Paralysis of Sow.

During the last few days one of my sows appears to be paralyzed in her hind quarters and now cannot use her hind legs at all.  She is about a year old and is due to farrow her first litter in and about six weeks.

It is paralysis due to advanced pregnancy.  Give 4 ounces castor oil and 4 ounces olive oil.  She will recover after parturition.

Rickets in Hogs.

A fine boar, 16 months old, weight about 380 pounds, well built, with little surplus fat, until lately has been very thrifty, but appears to be losing control over his legs.  Can’t step over the smallest stick without falling forward and acts like a foundered animal.  He carries his back rather arching since this trouble came on.  During my absence from home a hired man gave this boar a good beating with a pick handle, and it appears to have been the beginning of his troubles.

This disease is Osteo Rachitis (rickets).  The abuse has probably aggravated the symptoms:  This condition is due to a lack of hardening principles in the bones.  Give 4 ounces of cod liver oil daily and plenty of lime water to drink.  It will be all right to use him for breeding when he recovers.  In addition to good food and pure water give daily a handful of a mixture of principally ashes and burned barley (charcoal) with the usual addition of salt, sulphur and soda.  This mixture is good:  Pulv. dried, iron sulphate, 4 ounces; soda bi-carbonate, 8 ounces; soda salicylate, 2 drachms; pulv. aniseed, 4 ounces.  Mix and give one-half teaspoonful twice daily.

Pigs Losing Tails.

We have five pigs, 17 days old, and when they were farrowed they had rings around the roots of their tails, and now their tails are dropping off.

This is caused by interference with circulation before birth.  Apply tinct. iodine around the affected parts once daily and if it shows no signs of improvement after one week amputate.

Over-Fat Sow.

My brood sow is awfully fat; how should I feed her so that she don’t get too fat?  She is bred and it will be her third litter.  She was running in the vineyard all winter, and I fed her a handful of barley every day or a few potatoes.  Now she has free access to my growing barley field, and I give her half a dozen potatoes every day.

You need not worry about getting her thin.  She simply requires less food.  An animal excessively fat brings forth an inferior offspring.

Musty Corn for Pigs.

Would Egyptian corn that has been musty and then dried in the sun be fit for pigs?  It heated and musted quite a good deal, but is dried well.  The idea is, to grind it and then feed it in milk if good.

It is very dangerous to feed any stock moldy or musty food, especially pregnant animals.  It is this kind of food which causes a majority of the abortions.  Mold or smut in food is poisonous both to man and beast.  It is usually almost impossible to get out of feed because it runs throughout the structure of the hay or grain.