WHEY FOR BACON

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21178, 30 July 1940, Page 7

WHEY FOR BACON

PROFITABLE PIG FOOD

PRODUCERS RE-ADJUST PLANS FEEDING PRACTICE ALTERED Owing to the diversion to cheese manufacture of a portion of the milk supplies that would ordinarily be utilised in butter making, pig producers who have been asked to supply milk for cheese instead of butler making will have to make some readjustment in their pig management plans. It is realised that as bacon is also an essential war-time food that bacon production cannot be allowed to suffer because butter suppliers, who have changed over to cheese, will have only whey instead of skim milk available for pig feeding. However, there is comfort for producers in the knowledge that practical trials have conclusively demonstrated that the highest class baconers can be raised on whey. The fact that some pig producers will now have to feed whey instead of skim milk to their pigs should not be allowed to interfere with the drive for greater bacon production. Cheese whey has been long proved a valuable base as a pig food, but, of course, it must be fed in conjunction with some protein rich food, such as meat meal. Obstacle Can Be Overcome The demand for additional cheese would create obstacles for increased bacon, but these obstacles must be overcome, said Mr W. A. Phillips, chairman of directors of the New Zealand Co-operative Pig Marketing Association, today. It was profitable to fatten pigs on whey so any conversion from butter to cheese could not be regarded as a justifiable excuse for not producing pigs.

Increasing cheese production by 15,000 tons meant changing the byproduct of about 60,000 cows from skim milk to whey, said Mr Phillips. This by-product as skim milk produced approximately 40,000 pigs and as whey it should be capable of producing about 20,000 to 25,000. Approximately 70 to 75 per cent of the milk delivered at a factory could be returned as whey, and whey has a feeding value of about three quarters that of skim milk.

Whey was usually rated at about half the value of skim and when allowance was made for the reductions both in quantity and quality these figures gave a close approximation. Unfortunately, some farmers had interpreted “half the value of skim milk” to mean that the quality was only half as good as skim milk and with this idea in mind had considered that whey was not worth bothering about. As a result it was fed lavishly and often under very bad conditions. Changed Attitude During the last few years, said Mr Phillips, this attitude has been changing and many now obtained excellent results from whey. Because most farmers, who were changing over to whey, used to keep pigs and, therefore, had the equipment and facilities for doing the job, it was likely that they would want to use their whey. From the point of view of value in the whey this was worth doing, and the decision to use whey or not could be based only on the question of whether it was possible to get it back on the farm again. Because the greater part of the flesh-forming materials had been taken out of whey, it was essential to feed meat meal with whey to pigs of all ages at the rate of at least half a pound a day. Whey acquired its bad reputation chiefly because it was fed to young pigs without a supplement. They would drink it greedily in order to obtain enough flesh-form-ing materials, and being incapable of digesting the sugar content, would scour profusely. Starting at three weeks, little pigs should be given an ounce of meat meal daily, increasing to half a pound at weaning and continuing on at this rate till slaughter. Half a pound of barley or other grain daily should be given from weaning till the pigs were 1001 b live weight. Starting with an allowance of two pints of whey at 3 to 4 weeks a piglet, suckers should have their whey ration increased until they were getting a gallon and a half of whey daily, along with meal and grain, just after weaning. Litters produced in this way on whey were just as good as those produced on skim milk. Regular Intervals The whey should be gradually increased to about 4 to 5 gallons daily at four months. It should be fed at regular intervals, three, four or even five times a day, this avoiding distension of the stomach and consequent scouring. For the fourth, fifth and sixth month of the pig’s life little increase in the amount of whey fed daily was necessary if access to good grazing, or a supply of roots, where available. For the last five to six weeks seven to eight gallons should be fed daily together with half a pound of meat meal. This should take the pig from a live-weight of 1401 b to 2001 b. If at any stage the pigs scoured unduly on whey their feed supply should be cut down and a handful of ordinary carbonate of lime (for each eight pigs) be put in the whey trough once a day.