DEVELOPING THE PIG INDUSTRY

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 365, 20 February 1937, Page 3

DEVELOPING THE PIG INDUSTRY

HINTS TO FARMERS ON THE PRODUCTION OF GOOD

UTTERS.

Department of Agriculture Notes by M. J. Scott, 8.A.,8.5c.

At a conference between representatives of the Pig Breeders’ Association, the Waikato and Manawatu Recording Clnbs and the Department of Agriculture it was decided to adopt the method of earmarking originally used at Lincoln College. It will apply' to all pedigree reccorded pigs, and sincce its adoption for all pedigree pigs would have some advantages it is recommended for use by all stud breeders. Its. adoption by commercial breeders, especially those operating on a large scale,, would also be an advantage, ’ since if it were possible to identify * each pig the owner would be able to keep better records of his pigs and would be in a better position to explain why some litters do better than others. The keeping of records fe very tedious, but after a few years’ collection the information becomes ißereafeitigly valuable. The Method Explained. Like every other method of earmarking it depends on -giving a number to every mark that is cut in different places on each ear. Starting at the base of the right ear on the back (or bottom) a mark close to the head is 0, and continuing round the tip to the front of the right ear over to the front of the left and round the tip to the back at the base the numbers go up to 9. i.e., 0 to 4 on the right ear, and 5 to 9 on the left. In reading pig’s number start at the base of the back of the right ear and write down the numbers ob- ‘ served. It follows from this that every number will always hate the lower number first, thus; a pig with marks 12 3 will never ba 132, 231, 213, 321 or 312. Many numbers are thus omitted. The following numbers only can be used.

Three marks: 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 023 024 025 026 027 028 029 etc.; a further 120 pigs can be marked. If four marks are used on each pig, a furl her 210 pi gs can be mark rd. In using the system it is advisable first to write out a table of all tire possible* numbers that may be used. This writing out may be difficult, but if it is realised that the numbers increase one at a time the difficulty disappears as the table is written but. Thus 1 to continue the table for three marks after 029 above, the next number will be 034, since this is the first number greater than .029 that retains the sequence of smallest numbers first. When 089 is reached the next number is 123, and so on until 789 is reached. Where many sov.'s are kept it may be necessary to use fouj marks' so as to avoid duplicating, ear numbers. If the sows arc of different breeds, however, z it is possible to treat each breed as a unit and mark all pigs of that breed consecutively. Thus Tamworths could be marked from 0 onwards, Berkshires from 0 onwards; and Whites from 0 onwards. No confusion need arise since the pig is defined by its breed, sex, age, colour, and in the case of breeding sows, vhen ear-marks get torn out with age by its body markings as well.

There is a .possibility of confusion about number 1 with both 0 and 2. and 8 with 7 and 9. This can be avoided if 0 and 9 are placed close to the-head, and 2 and 7 within one inch-of the tip of the ear. Breeders who now use an ear-mark placed in some special position by which they can identify their pigs in public will find it necessary to use some special shap.e of mark, viz., club, swallow-tail, etc., in order to distinguish their pigs from others. Another possible objection from the breeders’ viewpoint is that they have made a practice of marking all the pigs... of a litter with the same mark as their mother, and so were able to distinguish pigs of any litter at sight. Since it is now recommended that every pitf is to have an individual mark it will be necessary to -keep a record of the numbers given to every pig. The age and i breeding of any pig can then be ascertained a diary entry. A third difficulty will arise since the scheme of marking is recommended for use by every breeder. A man Vill buy a sow perhaps that has the marks 045 on her ears. He already has a sow of the same mark and I breed on his premises-. To get over i this difficulty he merely adds a further mark, say a six, and the sow when purchased is entered as sow 045. Berkshire, changed to 0450, or any other number not already used on a sow of his. In deciding to adopt this system the conference considered the merits of eaj’-taitooing, body-tattooing and ear-tagging, and agreed that it breeders wished to tattoo or ear-tag they could do so provided they earmarked as well. This system of ear.marking was adopted in preference to those used for calf-marking or by the National Pig Council of England for these reasons. The Lincoln system required not more than three marks- on any pig, whereas the others required four dr five on some pigs to mark oyer MO. It requires fewer operations in observing and recording the number of any pig than the others' do, and thereby better avoids possibilities of mistakes. The understanding of it calls tor less memorising of detail than the others do. It is fairly widely used already by individual pig-breeders. In principle it is quite distinct from the -calfmarking and English systems which are variants one of the other, thus leading to some confusion. It re-

quires only one appliance, an earmarker. while the others require a punch as well. Its disadvantages are apparent to all those '.ho have already adopted some other system of ear-marking, and hence they meed not be enumerated. Its uniform adoption will be of immense value. The scheme is designed for pigs on a farm. It fails when pigs are mixed with other people’s at sales, or at slaughter. If it is desirable to identify tliyrn at this stage some form of body-tattoo such as that used in Queensland or other countries will have to be adopted.

One mark; — 01234 5 67 8 9—10 numbers. T\\jo. marks: — 01 02 03 04 05 0G 07 0'8 09 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 34 35 36 37 38 39 .45 4(T 47 48 49 56 57 58 ‘ 59 67 GS 69 78 79 89 —45 numbers.