02-Lucaster Farming Saturday, May 23,1987
Feeding The Breeding Herd
The cost of feeding the breeding
herd amounts to a quarter of the
total cost of producing the market
hog. That alone makes it im
portant. But just as critical is the
fact that feeding a sow is not as
foolproof as feeding a hog.
With hogs we formulate a ration,
put it in the feeder, and essentially
turn the hogs loose. Not so with
sows. After formulating a sow
ration, it’s then up to you to feed
the correct amount for the con
ditions on your farm.
Typical Feeding Levels
Sows in gestation normally need
about 4% pounds of feed per day.
But the producer must watch for
changes in body condition and
performance to decide if this level
is right for his herd. For example,
if you sows are out running around
on a hillside, or it’s winter, 4%
pounds won’t be enough. Or, if you
keep sows in gestation stalls 4%
pounds may be too much.
Some producers increase the
feeding level during the lastmonth
of pregnancy to, about seven
pounds. This increases birth
weights and under some conditions
it improves baby pig survival. But
for this scheme to work, the
feeding rate during the first 90
days should be no more than four
pounds a day. And still, you’d need
at least .30 more pigs per litter to
pay for the extra feed. Many
operations won’t get that kind of
response.
During lactation, 12 pounds of
feed per sow per day is about right
for sows with litters of eight to nine
pigs. For smaller litters, use the
rule of six pounds for the sow and
one-half pound for each pig. For
example, a sow with a litter of four
pigs should receive eight pounds of
feed. • 6 lbs + (.5 Ib/pig X 4 pigs)
= 8 lbs. per sow per day
Heavy milking sows, very thin
sows, or those with litters of 10 or
more should be full fed.
Boars can be fed five to six
pounds of the sow ration each day
when not in use and up to eight
pounds per day when used
frequently.
Interval Feeding
Since sows are limit fed during
gestation, aggressive sows often
get more than their share, while
timid sows receive less. Interval
feeding is an alternative to daily
feeding to help keep intake
uniform. Interval feeding methods
include: 1) feeding two times as
much (about nine pounds) every
other day; 2) feeding three times
as much (about 14 pounds) every
third day; 3) allowing sows access
to a feeder for six to eight hours
every two or three days. With the
third option, the ideal itme on the
feeder depends on the number of
sows and number of feeding
spaces. With any of these methods,
the aggressive sows aren’t able to
overconsume as easily as they
would on a daily feeding system.
Fiber
I recommend high-fiber diets for
gestating sows. This ensures that
constipation is not a problem when
sows enter the farrowing house.
Alfalfa, bran or oats are good
sources of bulk for the pregnant
sow. An alternative is to add 15
pounds of potassium chloride per
ton or 20 pounds of magnesium
sulfate per ton during the last
month of pregnancy.
Bulky ingredients should be
limited to no more than 200 pounds
per ton during lactation to
maximize energy intake.
Adding Fat to Sow Diets
Some producers add fat to
lactation diets, particularly during
the summer months to maintain
adequate energy intake. Fat
generates less heat during
digestion than other feed
ingredients, especially those with a
high fiber content. The result is
that during hot weather, sows on
diets containing added fat con
sume more energy than they would
on a conventional diet. But before
you go to the trouble of adding fat
to a lactation diet, be sure the level
of fiber is low. It’s usually cheaper
to pull out the fiber than it is to add
fat.
Feeding Replacement Gilts
Replacement gilts can be fed the
gestation ration and left on the self
feeder until about 250 pounds, the
optimum weight for breeding.
Pregnant and non-pregnant gilts
weighing more than 250 pounds
should be offered approximately
five pounds of feed per head per
day.
Common Feeding Problems
Here are the most common
feeding problems we see in sow
herds:
1. Inadequate feeding space.
Sows become non-uniform and
injuries increase.
2. Overfeeding through
gestation. This is expensive and
can prolong farrowing time and
stillbirths.
3. Low feed intake during first
lactation. This leads to slow return
to heat and/or depressed litter size
with second Utter.
4. Errors in formulation. When
using commercial supplements, an
additional vitamin-mineral
package is normally recom
mended for gestation diets. It’s
often omitted by producers, which
causes mineral deficiencies.
5. Small feeder size for the
farrowing crate. Most farrowing
crates are mounted on raised
slotted flooring. With small
feeders, feed is often spiUed, which
falls through the slats.
6. Waiting until the last few days
of pregnancy to alleviate con
stipation. High fiber diets should
be fed throughout pregnancy to
maintain muscle tone in the gut
and avoid constipation.
Remember that feeding the sow
herd takes a lot of common sense
and close observation. Give it the
attention it deserves.
LIVESTOCK
Midwest To Test New
Pseudorabies Vaccine
WASHINGTON - Limited field
trials to test a genetically
engineered vaccine to control
pseudorabies in swine will begin in
early June in Illinois, Indiana,
lowa, Minnesota, Missouri and
Nebraska, a U.S. Department of
Agriculture officer said recently.
The new vaccine was developed
using recombinant DNA
technology to delete two genes
from the genetic makeup of the
virus. The vaccine allows vac
cinated animals to be
distinguished from those that are
naturally infected or vaccinated
with other types of vaccines for
pseudorabies.
Each of the six states has given
written permission to the Upjohn
and the Diamond Scientific
BY CAROLYN GILLES
Crawford Co. Correspondent
SAEGEETOWN - Mary’s Little
Lamb may have caused a stir
when it followed her to school, but
sheep were not against the rules at
the shearing school held recently
at the Miller Farm in Saegertown,
Pa.
Eight men and women braved
the cold and rain to participate in
the two-day event where they
began by learning the care of
combs and cutters and how to
assemble them on the shear
master.
Under the tutelage of Mercer
County Agent Bob Calvert and
Crawford County Agent Blaine
Schlosser, they got hands-on
training in how to catch and set up
sheep as they sheered the 50 sheep
of Ron and Mollie Miller, hosts for
the event. Participants were also
instructed in trimming hooves and
deworming.
Calvert estimated that probably
only one to two percent of the sheep
shearing graduates will go on to do
custom sheering. But 60 percent or
And Wool Festival Contests
STATE COLLEGE Are you a
shutter-bug or creative painter? If
so, the Pennsylvania Lamb & Wool
Festival has several amateur
contests for you.
The Festival is sponsoring a
Sheep Photography and Sheep
Fine Art Competition July 10-11 at
the Ag Arena, State College. More
than $l5O in prizes will be awarded
for these two events.
All mediums will be considered
in the Sheep Fine Art Competition.
Art work can be a maximum of 48
inches in any direction and should
be the artist’s personal in
terpretation of the subject-sheep.
A junior and senior division will be
judged and artists may sell their
work.
The Sheep Photography Contest
features the theme “Cover Photo,”
utilizing sheep as the central
theme. The contest offers color and
black-and-white competition.
The third annual Pennsylvania
Lamb & Wool Festival- An
American Event boasts more than
45 commercial and craft exhibitors
featuring sheepish items ranging
from sheep skins to pottery
enlivened by sheep. Many
Companies, developers of the
vaccine, to conduct the field
studies.
"The decision to approve the
limited field trials was based on a
thorough review of the genetic
engineering procedures used to
develop the vaccine and an in
depth analysis of the virus’s
biological and safety charac
teristics,” said Bert W. Hawkins,
administrator of USDA’s Animal
and Plant Health Inspection
Service. “This review included
preparation of an environmental
assessment that found no
significant impact on the human
environment.
Pseudorabies is a contagious
disease that occurs primarily in
swine. Death occurs in newborn
Sheep Shearing Is Sheer Work
Mercer Co. Extension agent Bob Calvert (left) and
Crawford agent Blaine Schlosser assemble combs and
cutters while class members practice shearing.
more will use the experience
gained here to shear their own They have a lot more respect and
sheep. may very well decide to pay
Said Schlosser, “At the very someone else to do the job for
least, they leam it’s hard work, them.”
Entries Due For Lamb
demonstrations, including lamb
cookery, sheep dog trials and
spinning and weaving will in
termingle with lots of American
lamb sandwiches, kabobs and
barbecue.
In addition to the festival, the
Keystone Stud Ram & Ewe Show
and Sale, featuring more than 500
sheep from flocks across the East
Coast will be held.
To receive entry blanks for the
Charolais Junior National Scheduled
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -
American-International Junior
Charolais Association members
and their families from across the
nation will come to Stillwater,
Okla., June 15-19 for the 1987
Charolais Junior National. The
Payne County, Okla., Fairgrounds
and the Oklahoma State University
campus are the sites for this event.
The week of fun will include the
12th National Junior Heifer Show,
a National Junior Steer Show,
educational seminars and tours,
the annual public speaking contest,
a beach party dance and a quiz
bowl.
The steer and heifer shows kick
off the event at 9 a.m. on Monday,
June 15. Junior exhibitors from
throughout the United States will
compete for the coveted cham
pionship and showmanship
awards. This year’s entries
number more than 140. Each year
the show is dedicated to a sup
porter of the youth program. The
1987 honoree is Alex Stauffer,
owner of Silver Creek Farms in
Blue Mounds, Wis.
pigs within a tew days after ex
posure. Older hogs may survive
infection but become carriers of
the virus for life. Stress or other
conditions may trigger the virus
out of its latent state.
All veterinary biological
products, such as vaccines, toxins
and toxoids, must be field tested to
ensure they are pure, safe, potent
and effective. After these
requirements have been met,
USDA may issue a license and the
products can then be marketed.
Copies of the environmental
assessment may be obtained by
writing to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, APHIS, Veterinary
Biologies Staff, Room 829, 6505
Belcrest Ed., Hyattsville, Md.
20782.
Sheep Art or Photography Contest,
write: PA LAMB & WOOL
FESTIVAL, Room 303, 2301 N.
Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA
17110 or, call 717-787-5086. Entry
Deadline is June 15. The Festival is
sponsored by the Pennsylvania
Sheep and Wool Growers
Association in cooperation with the
Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture and the Pennsylvania
State University.
The annual leadership con
ference officially opens Monday
night with a general membership
meeting. Educational workshops
ranging from nutrition to a live
animal evaluation begin on the
following morning. The juniors will
travel to M&M Charolais in Perry,
Okla., for a ranch tour. Fitting
contests and hands-on experience
with computers are just a couple
more of the educational op
portunities in store.
The high point of the conference
comes Friday night with the an
nual awards banquet. During the
banquet, the juniors will honor Don
and Ruth Phillips of Stone-Del
Farms in Hartville, Ohio, as the
dedicatees of the leadership
conference. Recipients of junior
scholarships will be announced
also, and National Junior Merit
Awards will be presented.
For more information regarding
the AIJCA or the Charolais Junior
National, contact Julie Wilcke,
Director of Youth Activities, P-O-
Box 20247, Kansas City, Mo., 64195;
or call 816/464-5977.