Modern Pig-Keeping

Northern Advocate, 27 March 1937, Page 10

Modern Pig-Keeping

Type of Pig Required. 3 ! In addition to well-developed hams, ■ thick loins, and good length of side . with well rounded-n ribs and light , shoulders, the fat pig of the present day must carry a high proportion of , lean meat and a degree of fatness • which, while sufficient, must not exceed a certain thickness in the back and shoulder. In addition, the fat must be such that when a piece of bacon is supported at the centre the unsupported portions will remain rigid and not fall limp as would a slap of putty. The fat must be hard. In connection with the production of a desirable bacon carcase it should be borne in mind that as a pig develops with age its body proportions alter. In the young pig the head, neck and legs form a very large part of the entire carcase and the shoulder is heavier than the hinder end of the body. As the animal increases in size and weight a wave of growth extends from the head to the tail so that the loins and hind where the best meat is carried, develop more rapidly t]tian the fore end of the body, and the proportion of the choice cuts to the entire weight of the carcase becomes increasingly greater. When two differently bred pigs are similarly i fed the resulting carcases may differ widely from one another. One may be short, blocky and very fat, whereas the other may be long and lean. Inheritance; therefore is an outstanding factor, indeed, the most important factor, in the production of a suitable type of bacon" pig. We know the type which is required and the parents of our future pig stock must be selected with a view to the production of this type. Nevertheless, proper feeding is necessary to bring about the express sion of theN genetical make-up of the animal. To get.the desirable carcase, the little pig should be well fed from the earliest stages, getting plenty of growth-producing foods so as to build up a well-fleshed body. If the pig is “stored” for some months on a meagre allowance and then put on to a fattening diet the result will be a very fat carcase carrying a small proportion of lean. A setback after weaning should, therefore, be avoided. A liberal allowance of the proper food ration at all times is what is required, and if there is to be any limitation in the allowance let this take place towards the end of the fattening, rather than at an earlier stage.

Milk And Soft Bacon. It has been said ,that the excessive feeding of separated milk is ■ conducive to the production of soft bacon. There is no foundation'whatsoever for such a statement and it probably arose because certain pigs fed on milk and maize meal have yielded poor quality carcases, an Irish authority states. When combined with a suitable meal mixture separated milk may be fed in very considerable quantity with exceedingly favourable results oh bacon quality. Indeed; separated milk is superior to most other foods in this connection. It has been also incorrectly said that the feeding of much water with the food, i.e., the giving of excessive sloppy food produces soft bacon. There is some evidence that the taking of excessive fluid over a continued period so distends the abdomen as to produce a thin belly bacon, but this is very little more than a suggestion. Finally,' it has been claimed that the feeding of a very large proportion of protein in the ration is one of the ways of increasing the proportion of lean meat in the carcase, but this claim is invalid also. While for normal development a definite quantity of protein food is necessary, an increased proportion of protein effects no further improvement. Danish Pig Production. Before 1926 no special interest was taken in body length by Danish pig producers, states a Home authority. Since then, the length of the Landrace, or Danish pig, has been increased to 3.3 cms., and has now reached the desired maximum length. The problem facing breederl in Denmark now is to

By C. E. Cuming

reduce the variability in their pigs. Since 1923 there has been a reduction in the back fat amounting to 5 cms., and an increase in the belly of about | the same amount. This being achieved the tendency is now to lay greater emphasis on the quality of the flesh, particularly its firmness. Likewise, there is evidence that the killing percentage is primarily conditioned by heriditary factors. In 1925 40 per cent of the pigs were made into Class I bacon. By 1935 this figure had been practically doubled and now stands at 75 per cent, of the whole production. Thickness of back fat and thickness of belly are more heriditary than the other characteristics studied, states the ! authority. Rapid live weight gain is j very closely associated with economy j of gain. The more rapidly the pigs 1 grow, the less food they will eat per , pound live weight gain. The thicker the belly the higher will be the yield of export bacon. The longer the pig, I the thinner will be the back fat. "Without the use of the testing station method in Denmark it is doubtful whether these results could possibly have been obtained. This aspect of pig husbandry is well in hand in Scotland and the results obtained so far have been extremely useful to breeders. The developments in English bacon factory design and equipment goes on from year to year, continues the same authority, and new conditions produce new methods. This is particularly the case with regard to the treatment of residual or. by-products, which engages closer scientific study than ever before; instead of being considered waste material, whether small or large, these : materials are now being converted into valuable profit-yielding products.

No Coloured Pigs. One member of a British party yisiting Denmark was Mr. G. C. Lancaster, M.R.C.V.S. Here is what he said on return in regard to combina- i tion and coloured pigs: “We in England can never expect that uniformity and co-operation which they have in Denmark. Every farmer is bound to send his pigs to whichever factory he chooses for ten years. If the farm changes hands during that period the incoming tenant has to keep up that contract or- lose it altogether. If ascertain farm has been sending 100 pigs per annum to a factory the new tenant can only send that number no matter what he sent from his previous farm. Any above the 100 he desired io send must be accompanied by a pig card, costing about £2 or £2 10/- purchased from some farmer who perhaps is short. Even then he is only paid about 40 per cent of the market price for the extra pigs. Heavy pigs, those from 1401 bto 1551 b, are paid for at much less than the market price. And if a pig comes up black after scalding another reduction is made. As a result there are no coloured pigs in Denmark. Where formerly they had Large Blacks, Gloucester old Spots, and the Saddleback, they now have only two white breeds in general use; the Landrace and the Large White.