REMARKABLE RETURNS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20284, 28 August 1937, Page 26 (Supplement)

REMARKABLE RETURNS

OTAGO FRIESIAN HERD. MONEY FOR PIGS. An Otago Friesian dairy herd of 20 cows had an average yield for the 1936-7 season of 11541 lb. milk and 407 lb. fat—a splendid return, specially as the herd contained three two-year-old and three three-year-old heifers. The herd is the property of Mr A. Forsyth. This high average production of milk and butterfat in the herd has been accompanied by a a most remarkably high profit from pig-rearing. Mr Forsyth’s returns from pigs for the past three years have been: £164 1934-5 season, £2lO 1935-6 season, £2OO 1936-7 season. It will be noted that the return for last season equals £lO per cow, a result so outstandingly good that all dairyfarmers will read with interest Mr Forsyth’s methods as recounted by himself:—

Returns from Pigs. “ My returns these last three years have been: £164, £2lO, £2OO. I keep six sows—Tamworth and Tamworth Berkshire first cross, but always purebred when crossed. I have tried out the Berkshire, Large White and Tamworth boars, and find the Tamworth most suitable for this part as we get it very cold and wet here at times and the Tamworth is much the hardiest of the three breeds. I found the quickest growing pigs to be from the Large White boar with the spring litters, but the autumn litters which had to be stored through the winter were not equal to the Tamworth. “ I usually commence the season with about»3o to 40 store pigs. These are rung about June and turned out in a large paddock where they get swede turnips alone. When my cows start calving I take in about eight of the best, and keep on like that until they are all on milk. My sows pig in August and by good treatment I have good suckers for sale at the end of September and October, when suckers are worth 25s to 30s. The sows are fed on swedes in the winter and graze with the sheep in the summer. The sows are brought in to the houses two weeks before farrowing and get a ration of milk and grain and a liberal supply of straw which they soon break up and by the time the litter arrives they have it like chaff. As soon as the young pigs commence to come to the trough I board off a corner of the stye and feed them on crushed oats and milk (sometimes new, but always fresh and warm), as the main thing in selling suckers is to keep them fat and clean. I never let suckers for sale out of the stye as by doing so they run fat off and get dirty. “Of the autumn litters some are sold as porkers and the remainder are kept as stores. The main thing in keeping pigs for profit is always to rear your own, keep them clean every day, and always give them plenty of straw for bedding. I usually grow two acres of oats and three of partridge peas. That is all they get besides milk and swedes. My pig styes are all on runners and can be pulled around wherever I want them. It is like everything else, unless pigs get proper attention they are no good.”