Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 196, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1917 — COMFORTABLE HOGS MAKE LARGE GAINS [ARTICLE]

COMFORTABLE HOGS MAKE LARGE GAINS

No Farm Animal Suffers as Much From Extremes of Heat and Cold—Provide Shade. Farm animals must be comfortable in order that they do as well as possible. This is especially true of swine, since no farm animal suffers as much from extremes of heat and'Cold as the hog. Most men prefer to feed hogs In the spring and fan, Tor they say the hogs gain more at these times on the same feeds than during summer and winter. This is perhaps In a large measure true only because they are more comfortable.

L. A. Weaver of the University of Missouri college of agriculture mentions some of the things which may be done to make fattening hogs comfortable : 1. Provide adequate shade. If the hog lot does not contain plenty of natural shade, then artificial shade should be supplied. Hog cots, made so as to have at least one removable side, would be good to use at this time, or shade may be made by setting four ordinary fence posts so that they may be covered with planks or canvas. 2. Provide plenty of pure drinking water. This may be cheaply and satisfactorily done with a barrel waterer, if an adequate supply cannot be had otherwise. Two or three pounds of water are stored in the animal body for every pound of muscle added, hence the necessity and economy of furnishing plenty of water to drink. Most feeders realize the importance of supplying plenty of drinking water, but it oftentimes is an easy thing to neglect. Some think if they are feeding slop that enough water is supplied. The water in the slop, of course, helps to supply the water requirement, but the flogs should have aepess to additional water. —~ ... 7' >

3. Keep pools or wallows cleam Clean pools or wallows keep the hog s > comfortable, permitting rapid and economic gains. This does not mean, however, that any kind of a wallow is good, for water which is stagnant and filthy may keep the hogs cool, but the evil results front unsanitary conditions may more than overbalance the good derived from the (protection from heat. 4. Keep hogs free from lice, by dipping, spraying or by putting hog dip in wallows. 5. Keep sleeping quarters free from dust, which irritates bronchial tubes, lungs and other organs. This may be done by spraying with crude oil. No hog can thrive if it is continually coughing and wheezing. 6. Keep hogs free from worms. Recipes of some good worm remedies may be found in Agricultural Extension Service, Circular 17, Columbia, Mo. TheToregoing measures are not usually expensive, but they are essential for maximum gains.