CONCERNING PIGS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 64, 2 March 1929, Page 12

CONCERNING PIGS

NOTES FOR BREEDERS.

Farrowing rails in the sty where the sow is to have her young are always a useful precaution, but are no good unless properly fixed. They should be at least nine inches from the walls of the sty, but not more than six inches or seven inches from the ground. If they are higher, the sow may be able to get enough of her body under them to crush little pigs behind them if she happens to lie down close to the wall. It is not a bad plan to put an additional rail across the corners of the pen, for little pigs are fond of getting into corners, and the whole litter may lie quite securely behind one of these corner rails without any fear of being crushed or trampled on. The time of greatest danger to little pigs is during the first two, or even three, days after birth. After that they are usually sharp enough to get out of the way of the clumsiest of mothers. Brood sows never do as well as when allowed plenty of room for exercise. Their value depends largely on the number of pigs they cap produce and suckle. Littens of six or seven cnn hardly be considered very profitable, and sows which fall short of even these numbers will beist be got rid of without delay. Litters of ten, or more, if well suckled, will be very remunerative as a rule. Some sows may be naturally prolific, but may, for some reason or other, fail to rear but a mere handful, of their young. A young sow may be excused if she fails to come up to expectations at her first farrow, but a sow that proves a poor breeder once or twice can hardly be expected to show much improvement later on. Let her be fattened and sold to make room for a more profitable sow. Of all pig-feeding stuffs, barley meal stands highest in the estimation of bacon carers. Maize meal, If used tool largely, is apt to make the pork soft and oily. Oats, ground, or crushed, should be used sparingly. Too much green food is also a cause of soft pork;. but it is doubtful whether it can he entirely dispensed with during the early stage of fatening. There is no doubt that turnips, boiled or raw, may affect the flavour of the bgcon if used too freely. A well-mixed and well-balanced ration may always be relied upon to give best results.