DEVELOPING THE PIG INDUSTRY

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 444, 27 May 1937, Page 2

DEVELOPING THE PIG INDUSTRY

HINTS TO FARMERS ON THE PRODUCTION OF GOOD LITTERS.

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

With the disappearance of the milk supply during the month of May, pigrakers who still have some pigs on hand are faced with the difficulty of getting through the winter months, or ralther the months in which milk is in short supply. There are many different ways of meeting the winter feed shortage, and most farmers have tried some of them in different years. Some avoid pigs in winter, selling their weaners or stores in the yards before the end of May for the proverbial song, or selling them through the freezing works at sucking pig weights for a fair price. Those who get rid of the winter responsibility make difficulties for themselves in October, November and December, when their young pig s are unable to cope with the abundant milk, and they have to waste some of it as a consequence. All things considered, it might be a wise solution of the difficulty, but when one sees the profits that can be made by the wintering of stores on home-grown roots, plus bought grain, it is difficult to believe that having no pigs in winter timet adds materially to profit. Pios Living on their Body Reserves. The next way of wintering pigs is to get them fairly well grown towards the end of the milk season, and then turn them out to gras., or provide just enough feed to keep them alive. They lose up to 3011* weight in sixty days of June and Ju’.y. Th if. practice has arisen doubtless because ‘armers have seen that sheep an J crws that ere starved for these month?' ultimately recover, and at the end of three months’ grass feeding are just as fat as if they had been well fed all the time. The cows and sheep so treated are not being fed to produce a carcase at a rule, their milk or wool are the production that is looked for from them. Further, they are often full grown animals and finally their grass feedi supply is abundant and cheap. Pigs differ from them in ail these respects and cannjt ever be starved profitably for any length of time. Usual immaturity is the strongest reason why pjga cannot be starved in winter. Starving usually rer suite in some direase getting entry into the system, and either killing him of making him a most profitless pig to feed.

Feed to Keep Pigs Healthy. It has been demonstrated times without number that pigs can be wintered profitably on a foundation of about one pound of good meal In addition to paddock-feed, grass, roots; green chops, artichokes., or even ensilage in unlimited qualities. One hundred days’ feeding may cost 12s' 6d per pig, but if the fsedi is of the right kind it converts a pig that was worth 10s into one that is worth 30is, and provides a pig in September that is really worth feeding. Use High Quality Foods. ■Where the grain dr meal used is designed to provide a foundation for a bulk home-grown supply its quality wants to be the best procurable. Two things only determine quality in a Pig feed for winter use. There must be little fibre in it, and it should be rich in protein. Meat-meal is the perfect winter suppiemen* It is followed closely, by linseed_meals, pea-meal, and then the cereal meals all together, viz., barley, maize, wheat oats pollard and bran. Low-priced mixtures are unsuitable for wintering pi gE . an . M , any haye i been very pleased with the results from these latter meals but as a reI suit of having seen these compared frequently with meat-meal one has little hesitation in saying that those who are satisfied! with the cereals will be delighted, with the meals -that are rich in protein.

High Quality Feeds are Costly? ’ Some farmers have acquired the viewpoint that they must buy cheap feeds, and set their facet' against high-priced feeds. While the Department has always preached the necessity of a cheap food supply it has also stated that the idie<al feed supply it made up half of home-grown roote and half of milk and grain of barley quah'y. It is folly to buy low quality feeds of any kind even though they are low-priced. It is hard to believe that farmers imagine that they get something for nothing when they buy low-priced feeda. The boot is usually on the other foot; they buy nothing jor something. Low-priced feeds are always Compounded of lower-priced ingredients high in fibre that renders' the better ingredients in the mixture valueless.