On That Date, No. 24

Flickr Commons

"'And this little pig was raised on synthetic milk and grew and grew and grew.'  . . .

"A synthetic sow's milk has been made possible by the use of the antibiotic, terramycin, . . . Pfizer & Co. . . . reported . . . ." 

"This new product forecasts the raising of piglets in converted chick brooders on a mass-production basis on the same scale as chick hatcheries. The little pigs would be taken away from the sow when two days old. Even the runt who loses out in competition for the sow's milk makes good progress on the growth-stimulating synthetic milk. When weaned from the synthetic milk diet at eight weeks of age, the pigs are 10% to 35% heavier than sow-fed animals. 

"The mother pig, relieved of her family, can get into production again, with two and a half to three litters a year instead of the customary one or two. . . .

"The artificial milk is made of dry skim milk, lard, fish solubles, vitamins, and minerals, fortified with terramycin, which is one of the new wonder drugs now finding wide medical use. This stimulates growth and gives protection against disease." 

____________

"Pigs Raised Like Chicks," Science News Letter 60, no. 22 (December 1, 1951): 341.