PART I

PIG PROJECT CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER

1. =Organization of the club.= See plans for club organization in the appendix. The class in elementary agriculture undertaking to base its work largely upon the home project should organize as directed by the club plan. Each member of the class should become a member of the club and plan to do all the work outlined for the project. The plan should meet with the approval of the board of education, of the parents of the boys and girls undertaking the project, and should have the hearty support of the county superintendent of schools, of the teacher and of the pupils themselves who are to do the work. The state club leader at the State College of Agriculture should be notified of the organization of the club so that he may send enrollment blanks and all such literature and publications as will be helpful in the progress of the work.

2. =Getting started.= For the pig raising project members of the class or club may start with one or several pigs, or with a sow pig (or gilt) bred to farrow early in October, since this is to be a project for the entire year. A pig belonging to one of the breeds most prevalent in the community should be selected, provided, of course, that it is a breed which is adapted to local conditions and meets market requirements.

In making the selection of the gilt, consider the pedigree and the individuality of the animal. Unless you know the pedigree it is best to leave that to the reliable breeder with whom you are dealing. Every member of the class joining the pig club should learn how to pick out a good pig. In the beginning, however, it would be well to depend upon the judgment of an experienced man in the selection of the gilt for the year’s project.

3. =Beginning the record.= On the blank pages provided in Part IV of this book write a brief history and description of the breed of hog you select. Each pupil should keep a neat and accurate record of all operations, accounts, results, etc., on the pages provided for the pig raising project.

4. =Registering the pigs.= If a pure-bred gilt is the starting point of the project, the club member should get the experience of following the rules of registration for the breed. Send to the secretary of the breed association for full information and blank forms, free of charge. When an animal is sold, a certificate of registration will be appreciated by the purchaser. Fill out the registration record in the form given in Part IV of this book.

5. =A place for the pig.= The first problem after securing a good pig is that of proper care and management. Pigs need clean food, clean water, exercise and a clean bed, if they are to thrive and be profitable. See to it that your pigs have a dry, warm, clean, and well-ventilated house. Sunshine is a good warmer and disinfectant of the hog house. For the beginner the individual house of the A type or square type is recommended. A good pasture will provide cheap, clean food, exercise and a clean bed during the summer.

OCTOBER

1. =Feeding the young sow.= Not more than two-thirds of the grain ration of the young brood sow should be corn. Good feeders prefer to use ground oats and middlings with milk or tankage[1] in connection with corn. The young sow should be kept in good, strong condition but not overloaded with fat. The following ration is one good one recommended:

(a) A pasture should furnish the bulky part of the ration.

(b) A meal ration consisting of equal parts corn, ground oats and middlings. If the pasture is a good one the sow will need little other feed for several weeks. The meal ration should be begun several weeks before farrowing.

(c) Roots may be fed whole or pulped and mixed with meal.

(d) Alfalfa or clover hay is good in the ration.

(e) Skim-milk is excellent for sows.

(f) For minerals keep a mixture of slack coal, two parts by weight, air-slacked lime, one part, and salt, one part, before the hogs all the time.

2. =Farrowing time.= At farrowing time place the sow in a sheltered building, dry, free from draughts and well-ventilated. To prevent the sow from lying against the wall of the pen and thus injuring any little pigs which may be lying there, it is a good plan to provide a guard rail made of two by eight-inch planks fastened with their edges against the sides of the pen a little above the bed. The young sow should have a liberal amount of bedding of cut straw. She should have an individual pen or house, receive kind treatment and have quiet quarters. If the sow remains quiet for twelve hours or more after farrowing, so much the better.

3. =Feeding and care of the nursing sow.= The feed after farrowing should be about the same as before. At first she should have little more than a drink. A thin slop of middlings and water will serve. The sow should not be overfed and should be given a week or ten days to come to a full ration. The following is one good ration recommended:

(a) Equal parts of ground oat and wheat middlings, allowed to soak between feeds.

(b) Sweet skim-milk added to the above ration makes it almost ideal.

(c) Corn may be used as recommended for sows before farrowing.

(d) A certain amount of bulky, succulent feed such as hay and roots helps to keep the sow healthy.

(e) When the pigs are weaned, the feed of the sow should be cut down to check the flow of the milk. Dry oats are recommended for this purpose.

4. =Record work.= Be sure to keep all records called for on the record pages, including date of farrowing, number of pigs, method of housing, feeding rations, successes, failures, etc. Provision for weighing the pigs from time to time should be provided.

5. =Reading and study.= In connection with the practical work of raising your pigs, read at this time what your text and reference books have to say about care and management of the brood sow.

NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER

1. =Feeding the pigs.= About the first thought in connection with raising pigs is that they eat. It is important that every pig in the litter get its stomach full of the first milk of the sow. The young pigs will learn to eat when about three weeks of age. If the pigs can be fed separately from the sow, better results will be obtained. In one corner of the pen place a small trough for the pigs and fence it off from the sow. At least twice a day give the pigs as much sweet skim-milk as they will clean up. Do not leave any milk to sour in the trough. Then a few days after they begin to nibble grass and drink milk, a gruel of oats and wheat middlings may be made with the milk. Later a small amount of corn soaked for twenty-four hours may be placed in the trough. Do not feed more than they will clean up. Young pigs may be weaned at from eight to ten weeks.

2. =Some standard rations for growing pigs.=

(a) Fresh skim-milk as the base for a slop of oat middlings and wheat middlings, to which add a small amount of corn. (Feed three times daily.) As the pigs grow older the corn and middlings may be increased, but the corn should not be fed alone.

(b) With corn and skim-milk or buttermilk, one part by weight of corn to three parts of milk is satisfactory after weaning. Gradually increase the amount of corn so that the 175-pound pigs get about one part of corn to two parts of skim-milk or buttermilk.

(c) With corn and tankage the following proportions are advised:

8 to 1 by weight for pigs weighing between 40 and 90 pounds 10 to 1 for weights between 90 and 125 pounds 12 to 1 for weights between 125 and 175 pounds 14 to 1 for weights between 175 and 225 pounds 16 to 1 for market hogs above 225 pounds

(d) Garbage from the kitchen is usually valuable for hogs. The value depends largely upon the amount and kind of solid material which it contains. Where it is thin enough to pour readily from the bucket, but not watery, it may be fed in about the same proportion with corn as was recommended for milk.

(e) To furnish minerals as recommended for the sow, keep the following before the pigs at all times:

Slack coal or coal screenings 2 parts by weight Air-slacked lime 1 part by weight Salt 1 part by weight

(f) A good pasture is always an excellent supplement to any ration and lessens the amount of other feeds required. Pasture-fed pigs are thriftier and make cheaper gains than those fed in dry lots. In general feed from 3 to 5 pounds of concentrates,[2] such as corn, other grains, meals, tankage, etc., per 100 pounds live weight, according to age. For pigs in a dry lot at weaning time (weighing about 40 pounds) feed 5 pounds concentrates per 100 pounds live weight, or 4 pounds concentrates per day per 100 pounds live weight in access to forage or pasture. No two herds of hogs feed just alike; therefore it is the problem of the feeder to study the needs of his hogs and try to supply them. Regularity in time of feeding, dry, comfortable quarters, and sanitary conditions in pen and lot are necessary to secure satisfactory gains.

3. =Housing the pigs.= Perhaps the main reason for housing the pigs is to furnish a dry bed, and since hogs do not shed their hair for warmer coats or thicken it up as horses do, provision should be made to shelter the hogs from the cold of winter as well as from the extreme heat of summer. Reference has already been made to the house for the sow and her litter of pigs. It is not necessary to have expensive buildings, especially in the beginning. Even a pen covered with boards and fresh straw may meet all the requirements.

For the pig club boys and girls starting in to raise two litters in a year, a good, cheap and easily constructed pen is described as follows in Lippincott’s “Productive Swine Husbandry”;

“The pen is sixteen feet long and eight feet wide. It is seven feet high in front and three and one-half feet high at the rear. It is boarded with cheap lumber, but all cracks are securely battened. It should be practically wind and rain proof. The opening should be a small door in the southeast corner, as the house faces the south. Plenty of bedding should be supplied, and the pen should be banked up outside with fresh horse manure to a depth of about two feet in order to prevent drafts about the floor.”

4. =Records.= During the winter months do not fail to make all records and keep all accounts of operations, work, expenses, results, etc., that are called for on the record pages of this book.

5. =Reference reading and study.= Read your texts, the farm papers, and any reference books available on the problems of feeding, housing, care and management of growing pigs. Consult experienced swine breeders and feeders and learn all you can from them that will help you to succeed with your pigs.

JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

1. =Breeding the sow for the second litter.= If an April litter of pigs is desired, the sow should be bred during the month of December or early January. Breed to a pure-bred boar if possible. Keep record of dates.

2. =Feeding continued.= Just as we use lumber, brick, cement, shingles, nails, etc. in the proper form and proportion in building a house, so must we use milk, corn, oats, grass or other feeds in the building of the body of the hog or any other animal. Each feed is made up of different food nutrients, and each food nutrient serves a definite purpose in the body. Some of the food nutrients are used in the animal body to make bone, others for fat, and still others for the manufacture of active muscular tissue. Development will be incomplete if any class of food material is neglected; hence the necessity of a balanced ration.

Follow carefully the feeding standards and rations suggested for November and December.

3. =Keeping the pigs healthy.= It is much easier to keep pigs healthy than it is to cure sick ones. Clean, dry quarters, proper feed, plenty of sunlight and ventilation, and disinfection of houses will help to keep pigs healthy.

Go over your pig pen this month, and as often thereafter as is necessary, and clean out all filth from cracks and corners, floors and feeding troughs. Apply the following disinfectant:

5 parts crude carbolic acid in 100 parts water

Once a year the pig house should be whitewashed. (See discussion in Part III.) If possible, supply “hog wallows and dips” for your pigs. (See Part III.)

MARCH AND APRIL

1. =Starting the pig project at this time.= If it is desired to start the pig project at this time instead of in September, the club may be organized, a pure-bred gilt to farrow in April purchased by each member of the club, and the work started as suggested for September and October.

2. =See the September and October calendar.= In all essential points the members of the class beginning the pig project at this time should follow every detail outlined for September and October.

3. =The October pigs.= Continue the feeding rations of the October pigs as suggested for other months, according to weights and gains, and make larger use of the pasture as a supplement as the spring advances.

Alfalfa pasture has proven by many tests to be one of the best for growing pigs. After the first season for alfalfa, an acre should pasture two sows and their litters throughout the season. The corn rations may be cut one-half with alfalfa as a pasture. “Pigs in clover” are contented and happy. An acre of good clover should pasture one sow and her litter. A Missouri bulletin recommends feeding shoats about a pound of corn per head per day when on good clover pasture.

4. =The second litter.= If the second litter of pigs for the sow for the year is farrowed in April, as was recommended at the beginning of this project, quarters separate from the October pigs should be provided for them for at least eight weeks, or until the second litter is weaned. See directions for the care and management of the sow and pigs as given for September and October.

5. =Records and study.= Continue to make all records called for in the project. Read and study texts and reference books relating to the work you are doing each month.

MAY AND JUNE

1. =Summer feeding and pasture.= An acre of cow peas or soy beans sown in May will furnish excellent pasture for the spring pigs, especially when the pods are formed about September. Rape is a good pasture crop for hogs. It may be sown from April to June and will be ready for pasture in about six weeks. Six to eight pounds of seed will suffice for an acre when sown broadcast. An acre of rape should pasture a sow and her October and spring litters. Corn and shorts may be used to supplement rape pasture. Continue the feeding rations according to age and weight recommended for former months.

2. =Breeding for October pigs.= During the third or fourth week of June breed the sow for the October litter of pigs. Breed to a pure-bred sire if possible. Keep record of all dates.

3. =Shelter for the pigs.= During the summer it may be necessary to provide a shelter from the direct rays of the sun. A frame of poles covered with straw or corn-stalks will serve this purpose.

4. =Hog wallows.= Since pigs do not perspire they often suffer during the extreme heat of the summer. They naturally seek the coolest wallow even though it be a filthy mud hole. It would be humane as well as good business to provide a concrete wallow and keep it filled with eight or ten inches of water. Coal-tar or crude oil added to the water will help to rid the pigs of lice.

5. =Sanitary conditions.= During the summer months continue to care for the cleanliness of all the pens and house as suggested for the winter season. Seek the advice of successful hog raisers and veterinarians upon the slightest evidence of unhealthy pigs. See discussion on worms and cholera in Part III.

6. =Ringing the pigs.= One ring should not be placed in the center of the pig’s nose, but if ringed at all, use two rings, one on either side of the center of the nose, close to the tendons running down to the pig’s snout.

JULY AND AUGUST

1. =Getting ready for an exhibit.= If there is to be a local, county, or state fair, club members will arrange through their leader to have an exhibit of their pigs at the fair. Follow carefully and honestly all directions and rules laid down by your state club leader in entering the contest and exhibiting your pigs. If there is no fair or exhibit for you to attend, make one at your local school. Your state club leader will send full directions for all contests and exhibits.

2. =Preparing the pig for exhibition.=[3] The first thing to do toward getting the pig ready for a show is to wash his body thoroughly with warm rain water, and a good lathery soap. Use a stiff brush so that dirt and dust will be removed. A little disinfectant in the wash water would be a good thing. Thoroughly rinse the soap out of the hair after washing and allow the pig to dry in a clean, dry stall.

=His coat.= When all the moisture has disappeared from the hair and skin, a light application of sweet oil may well be made, taking particular care to rub the oil well into the skin. The oil will keep the hair and hide soft and will give the pig a shiny coat, thereby improving his appearance. The use of too much oil is objectionable, both because it is apt to become “gummed” in the hair and make the animal “sticky”, and because it will soil the fingers of the people who will probably stroke and pet the pig when he is taken to the show. If sweet oil is not available, raw linseed oil may be used instead, but a somewhat lighter application of linseed oil should be made. Oil is seldom used on white pigs.

=The feet.= Frequently the pig’s feet will require some attention. If the toes are too long or are broken off so that they are rough, they should be trimmed with a good sharp jackknife. This can be done best when the animal is lying down. If the boy has taken care of his animal properly, the pig will submit to such handling without any objection. In fact he will like to be played with and will enjoy having his master work with him.

After the pig has been properly groomed he should be kept in a dry stall that is bedded deep with clean straw. If he shows an inclination to root down into the dirt and soil himself by digging beneath his bedding, rings should be placed in his nose. If not absolutely necessary, however, it is better not to ring hogs intended for show.

=Make your pig gentle.= An hour a day should be spent teaching the pig to stand still while being examined. While it is not customary at big shows to hold pigs while they are being judged, yet at a contest of this kind the best trained pig will be looked upon with special favor, since such a pig will signify to the judges that his master has done everything possible “to bring him out.”

3. =Marketing the pigs.= The October pigs will be ready for the market this summer, probably as early as July. Study carefully the market classes and grades described in Part III. Determine to which classes and grades your pigs should belong. Watch carefully the daily market reports in the papers. Seek the best advice you can get on the important business of marketing your pigs.

4. =Concluding work.= Finish all records called for in Part IV. Achievement, as one boy puts it, is “getting into the game, sticking to it, and finishing the job.” Here is your chance to achieve not only a successful and profitable piece of work for yourself, but a man’s service in adding to the food supply of your country.