Meal-feeding Pigs

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 65, 18 March 1936, Page 12

Meal-feeding Pigs

For those who desire to make the utmost from (heir pigs, at this time of 1 tlic year and in such a season as this, nieal-feeding is strongly to be reconi- . mended. I Many farmers still argue that it docs I aot pay. (Some who so argue, arc men I with a considerable knowledge of the science of feeding. These base their opinion on the fact, which is correct, that generally speaking, 4lbs. of feeding meal are required to produce lib. of livcI weight gain on a pig.

I Assuming the feed to be barley, costing Id per lb. on the farm, then the cost of lib. live-weight of pig is 4d. As the pig will “kill-out" approximately 75 per cent, only, of liis live-weight, I t hat feed cost mounts to SUI Jb, almost, ion his carcase weight. On any pigmeant sold at less than 51 per lb. the fattener loses money. 'Allowing for rejections and 2nd. grade pigs, a farmer cannot average anything like 5Jd a lb. Ifor liis pigs. This is true, but does not 'tell the whole story. | The effect of balancing tho ration is 1 quite overlooked, as is the effect upon the quality- of the pork or bacon output. It is herein that the gains can be made. Although pigs fed wholly on barley or loflier good meals may require 41b. of ithese to gain lib. live-weight, it is probable that meals fed additionally to milk and grass may give double this effect. Admittedly-, this is difficult to accurately measure. But those, who have gone in for meal feeding aye making a success of it and find it to be definitely payable. The important point in pig-keeping is to grow and fatten pigs as rapidly as possible, alw-ays, of course, with reasonable regard to the costs of feeding. Exerienco at tho Cheltenham Dairy Company’s huge pig-farm, with its carefully recorded accounts, must bo regarded as being of value. The manager, Mr Thurston, states that they find mealfeeding pays when dibs, of bacon will

purchase lolbs of meal. To-day, -lib. bacon at, say, sd, will return ,1/S; lolbs of meal can be bought for 1/31. On these prices meal-feeding is substantially within the Cheltenham standard.

Pollard has been a great favourite with pig-feeders, but during the past year it was excessively dear. Alternative feeds offering better value, are good quality proprietary meals and feeding barley and barley- meals. With the declining milk supply and the cooler weather, pigs require just that extra nourishment that meal feeding will give. Without such feeding they tend to “hang-fire”; with it they will go ahead.