LAYOUT AND HOUSING.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20254, 24 July 1937, Page 26 (Supplement)

LAYOUT AND HOUSING.

DATRY FARM PIGGERY. BETTER CONDITIONS NEEDED. Pigs generally have shown that they are capable of earning a varying return under almost any type of housing - condition, state W. J. Croucher and E. P. Nielsen, Mana-watu-Orua Pig Development and Recording Club, Palmerston North. In the main the tendency has been to put them on a piece of land unsuitable for other purposes, and to provide the least costly accommodation and equipment. Money invested in provision for pigs was not considered a live asset, and so little was invested, the pigs struggled along, yielded about half what they could yield, and the owner simply pocketed the returns as a matter of course and without any pride of achievement. Cows and sheep by contrast had money spent for efficient dairies, milking-machines, shearing sheds, yards and dips. With similar facilities, pigs could show their worth and the owner be freed from some drudgery. Better conditions would make pigs more extensively profitable. The guidance herein is based on the actual experience of pig raisers relative to the simplest and most economical means of securing breeding stock, and management that will contribute to the quick growth and to the health of the pigs in every phase of their existence. An important fact, the truth of which has been clearly demonstrated, is that no one feature alone will give complete success. It is not sufficient to rely upon the best of stock or type of pig if essential features of feeding and management are neglected. The best features of breeding, feeding and management must be combined to secure consistently good returns, otherwise much well-intentioned labour and financial outlay may be without a suitable return. Good housing is of fundamental importance in successful pig-raising, but it is of great practical moment to bear in mind also the well-proved fact that, any expenditure in housing and in the runs attached to them cannot give the desired results if the factor of common-sense control and management is not in evidence at all times, no matter how excellent the lay-out may be. Good management, independent of the strain and type of

the pig, implies the wise application of acquired knowledge, in every department, and particularly with respect to feeding and management. Some Results of Poor Housing. It is a fundamental principle in successful pig-raising and fattening that big litters of quickly maturing stock show the best returns in the shortest time; hence it is essential that the feed and comfort of the pigs be studied at all times. Bad housing usually means unthrifty and unhealthy Pigs.

An enormous loss arises because of disease, most of which is preventable. Cold, wet and unsanitary conditions Invite trouble which cannot be avoided. The present heavy loss from mortality in young pigs should be eliminated. Pigs are very susceptible tp pulmonary diseases, of which pleurisy and kindred troubles are very prevalent. Foul and unsanitary yards, sties, troughs and wallows are ideal breeding places for intestinal worms and other pig parasites. Care in trying to produce healthy pigs under filthy conditions is often in vain, and although some succeed in raising good pigs under dirty conditions they are getting less for -their feed than it is capable of producing. There are numerous cases in which money spent on equipment that makes cleanliness possible has been returned in the first season by the reduction in

actual deaths on the farm or in the number of pigs condemned at slaughter. Pigs and filth need to be separated. General Requirements. Any system of housing should give efficiency at a reasonable cost. It is most important that the sleepingquarters be rainproof and wind-proof. The walls should be constructed so as to prevent cold draughts of air reach- j ing the pigs. The house should face the sun and give free access to its rays and fresh air. Provision for carrying off foul air should be made by ventilators placed at the top of the back wall. Fattening pigs should be provided with an out-run where j they can get exercise when kept under the close pen system. In the absence of grass runs green feeding material should be placed in the sty. Drainage. In heavy lands good drainage from the sties and yards is a first essential. All fattening-houses should be provided with a narrow, concreted drain to carry all excretions to a sump from which the sewage can be taken and distributed as top-dressing for pastures or carried away by an underground drain to some convenient place. A small catchment sump for the far-rowing-pens is also advisable. Sows and litters fed with large quantities of liquid food are likely to make the ground near the house very wet, and to make a wallow of their own urine. This endangers the health of young pigs. All stagnant waterholes must be regarded as dangerous; because they are infested with germs of disease which are responsible for heavy mortality in pigs of all ages and particularly in young ones. Shelter and Shade. A distinct weakness common in pigkeeping is the absence of shelter, for animals of all ages, when not styed, from the ill-effects of cold winds or from the heat of the sun. A belt of trees some little distance from the pig enclosures tempers the cold blasts, but no shelter is so effective for this purpose as a close-bottomed live hedge alongside the boundary and dividing fences of the pens. Any quicklygrowing hedge plant is suitable for this purpose if kept well-trimmed to ensure dense growth. Easily grown plants that have proved efficient are flax pampas and toe toe. Any tree such as the weeping willow planted in the enclosures will give shade. Alternately a rough frame resting on posts and covered with straw is very effective, especially when the sides facing the prevailing winds are hoarded up. Close observation has shown that the growth and fattening rate of pigs is greatly retarded where they are kept under the paddock system and unprotected from the weather. Partly because suitable shelter is so often lacking, a recommendation here is the use of a fattening-housc with a small exercise yard attached as a separate unit of the lay-out along lines which are already giving very good results.