PIG MANAGEMENT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 4, 26 July 1946, Page 3

PIG MANAGEMENT

RECENT RADJO TALK GOOD POINTS Following is the second in the - series of articles constructed from a talk given recently from IYA by a junior Young Farmers’ Club member, Bruce Mundy of the Whakatane District High School. The subject is ‘Pig Management on the Dairy Farm’ and was written entirely by the speaker. II Having covered the main points in selecting a sow, there are just a few more which are worth noting. The chest should be wide and deep,

thus denoting constitution. The shoulders should be light and tine, with no dip between the shoulder blades, and the back should be long and level. The loin must be well filled and the hams thick down, to the hocks, with legs short, straight and strong.

Fineness of grain, and texture of meat go hand in hand with a fine skin free from wrinkles and covered with fine hair. 111-bred, coarse, hairy pigs produce meat which is coarse in texture, besides taking longer to fatten than well-bred pigs. Quite often this question is asked: “How long should one keep a breeding sow?” A good breeding sow which has proved herself should be kept until she no longer rears a good litter. By that time she may be six or seven years old. The Boar The aim of the choice of a boar is to have a strain which possesses the qualifications for a vigorous and quick-maturing litter, and to do this the boar must be even better than the best sow you possess. Provided the breed characteristics are correct, a boar from a large, even litter should be chosen. Remember that the boar is required for breeding purposes, so avoid a boar which is oversized or in condition for a fat stock show. A boar, therefore, of medium size, light in the front and heavy in the hindquarters, with good bone and standing well on his feet should be the choice.

Now that you have a good boar we may go on to the care of the sow during the gestation period. The care of the sow during the gestation period is one of the most important thing in the rearing of a good litter. The sow must be given ample protection. Accidents are liable to happen even if the greatest care be taken, and she may suffer attacks of indigestion and other internal disorders, rheumatism, colds and chills which just seem to happen in spite of the very best treatment she may receive. Any one of these things may be sufficient to cause a sow to reduce the number of live piglets. The farmer sometimes causes loss in the production of good litters by irregular feeding, sudden changes in quality and quantity of feed given, absence of water, exposure to excessive sunlight through lack of shade, damp sleeping quarters, and occasionally even by cruelty. Experimental Work

Experiments at Ruakura have shown that pasture alone is not sufficient to maintain the sow’s w-eight during the gestation 1 period. She must have some suitable food such as meatmeal, up to' four pounds a day, depending on the condition of the pasture: The use of meatmeal has shown its result in that when the pigs are born they are larger and heavier; and fewer pigs are dead in each litter. On the other hand, the sow which had been fed on pasture alone, with no supplement, had litters which were smaller oh the average and of poorer quality, and this sow was only fit to rear one litter per year. It is therefore of the greatest importance to see that the sow is sufficiently fed in order not to lose condition during this period. Breeding Farmers should bring the sow into farrowing three weeks to a rnonth before farrowing and feed her carefully. The change of diet and circumstances are likely to upset her health and contentment. Give her time to settle down, otherwise she is liable to kill several pigs at farrowing time.

Sows which are brought in only a few days before farrowing get upset, for their food is changed, activities are limited, the temperature, amount of sunlight, condition of their beds, and every physical circumstance, are changed.