WHEY AS PIG FEED

Taranaki Daily News, 18 September 1940, Page 2

WHEY AS PIG FEED

RESULTS IN HAWKES BAY( PROOF GIYEN BY RESULTS The concentration upon increased cheese production as a wartime measure finds a number of Hawkes Bay dairyfarmers previously supplying butter factories now switched over to cheese factory supply 3rid in these cases, wheie skim milk was available in the past for pig feeding, they are faced with the necessity of using whey in its place today. So many varying statements have been made concerning the real value of whey as a pig food that definite information on the subject was sought from a practical enthusiast, Mr. H. M. Peirson, pig extension officer to the De- ( partment of Agriculture and well known to Hawkes Bay pig-keepers. "Whey," said Mr. Peirson, "is considered by many farmers as a kind of necessary evil scarcely worth the trouble of carting home from the factory. This is e entirely erroneous impression, for experience has shown that, intelligently used in conjunction with a protein food such as meat meal, it can produce exceptionally good results." Recent Feedmg Trial. In a recent feeding trial conducted over 10 different farms in the Waikato district some impressive records were obtained, said Mr. Peirson. These trials covered 93 whey-fed pigs and careful observation showed that they gained a , total of 52271b live weight in 59 days. The food used per pig during the trial. was 235 gallons of whey and 441b of meat meal. At the commencement, the 93 pigs were, on the average, 56 days old and had an average weight of 40lb. On completion of the trial the average gain was 115 days and the average weight 961bs. This disclosed an . average gain of 561b in the 59 days, or, in other words, the whole 93 young pigs grew nearer to the bacon stage at the rate of approximately Ub live weight a day. They could almost be seen putting on weight, said Mr. Peirson. Whey Worth 3d a Pound. Tracing the effect of the trial further, Mr. Peirson pointed out that the total live weight at the end of the 59 days was represented by 34841b of meat. At 6d a pound, this was worth £87 2s. On the other side of the balance sheet, 40001bs of meat meal at £12 a ton cost £21 12s, showing a return for the whey used of £65 10s, or fd a gallon. Mr. Peirson drew attention to the fact that this value of Jd a pound for the whey used was the average over the 10 farms, but, where conditions were good and where better management prevailed, some of the farmers ranged as high as ljd in the value of their whey.

The results stated above were from 10 widely different farms representing a fcir cross-section of average farms and average farmers. During recent months, however, Mr. Peirson has conducte an investigation over 300 farms, where conclv.sions very sirnilar to those. arrived at from the more searching records of the 10 farms were apparent. Since it is now necessary to produce an extra 15,000 tons of cheese, the utilisation of whey as pig food has become an important factor in the pig industry. There is cause for considerable satisfaction in the knowledge that pigs not only will live but will grow at the rate of Ub live weight a day on this by-product of cheese manufacture if fed under reasonable conditions and supplemented by meat meal.