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.])