PART IV

Chapter 71,508 wordsPublic domain

THE HOME PROJECT NOTEBOOK

PIG RAISING PROJECT RECORD

Year____________ Name______________________________________________ P. O. _________ Box ________ Route_______ County____________________________________________ Name of Club______________________________________ School Dist. No___________________________________ Teacher___________________________________________ Club Leader_______________________________________

PIG PROJECT STUDY OUTLINE[9]

The following outline may serve as a guide to each pupil in the study of his project, or it may be used by the class as a whole in their discussion of the subject: (Each pupil should write the answers to the questions.)

I. Shall I raise pigs for my project? 1. Do I like pigs? 2. Is this section suited to the profitable production of pork? 3. Do pigs fit in well with our farm management plan? 4. Is cholera or any other disease likely to prevent profits?

II. What shall be my aim in raising pigs? 1. Shall I feed one or more pigs during the summer to market in the fall or winter? 2. Shall I aim toward building up a pure-bred herd for breeding purposes? 3. Shall I make a combination of the aims above?

III. How shall I get a start? 1. Shall I buy one or more young pigs? 2. Shall I buy a sow which has been bred? 3. Shall I buy pure-bred pigs or grades? 4. What breed shall I buy? 5. Do I know the points of a good pig?

IV. Can I give breeding animals proper management? 1. Do I know how to manage the boar and sow at breeding time? 2. Can I give a brood sow the proper care? 3. Can I manage sow and pigs properly at farrowing time?

V. How shall I care for young pigs? 1. What attention do they need before weaning? 2. What care and feed shall I give them after weaning? 3. What is the best method of weaning? 4. Shall I allow my pigs to run in a pasture, or shall I feed them in a pen? 5. What crops shall I raise for my growing pigs? 6. What special care will my pigs need in summer?

VI. How shall I fatten my pigs for market? 1. What records shall I keep that I may know how much the pork I am producing will cost? 2. At what age will fattening for the market be most profitable? 3. What is the most satisfactory ration I may feed for fattening? 4. What methods of feeding shall I use?

VII. How shall I care for my pigs during the winter? 1. What is the most satisfactory method of feeding for maintenance during the winter? 2. What special care will my pigs need in winter?

VIII. What kind of hog house shall I build? 1. What factors shall I keep in mind in building a hog house? 2. Can I afford an elaborate house? 3. Can I make a plan for such a house as I need and build it?

IX. How can I prevent disease? 1. Do I appreciate the importance of cleanliness and sanitation? 2. Will I give the pigs a chance to keep clean? 3. Do I know how to prevent such common ailments as scours, worms, and lice? 4. Do I know the nature of hog cholera, how to handle a case of infection, and how to prevent such infection?

The pupil is urged to answer all questions, make all records, describe all operations, and give all results called for in the calendar of monthly activities on the following notebook pages.

1. Breed of hog________________________________________ 2. Sex_________________________________________________ 3. Name of hog_________________________________________ 4. Is it pure-bred?____________________________________ 5. Is it registered?___________________________________ 6. If so, give its number______________________________ 7. Date record started_________________________________ 8. Age of hog at that time_____________________________ 9. Value at that time__________________________________ 10. Weight at that time_________________________________ 11. About how many minutes did you spend each day caring for your pig?_____________________________________ 12. How many hours does this amount to for the whole project?__________________________________________

I state upon my honor as a Pig Club member that I have answered all of the questions as correctly as I am able. (Signed)__________________________________

Date when record is finished: __________________________________________

REGISTRATION RECORD

===================+============+===========+============+======+======== Sow |Service Boar| Date of | Date of |No. of| Remarks | | Service | Farrowing | Pigs | -------------------+------------+-----------+------------+------+-------- Name No. | Name No. | | | | -------------------+------------+-----------+------------+------+-------- Queen’s Model 13271|Big Lad 2683|Jan. 1, ’18|Apr. 22, ’18| 10 |All O.K. -------------------+------------+-----------+------------+------+--------

HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE BREED SELECTED

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

FEED RECORD

Each time any feed is weighed out the kind and weight should be entered below. By weighing out a sack of feed or several bushels of grain at a time, this can be simplified. (Use the standard prices in figuring cost of feed, pasture, grazing crops, and waste.)

========+==============+================+============= | | | Value Date | Kind of Feed | Pounds of Feed +-------+----- | | |Dollars|Cents --------+--------------+----------------+-------+----- | | | | | | | | | | | | Totals | | | | --------+--------------+----------------+-------+-----

Give Record for Wastes in Space Below.

===============+===========+==========+============= |Average No.| Total No.| Value Kind of Waste |of gallons |of gallons+-------+----- | per day |per month |Dollars|Cents ---------------+-----------+----------+-------+----- | | | | | | | | | | | | | Totals | | | ---------------+-----------+----------+-------+-----

1. What kind of pasture did you use? ______________________ 2. For how many months did your pig run on pasture? _______ 3. Did you cut green feed for your pig? ___________________ 4. If so, for how many months? ____________________________

======================================+=======+===== |Dollars|Cents --------------------------------------+-------+----- Total value of pasture | | Total value of green feed | | --------------------------------------+-------+-----

RECORD OF WEIGHTS BY MONTHS

If scales can not be obtained, all except the first and last weights of the pig may be estimated.

======================================++============================= Month Weight in Pounds || Gain in Pounds --------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--++--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-- | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9|10|| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9|10 | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | First | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Second | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Third | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Fourth | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Fifth | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Sixth | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Seventh | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Eighth | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Ninth | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Tenth | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Eleventh| | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Twelfth | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | Total | | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | --------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--++--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--

STANDARD PRICES OF FEEDS TO BE USED IN KEEPING RECORDS

Write to your state club leader for the standard prices to be used for feeds. If such are not available, use local prices which may be obtained from elevators, feed stores, or local papers. For purposes of comparison feed prices should be uniform for a club or class.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND SUMMARY

NOTE.—Do not fill this page until the project is finished.

EXPENSES

Value of pigs at beginning $ ________ Value of pasture __________ Value of green feed __________ Value of feed __________ Value of kitchen or other wastes __________ Amount of labor, ____ hrs. Value of labor at 10 cents per hour __________ Total expense __________

RECEIPTS

NOTE.—Use only spaces that apply to your pig.

Final value meat hog, ______ lbs., at ____ per lb. $ __________ —or— If a pig for breeding purposes, its weight in lbs. ____ and value $ __________ Total receipts $ __________

SUMMARY

1. Weight at beginning ________lbs.

2. Weight at end of project ________lbs.

3. Total gain in weight ________lbs. (Subtract answer to No. 1 from answer to No. 2.)

4. Number of days fed ________ Average daily gain ________lbs. (Divide answer to No. 3 by answer to No. 4.)

5. Cost per pound of gain $ __________ (Divide cost of feed by total gain in weight.)

6. Final net profit $ __________ (Subtract total expenses from total receipts.)

7. At what fairs did you show your pig? __________ __________________________________________________

8. Did you win a prize? __________________________

9. What were they? _______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

ANSWERS TO NOTEBOOK QUESTIONS

THE STORY OF MY PIG

NOTE.—Write your story on sheets the size of these and correct it carefully before copying it into this book. Insert a picture of you and your pig together, if possible.

Use the following questions as suggestions in writing your story. Use some other title if you prefer:

Why are you a Pig Club member?

How did you get your pig?

What did you name your pig and why?

Why did you select this breed?

Why are pastures or green crops important in pig raising?

Did your pig drink much water?

How did you weigh your pig?

How did you feed your pig?

When did you feed your pig?

What did you feed your pig?

How did you spend your time with your pig?

Did your pig become a pet?

Who visited you and told you how to care for your pig?

What did you see and learn at the pig show and prize contest?

Why are well-bred pigs better than scrubs?

What are you planning to do in the Pig Club work next year?

What have you learned about pigs?

What kind of a boy makes a good Pig Club member?

THE STORY OF MY PIG

REFERENCE READING I HAVE DONE

(References are numbered on last page of this book.)

FOOTNOTES

[1] A kind of flesh meal prepared from refuse meat, entrails and other wastes that accumulate in slaughter-houses.

[2] Any form of fodder or food, rich in nitrogenous elements and containing a relatively smaller proportion of fibrous matter and water than coarse fodder or “long feed.”

[3] Courtesy of W. Kendrick, State Club Leader, West Virginia.

[4] Credit is due the Universal Portland Cement Co. for this material.

[5] Paragraphs 11 and 12 are taken from U. S. Dept. of Agr. Bull. 527.

[6] Taken from Pig Club Instructions, prepared by George E. Bray, Industrial Engineer, Extension Division, Kansas State Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kans.

[7] This or the simpler mixture recommended in the project calendar may be used.

[8] Credit is due Mr. E. C. Lindeman, State Club Leader of Michigan, for this material.

[9] Courtesy of C. H. Lane, States Relation Service, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.