WORK FOR THE MONTH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 46, 7 August 1939, Page 2

WORK FOR THE MONTH

IMPORTANCE OF GOOD WEANERS Profitable production is founded or good wearjer.s. This is one reason whv the slogan of 401b weaners at eight weeks . has been advocated sc strongly—well weaned is half grown This can onlv be accomplished bv attention 'to the litter at the three weeks stage. It is at this period that we teach them to fend for themselves by providing the necessaryfood apart from the sow's ration.

Food As most cow herds have commenced milking by this time, we can assume that there is af- least suffu cirnt milk to feed the lftter. The value of skim milk or some milk product as a basis o f food for young O'gs is not realised unless <">ne has tried to do without it. Results without milk are generally both disap. oointing and eyoensive. Young pigs should be f~enuently from four to six daily durirxi the first six weeks of feeding and they should not receive more food at one time than they are capable of cleaning up, within, sav a cruarter o<", an hour of being fed. Food mos'fc suitable is good pollard and meat meal in equal quantities, fed at the rate of two ounces to each pig daily for the first week of feeding. Feed this ration 'together with skim milk (or where whey is the basic diet with an extra, ounce of meat meal to each pig) in the manner

stated previously and you can be sure that the pigs are receiving the most economical weight-producing food that has been tried in New Zealand. The concentrates will require to be increased progressively until the pigs are receiving half a pound each at eight weeks of age. If grain foods other than pollard are fed great care must be taken, that it finely ground, and is of a digestible character. While if at any time the foods are changed the change_over should be gradual to avoid upsetting the P'g's stomach and thus causing a check in growth which must ha avoided at all costs. Weaning 1 It is advisable to wean early the spring litters. Litters which averaged lG.olbs at weaning (four weeks of age), turned the seal" at an nvsr_ age of a s much as 53]i> s at right weeks of age. On other occasions weight increase has not suffered in the least bv early weaning. Tho advantages are well worth remembering. The chief one is the time trained in farrowing of the summer litters. This gam, in time of one month makes all the difference between being able : to turn off the second litter in the 1

autumn as pork, or having perhaps to carry them through the winter or as an alternative;, selling them in the late autumn as stores whei* no one requires them.