THE PIG INDUSTRY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 153, 31 May 1937, Page 12

THE PIG INDUSTRY

HIGH QUALITY FEEDS FOR WINTER.

(Notes by M. J. Scott, 8.A., B.Sc.) With the disappearance of the milk supply during the month of May, pig raisers who still have some pigs on hand are faced with the difficulty of getting through the winter months, or rather the months in which milk is in short supply. There are many different ways of meeting the winter feed shortage, and most, farmers have tried some of thorn in different years. Some avoid pigs in winter, selling their woaners or stores in the yards before tlio ond of May for the proverbial song, or selling them through the freezing works at sucking pig weights for a fair price. Those who got rid of the winter responsibility make difficulties for themselves in October, November and December when their young pigs aro unable to copo witli abundant milk, and they have to waste sonic of it as a consequence. All things considered it might bo a wise solution of the difficulty, but when one sees the profits that can bo made by the wintering of stores on home-grown roots, plus bought grain, it is difficult to believe that having no pigs in winter time adds materially to profit. BODY RESERVES. Tho next way of wintering pigs is to get them fairly well grown towards tho end of tho milk season, and then turn them out to grass, or provide just enough feed to keep them olive. They supply much of their feed requirements from their own body and may loso up to 301 b weight in sixty days of Juno and July. This practice has arisen doubtless because farmers have seen that sheep and cows that are starved for these months ultimately recover, and at tho end of throe months’ grass feeding are just ns fat as if they had been well fed all tho time. The cows and sheep so treated are not lining fed to produco a carcase as a rule; their milk or wool aro tho production that is looked for from them. Further, they are often full grown animals and finally their grass feed supply is abundant and cheap. Bigs differ from them in all those respects and cannot over be starved profitably for any length of time. Usual immaturity is the strongest reason why pigs ennnot be starved in winter. Starving usually results :n some disease getting entry into tho pig’s system, and cither killing him or making him a most profitless pig to feed. It has been demonstrated times without number that pigs can be wintered profitably on a foundation of about one pound of good meal in addition to paddock feed, grass, roots, green crops, artichokes, or even ensilage in unlimited quantities. One hundred days’ feeding may cost 12s 6d to 15s per p:g, but if tlie feed is of tho right kind it converts a pig that Was worth 10s into one that is worth 30s, and provides a pig in September that is really worth feeding. HIGH QUALITY FEEDS.

Wliero the grain or meal used is design-’ cd to provide a foundation for a bulk home-grown supply its quality wants to he the best procurable. Two things only determine quality in a pig feed for winter use. There must ho little fibre in it, and it should be rich in protein. Meat meal is the perfect winter supplement. It is followed closely by linseed meals, pea meal, and then the cereal meals all together—barley, maizo, wheat, oats, pollar and bran. Low-priced mixtures are unsuitable for wintering- pigs oil. Many havo been very pleased with the results from these latter meals, but as a result of having seen these compared frequently with meat-meal one has liUlo hesitation in saying that those who are satisfied with the cereals, will be delighted with the meals that aro rich in protein.. Some farmers havo acquired the viewpoint that they must buy cheap feeds, and set their faces against high priced feeds. While tho department has always preached tho necessity of a cheap feed supply, it has also stated that the ideal feed supply is made up half of home-grown Toots and half of milk and grain ol barley quality. It is folly to buy low quality feeds of any kind even though they are low-priced. It is hard to bolievo that farmers imagine that they got something for nothing when they buy iow-priced feeds. Tho boot is usually on the other foot; they buy nothing for something. . Low-priced feeds are always compounded of lower-priced ingredients high in fibre that renders the better ingredients in tlie mixture valueless.