Sheep, Swine, and Poultry: Embracing the History and Varieties of Each; The Best Modes of Breeding; Their Feeding and Management; Together with etc.Jennings, Robert
Science
Sheep, Swine, and Poultry: Embracing the History and Varieties of Each; The Best Modes of Breeding; Their Feeding and Management; Together with etc.
Jennings, Robert
Poultry; Sheep; Swine
Swine are very difficult animals to obtain any mastery over, or to
operate on, or examine. Seldom tame, or easily handled, they are at such
periods most unmanageable--kicking, screaming, and even biting fiercely.
The following method of getting hold of them has been recommended:
Fasten a double cord to the end of a stick, and beneath the stick let
there be a running noose in the cord; tie a piece of bread to the cord,
and present it to the animal; and when he opens his mouth to seize the
bait, catch the upper jaw in the noose, run it tight, and the animal is
fast.
Another method is, to catch one foot in a running noose suspended from
some place, so as to draw the imprisoned foot off the ground; or, to
envelop the head of the animal in a cloth or sack.
All coercive measures, however, should, as far as possible, be avoided;
for the pig is naturally so averse to being handled that in his
struggles he will often do himself far more mischief than the disease
which is to be investigated or remedied would effect.
BLEEDING.
The common mode of drawing blood from the pig is by cutting off portions
of the ears or tail; this should only be resorted to when local and
instant blood-letting is requisite. The jugular veins of swine lie too
deep, and are too much imbedded in fat to admit of their being raised by
any ligature about the neck; it is, therefore, useless to attempt to
puncture them, as it would only be striking at random.
Those veins, however, which run over the interior surface of the ear,
and especially toward its outer edge, may be opened without much
difficulty; if the ear is turned back on the poll, one or more of them
may easily be made sufficiently prominent to admit of its being
punctured by pressing the fingers on the base of the ear, near to the
conch. When the necessary quantity of blood has been obtained, the
finger may be raised, and it will cease to flow.
The palate veins, running on either side of the roof of the mouth, are
also easily opened by making two incisions, one on each side of the
palate, about half way between the centre of the roof of the mouth and
the teeth. The flow of blood may be readily stopped by means of a
pledget of tow and a string, as in bleeding the horse.
The brachial vein of the fore-leg--commonly called the
plate-vein--running along the inner side under the skin affords a good
opportunity. The best place for puncturing it is about an inch above the
knee, and scarcely half an inch backward from the radius, or the bone of
the fore-arm. No danger need to be apprehended from cutting two or three
times, if sufficient blood cannot be obtained at once. This vein will
become easily discernible if a ligature is tied firmly around the leg,
just below the shoulder.
This operation should always be performed with the lancet, if possible.
In cases of urgent haste, where no lancet is at hand, a small penknife
may be used; but the fleam is a dangerous and objectionable instrument.
DRENCHING.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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