PIG-RAISING.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 165, 30 December 1926, Page 8

PIG-RAISING.

BEST AGE TO BREED. In spite of all that has been advanced against it, many piglirecders continue to mate their sows at a very early age. The temptation to do this is ofte grout, chiefly for the reason that they do not like to miss the opportunity oi getting either spring or summer litre ~ which arc preferable to those born in autumn or winter. There is no doubt that when sows are bred from too early an age their growth receives a cheek, , anf VT h U C 'and creditably m such cut produce good pigs, others w, not In anv case, too great a st am is ing placed on a young animal, and this ea.i nnlv bo partly mitigated by treating her"well, and making sure hat-she lias everything conducive to the wellbing of herself and of her prospeem e family. Most breeders of agree that a young sow should not b mated until she is a year old, whilr there are some, who go so tai a*™ - - that the age of lo months is palc ■ Much depends upon the development ot the animal. „ , , If she is well grown for hoi lag- slit may be just as fit to breed from at ten months old as some other sows -would be at a year or more. Iho moral ot this is that sows for breeding should be well grown, and if they carry a fan amount of fat. up to the time of mating no harm will have been done. But this treatment must nol be such that they arc rendered over-fat, or trouble is likely to ensue. Frequently excessively fat animals will not breed at all, nor arc they likely to produce good pigs or to rear them with such success Sis those that have been fed in a more reasonable manner.