged wheat, when fed with some other feeding stuffs not to exceed one-third or one-half of the ration, gives very good results. It may be fed whole in the dry form, soaked or perhaps the best results will be obtained when it is crushed and soaked some 12 hours before being fed.

Tankage or Meat Meal. These packinghouse products are now very generally used as a protein and ash supplement to the com ration. They may be fed in the dry form but are most relished when mixed with water in the form of a thin slop. There is also less waste when fed in the slop form as dry tankage or meat meal is blown by the hogs, thus some of it wasted.

Rye. Eye should be ground and fed in the form of a thin slop. The best results are obtained when not more than one-half of the ration is composed of rye.

Oats. The method of preparing oats will depend upon the size and age of the pigs. In the case of young pigs the oats should be ground and the hulls sieved out. They may either be fed dry or in the form of a slop. The latter method is perhaps the best. For breeding stock, and shotes not being fattened, whole oats are very valuable feed and may be scattered on dry ground or on a feeding floor.

Oil Meal. This feed is often fed as a supplement to some carbonaceous feed such as corn. It is best to feed it in the form of a thin slop and not to exceed ten per cent, of the ration.

Cottonseed Meal. It is generally conceded that cottonseed as now prepared, is poisonous to swine. If fed at all it should be used in very small quantities and fed in the form of a thin slop.

Gluten Feed. This feed being a by-product of corn is not so well adapted to add to the com ration as some of the other protein feeds, such as meat meal, tankage or oil meal. Gluten feed should be fed in the form of a slop as it is lacking from the standpoint of palatability if fed in the dry form.

Potatoes. All experiments to date clearly indicate that steamed or cooked potatoes are very much superior to raw potatoes for swine feeding purposes.

PREPARATION OF FEEDS 15

When fed in this way and mixed with corn, 400 lbs. of potatoes are the equivalent of 100 lbs. corn.

Pumpkins. Careful tests have been made with the feeding of raw and cooked pumpkins to swine. The results to date all seem to favor the feeding in the raw form for best results.

Skim Milk. The most economical way to feed skim milk or butter milk is to feed 3 lbs. of the milk to one pound of corn or other grain feed. When larger amounts of the milk are fed the gains are smaller and more expensive.

Alfalfa and Clover Hay. Both alfalfa and clover hay are very useful feeds for breeding swine. If the hay is cut early and properly cured so as to retain the leaves and have fine stems, it is surprising the amount of hay the hogs will eat.

It has been found that grinding these feeds has no advantage over cutting in short lengths and is very much more expensive. At the Iowa Experiment Station the whole hay proved a very good feed. Both the alfalfa and clover furnish some protein and ash matter and have a very favorable influence on the digestive system. These feeds are very useful for brood sows during the pregnancy period.

In summarizing the advantages* and disadvantages of preparing feed for swine, the whole question resolves itself around three main points. Does the preparation increase the digestibility of the same? Does the preparation increase the palatability of the ration so as to insure heavier daily gains? Will these advantages be marked enough to warrant the additional expense involved in preparing the feed?

CHAPTEE ni

Feed, Care and Management of the Brood Sow

We must pay more and more attention to the feed, care and management of our brood sows. That the health of the sows, the strength, size and condition of pigs at birth and even the size of the litter, to some extent, are influenced and even governed very largely by the feeding of the sows previous to breeding time and during the pregnancy period is now an established fact. Good results, or good luck as is often claimed, follow intelligent methods of feeding and management of the brood sow. The cheapest ration from the standpoint of the cost of the feed consumed, is not always the most economical. The number of pigs raised and the condition of the same at weaning time, are important factors to be considered in this connection. A good healthy bunch of pigs at weaning time open up the brightest and most profitable market ever known to the corn belt farmer for his corn crop.

The feeding and management of the brood sow varies with the age and condition of the sow. This leads up to another question. Which is the better, young or mature sows for breeding purposes? All experimental work shows conclusively that larger litters, larger individual pigs and much stronger pigs at birth are always secured when mature sows are used. Where two litters per year are raised, mature sows are always the most profitable mothers. If but one litter per year is reared the younger sows have stronger claims. This is due to the fact that they are kept growing from birth until marketed. As soon as the litters are weaned the sows are put in the fattening lot and made ready for market.

MANAGEMENT OF THE SROOD SOW

A GOOD HEAD AND BACK

Young SOWS, such as the vast majority of our farmers keep for breeding purposes, should receive rations fairly rich in protein and ash as they are adapted to body growth and the general good health of the sow. Older sows, especially if they are thin in flesh, do not require as much protein in their rations. They should be gradually increased in flesh, not made fat however, so as to have them in good condition for the suckling period which is always a severe drain on the system. Both young and old sows should have ample opportunity for exercise as it is fundamental to both the health and strength of the mother and the unborn young.

The vast majority of our people do not furnish their brood sows, especially young sows, with a sufficient amount of protein and ash constituents in their rations. These compounds are absolutely necessary in the proper development of the unborn pig. Its body is composed almost solely of three compounds, water, protein and ash. These must be furnished the mother in sufficient quantities to insure the best results at farrowing time and during the suckling period as they are the chief source of the milk supply. A ration comopsed of corn alone is lacking in both protein and ash matter.

EARLY OR LATE LITTERS

There is much diversity of opinion in regard to the most desirable time to have the sows farrow. There are many who advocate having the sows farrow during March or the early part of April. Others, and they are by no means in the minority, claim that May is the ideal time for the young pigs to arrive. There are many good arguments on both sides of this question. It must be settled by each individual as the question of suitable quarters and cold weather accommodations are of vital importance.

The man who has warm pens and suitable feed can handle early pigs to good advantage. He must be prepared to keep the little fellows warm even in zero or below zero weather. When pigs reach two or three weeks of age, they are able to withstand considerable cold but very young pigs are very delicate, thus perish very soon in cold quarters. These early pigs, when given a good start, have considerable advantage over May pigs in that they may be marketed during the late fall or early winter months. They are also better able to utilize early forage crops such as alfalfa or clover. If fall litters are desired, the sows may be re-bred in time to secure early September pigs. The chief disadvantages to March pigs are the additional labor required at farrowing time, heavy loss of pigs during cold weather unless housing conditions are very favorable, the difficulty in furnishing the sows with proper rations to insure a liberal flow of milk and the prevalence of thumps and other troubles which are apt to attack the young pigs, due to lack of fresh air and exercise.

Pigs farrowed during the month of May seldom cause the owners much worry or trouble. The sows can be out of* doors, thus secure sufficient pasture to cool the system and stimulate a good flow of milk. Except in the case of real wet weather, when some of the litter may be drowned, there is not much liklihood of any heavy losses at farrowing time. Artificial conditions are largely replaced by the more natural conditions and nature generally takes good care of her own.

The chief disadvantages to these late litters are that the pigs must be carried through the major portion of the winter season, else be sold below the average market weights for good fat hogs and these yaung pigs are not ready to handle early forage crops to good advantage.

FEEDING SOWS PREVIOUS TO AND DURING BREEDING SEASON

That it pays to feed the sows on the right kind of rations previous to and during the breeding season can not be disputed. The gilt or sow that is in a good healthy, vigorous condition at breeding time is much more likely to settle to the first service than the sow that is over fat or receiving insufficient nourishment. There is also no doubt but that the general vigor and health of both the sire and the dam at mating time has much to do with the size of the litter. Good hog men, the world over, have long since recognized the truth of the above statements. These conditions can be brought about only by proper feeding and furnishing a liberal amount of exercise. It pays to start right in any line of business and especially in the hog business.

In the case of gilts, they should be in good growing condition. They should be building up the body frame work. This requires a bone and muscle producing ration. Corn alone is not sufficient. It is too much of a fat former and does not contain enough of the protein and ash compounds. Corn, on account of its relative cheapness in the corn belt states, should constitute the major part of the ration. Some form of supplement, fairly rich in both protein and ash constituents, should be added in sufficient quantities to properly balance the ration. When skim milk and butter milk are available, they both make excellent adjuncts to the corn ration. Wheat shorts, to the extent of one-third of the ration, will also give good results. At the Iowa Station the most satisfactory rations used, both from the standpoint of economy and general influence on the sows, were corn 8 parts and meat meal 1 part; corn 8 parts, short 3 parts and either tankage or meat meal 1 part.

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o

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d

While both clover hay and alfalfa have been relished by the sows, we have never been able in the case of gilts, to get them to eat enough of these feeds to properly balance the corn ration. The main object should be to feed the sows or gilts in such a way as to insure good health and a well developed body frame work.

TEEDING DURING PREGNANCY PERIOD

It has long since been a well established fact that a pig which has been stunted during the suckling period seldom, if ever, makes profitable gains during the fattening period. Recent investigations have shown that this stunting process may occur even before the pig is born. The manner in which the brood sow is handled during the period of pregnancy determines, in a large measure, the vigor, size and condition of the young at birth. Thus we see the importance of the right kind of treatment of the mother during pregnancy to insure good results.

While good breeding is indispensible in the proper development of swine, still good feeding is fully as important. Obesrvation and experience teaches us that good feeding and good breeding are inseparable essentials in the securing of ideal development. The best bred animals are more likely to fail in the hands of the careless feeder than the more common bred animals in the hands of the good caretaker.

Recent investigations at the Iowa Experiment Station have shown clearly that the rations fed the pregnant sows effect, in a large degree, the size, vigor, condition and general thrift of the offsrping. Practical hog men have long since learned that there is a right and wrong way to feed and care for the pregnant sow. It is now generally recognized that corn alone is not an efficient ration for the production of strong, healthy, well developed pigs.. The problem is to find a suitable supplement to corn as it is our cheapest source of digestible nutrients.

Mature sows should be fed in such a way as to insure a good healthy condition and to avoid any tendency to being over fat. A fat sow is seldom if ever a profitable mother. In the case of gilts they should be fed on rations conducive to good body growth. Here again fatness is very objectionable. The properly nourished gilt should gain at least one-half pound daily during the pregnancy period. She should show good body growth. Her coat of hair should present a healthy appearance. If she is discontented it is a sure indication that there is something lacking in the ration furnished.

Some recent investigations conducted at the Iowa Experiment Station in the feeding of gilts are of interest to the corn belt farmer. A bunch of gilts of uniform breeding size and condition were divided into some five lots to test the efficiency of five different rations. Lot I was fed on ear corn alone. Lot II was fed ear corn 29 parts and meat meal I part. Lot III was fed ear corn 7VL' parts and meat meal 1 part. Lot IV was fed ear corn and clover hay in racks. Lot V was fed ear corn and alfalfa hay in racks.

A V. Init-

Shelled

Supplement Daily

Av.

Lot

Ration ial wt.

corn eatdaily per gilt en daily gain

I

Ear Corn

None

II EarCorn29parts

Meat meal 1 part

Meat meal. 127 ft)

III Earcorn73^part

Meat meal 1 part

Meat meal. 432 ft)

IV Ear corn and

Whole Clover. .

Clover .302 ft)