PIGS OR CALVES?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 658, 8 November 1909, Page 10

PIGS OR CALVES?

WHICH PAY BEST? •' This question:is' always, one'of the•,first and ■ most important in the. minds of , dairymen, (says tho "N.Z. Dairyman"). Thore can bo no doubt , that, taking everything into consideration, tho ,pig pays best. .The riso and fall in the prices of calves and of tho products of tho pig make the cash superiority - of the grunfer. a. vajiable one;''',but*nevertheless it is-a superiority, 'that exists and is generally. fairly,'.substantial. ..So iar- ovory farmer .will agree. :with- us",. but- let , lis "examine into just-how much more the pig pays • the. farmer than- tho calf. •' ■ v,'. -' An ordinary - calf'fed l'6r fo.iir months may bring las-high as;SQs.; but-often he will-only fetch 16s. to 20s'.> A pig.'fed ior. : the;same timo will bring from ,M to :£2. : 'How 'compares the ' -time', required- to -feed each? .Oiie calf - takes . 'as long to: feed as a whole sty of. pigs, and often longer; and for at leafet the ■ first• two-weeks it must bo given; ■wholo .milk - twice a day— say: a dailytwo-gallons ■ of- marketable -: milk."' /-This milk/'with a' 3.9 test" and-butter-fat at 9d. per lb;i will;-cost; slightly- under 9d. : per' day, for .each calf reared.. (I do not subtract any time .for. the ; two. or ;threo; days- that, the, mother's, milk is unfit for the creamery, because in most, if not all; ,cases; the animals /are; fed,for the : full rtiinevstated;'on' good - wh'ol'e.' inilk.) '/-The time, taken up in feeding the !calves ; will be not ldis thah'tenfihinutes apiecoj or twenty minutes ; per day per calf.l'os not. less tlian a fortnight. J"or : whole- ; milk r alone;.,-then,-;-.for itjro weeks, } 70utricalve9;-will.;cosj:;you 10s."6d:: each, add-to this the.labour," at' the' moderate cost of. Is.'per hour, for 4 hours 40. minutes,'.ahd the total is Jss. 2d,. Many farmersi of xolirso, ,when rearing. their'herds, feed jjtheln on. who's mflkA for;'', three or - four, weeks;' and "in some cases -for. an., even ■ longer time. lir such instances,: and where special .food.;is-, given, the . Cost . : of . ,necessitjr...'he;: proportionately,. calves' must be > given a; gradually • lessened admixturo of whole milk in the skim, '.laking, ' again,, a . minimum period; say. one of ten ' minutes per : calf, ;per ; day,-equal to 1 hour 10 ; minutes per week, 1 the,-, cost, of this makes the expen'so of rearing the calf v to tho ago of four mouths 335. -lOd. iln. this estimate !is-included skirtijidilk; 'Vl7S.^;*6cf.s^-reekpningi;<the" 'skim-'ipro;. • f duct' ; l of;'an'''ai?erag^-^\v*n;t ; i2'per, season,''and • it; ;'rri jjsfc. be V, ad-j mittcd by iriy readers are not:exce'ssive.figures). To this 335. 10d. 'mnst .be added pasturage, . iit whatever figure different dairymea . put upon it,; and also; bedding, ■ and cleaning', of shed ' regularly. Work it out, gentlemen, iind see; how much your four months' calves cost you. i The Pig and:his Cost—Tho little pie, on the other hand, is suckled by the sow, whose milk has.no commercial rvalue.' He certainly rohshos skirc\-milk, but.he is grateful for anv drinkable 'mixture .of/-ilops, '.especially-;if ,a-feiv solids' are : in, .that be given him. Piggy will show a return on the £2 worth of skim; plus extras, that wilr be ; qiiite equal ,; to compound interest.: You-can'make pig feed; too, when . »you:Hcaimpt The calf is limited, -will live'jon 'almost anything. He: thrives much better on . (.skim milk and plain food it is true, but 1 when ' !rne -cows-are. getting; dry the'complement of the stys may bo reduced until only tho brood sows-remain; and.these may Helkdpt very much alivo { through : the winter month's: ih any. good , .withyaniple, drink : from :t£'e.'.kitchen' refuse. •; This 'refuse' cos'-^"nothing,, and has.to.be got rid of; used in this way it ■has .assure.' economic value.' The labour of pig* : feeding,; too, is nothing comgared 'to. that of ,"oi\t. of; ,eyery ..ten' farmers Aiid','thh.reasohsJtu;e,plain: :H^db!¥oJt'-/r^nf^sH'Mdliiiß; :^lyi- v can- W, fed without actual contact—unlike calves, which' require handling singly • and often hauling singly tpoi,wln : ;.fact, ail that is necessary with trough full.-.J3ven in the 'fattening' season, whon the grunters .heed their troughs, filled four or five times a day, the .total daily,, timo v . given to this work "Trill bo no greater 'than ' that,;expeiided"in ' feeding; calves once. - Calves, also, have to bo let out for.sunshine'4nd driven in again daily for some, weekB 1 —two operafions that , must, in the 'long sun take,-up much timeiivPigs-. areHgreat foragers, and for .this reason they. are able; to exist- where a. calf .■ would istarve. -. ' Again,"he ■ prico of pigs is very steady, and tends to in- ' crease, wmlo that of calves shows considerable fluctuation. : Tilt) .demand. „froin the export , ;market speaking, there is little competition.' In Australia, we are told,-the number of pigs,' despite tho very favourable market;, shows a steady decline,' -inexplicable ;;•■but-it • asi-an.;:-opportnnify«.' : NeW( •Zeiland'-'farmers'should' " selves,of..: Tho.'pig' pays,, aid pays .well.':