PIG HOUSING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 43, 12 February 1946, Page 6

PIG HOUSING

METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION

IMPORTANCE OF FLOORING At a well attended meeting of the Waimana Young Farmers’ Club re-t Mr A. F. Barwell Supervisor for the Ray of Plenty District Pig Council, gave, some interesting information about flooring materials for pig houses that had been under discussion at the Conference, of Pig Supervisors held in Taranaki.

As. an instance of how essential it Avas to have proper flooring, the speaker quoted an instance that had come under his notice. A sow had farrowed but was; suspected of cannibalism as all the newly born piglets had disappeared' overnight. After some investigation it was found that all sevdn piglets had disappeared through a hole in the board floor and perished underneath the house. This was a severe loss to the farmer but such instances could be multiplied many times in one season throughout the Dominion and such losses, could be avoided if only a really satisfactory flooring material was used.. Something that did not rot split or break and that was damp-proof, borer-proof and verminproof. Something that was 100 per cent, hygienic in that it could be washed down with powerful disinfectants and if necessary could gone over with a blow lamp or flame thrower to destroy harmful bacteria. Continuing the speaker described the manner and method in which wooden blocks hacl been used and set in the fashion of wooden tiles

7 set in some form of cold-fix or bilumastic. paint and overlaid on an ordinary concrete floor. This method was much in use in England and; in Europe and was admirably suited for conditions where pigs were housed for long periods. However, this was only suitable in districts where heart wood of a suitable nature could be obtained.

The ordinary round field, tile had been in use in the Pukekolie-Auck-land district for about a year now and was proving very satisfactory. The tiles were packed side b3 r side and overlaid with a thin covering of concrete. When once the air sealed in the, tiles became warm it retained its- warmth for very long periods and acted something like a hot water bag under the thin covering of concrete. Hollow bricks, were being used in Taranaki on the same principle only they were oblong instead of round.

Mr Harwell described how on one farm visited by the. Supervisors, four different materials were being used side by side in the sleeping quart-j ers for experimental purposes, the expense being borne by the Taranaki District Pig Council. The materials used were hollow bricks, field tiles breeze and sawdust concrete. The breeze floor was made by mixing 3 parts of fine coke from the local Gas Works with 1 part of cement. This formed a firm sponge-like material which retained warmth for long periods but because of its porous nature had to be scaled on the upper surface with a thin covering of cement.

From the Manawatu came the idea of using well tarred Pinex wallboard doubled and laid on a concrete floor and thinly coveted with concrete. This formed an insulating material that was quick and easy to handle and was giving excellent results on the heavy land of that district. Different samples of sawdust concrete were displayed by Mr Barwell who dealt fully with the method. of making and the use of this material as a covering for both floors and roofs.

In reply to a question Mr Bariwell stated that sawdust concrete was warmer than pumice concrete, reminding his listeners that there was no sand or shingle in sawdust concrete which contained three parts wood and one part of cement.

In reply to another question, he said that there was nothing new about sawdust concrete. ft had long been used as, a flooring material in the barns of the Middle West States of America where cattle Averc housed in Avinter time and. Avas in use there during the latter part of last Century. Soldiers from the 1.914/18 war had seen it in use in England in the looseboxes of racing Stables..

In New Zealand the oltjesl that was known was seven years and this had been in continuous use for that period. In the Tauranga district the oldest that was known Avas

five years and had been in continuous use and when inspected last winter by Mr Bar well was showing no signs of wear. Several farms in the Whakatane district now have sawdust concrete in use.