MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Northern Advocate, 15 July 1933, Page 14

MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Pigs and Poultry, A remarkable possibility in the use of skim-milk is coming to light. It is generally known that some men can keep, poultry very cheaply by making milk-curd the main diet. One progressive dairy farmer is said to be getting £3OO a year from eggs, and he has probably established a world record for cost of egg production. But he throws away the whey. Why not feed this to pigs was the thought that occurred to the writer when this very cheap method of keeping poultry was referred to by Mr E. Jarrett, Government Poultry Instructor, when lecturing at the Waikato Farm School. The curds for fowls, the whey for pigs. This way of making complete use of skim-milk certainly seems to be practicable. It should be highly. profitable judging by ,the skiipripilk-r an<| v';vyhpy feeding trials, recently .conducted v by the Pig Recording Club where whey, supplemented by a little meat meal, gave better finished pork carcases than where skim-milk and meat meal were used. Certainly this was the result of only one trial and the evidence is not sufficient to provide conclusive information in regard to the relative merit of whey and skim-milk; but the fact remains that porkers fed on whey and meat meal provided carcases that were declared to be ideal for the Londdn trade. The whey was certainly fed intelligently. It was put into clean troughs five times a day. Just as those who were keenly interested in seeing someone trying out this dual use of skim-milk the Pig Recording Officer, Mr Pierson, received a letter from a Manawatu man who has been actually feeding the curd of skim-milk to poultry and the whey to his pigs, and apparently with success. This correspondent, Mr G. Fenton-Wil-liams, is more interested in his poultry than in his pigs, but since he has heard of the good results obtained from the feeding of whey and meat meal by the Waikato Pig Recording Club he has become more interested in the production of pigs on whey. He is visualising big things for the farmer who properly studies the complete utilisation of skim-milk. He can see that the j>ossible profits will make any farmer wonder. Which will be the side-line, he asks, cows or pigs and poultry?

Whey and Meat Meal. Mr. Fonton-Williams points out that whey can be made a fairly complete food by the usd of meat meal. In taking away the curd practically all the protein matter is removed as well as a small portion of the mineral matter. Therefore if -he adds a protein substir tute he gets a food that is practically the same as skint-milk. This same argument was used recently by Mr Peirson in a report to the Waikato Pig Recording Club.

A Fine Combination. Mr Fenton-Williams proposes a fine combination of foods for his pigs—whey supplemented with meat meal and carrots, with the pigs having a good grass run. This should be about an ideal ration and should give a meat product of the finest quality. Mr Fen-ton-Williams grows a red carrot, which he uses almost entirely as a green food for his poultry, and he could give them no better-food for the purpose. A Great Economy.

This complete utilisation of skimmilk suggests the great possibilities in the twenty, to twenty-five acre farm where , a man has some opportunity to give proper attention to side lines. By doi]jig poultry and pigs well and feed-, them at a very minimum of cost what, possibilities do not present themselves? As Mr Fenton-Williams suggests it could easily be the case under good management, with the pigs and poultry receiving intelligent treatment, and not shockingly neglected as they usually are, that cows may be the minor, consideration and the pigs and the poultry provide the main source of revenue.

Winter Feeding. Whatever difference of opinion may exist as to the best winter feed for pigs it is quite certain that pigs must have an allowance at such a time of meat meal or some other food rich in protein. Whey paste may come in or even butter-milk powder, but these milk products will hardly be as cheap, as meat meal and do not contain as high a percentage of protein. An experiment, conducted by the Waikato Pig Recording Club proves the case for meat meal very emphatically. Three lots of pigs fed on artichokes were experimented with. One lot received nothing but the artichokes, the second lot had meat and bone meal (11b a day) with the artichokes, and the third lot had meat meal (lib a day) with the artichokes. The first

lot, eight pigs, weighed 5031 b at the commencement of the trial ami lost, 331 b in the first fourteen days, and later on the trial had to be abandoned owing to the dangerous condition of these pigs. The lot receiving meat and bone meal, nine pigs, weighing 0091 b, made a total gain of 1951 b in 50 days. The meat meal lot, 10 pigs, weighing SSOlb, made a totals gain or 2951 b in 50 days. This result shows the great

importance of a food such' as moat meal to supplement farm crops. The meat meal gave a much finer result than meat and bone meal. As good meat meal is nearly all liver meal this was to be expected. The meat and bone meal would probably, have given a better result had the meat and bone meal used been of the best meals of, this type that are now available.