RATION OF THE PIG.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20893, 8 June 1931, Page 14

RATION OF THE PIG.

With wheat prices on a low level, English farmers are asking: Can we grind our own wheat and feed it to pigs instead ot buying sharps? An experiment is at present in progress at the l'ig Husbandry Research Centre, Wve, designed to obtain information upon this subject. Wheat is a " fattening food," and can best be used as a substitute for barley meal. It does not contain as much fibre as sharps. A pig needs a certain amount of fibre in its food to keep the digestive system in proper working order. In many of the rations in common use the main source of fibre is the sharps, and if wheat meal is substituted for them there is a danger that digestive troubles may result unless the wheat is supplemented by a fibrous food. Bran is a very convenient material to use for this purpose, and at Wye a satisfactory result has been obtained by adding one part of-bran to three parts of wheat meal. Thirty-four pigs were available for this trial, and they were divided into two groups which are being fed as follows: Group I.—Barley meal, 50 per cent.; sharps, 40 per cent., and soya bean meal, 10 per cent. Group 2.—Barley meal, 50 per cent.; wheat meal. 30 per cent.; bran, 10 per cent, and soya bean meal, 10 per cent. One and a-half pounds of chalk and jib. of salt were added for each 1001b. of meal to both rations. The pigs in both groups have done well. Thwy were strong weaners (averaging 441b. hve weight) when the trial was started, and at the end of the first stage they had an average weight of 801l>. Group 1 had consumed 20411b. of meal and made a total increase in weight of 5841b. (=3.41b of meal per lib. live weight increase). Group 2on the same quantity of meal made an increase in weight of 5581b. (=3.61b. meal per lib. live weight increase). The difference, which is less than 21b. per .pig, is negligible for all practical purposes. Thus it appears that for a young growing pig a mixture of three parts wheat meal and one part of bran is equivalent to sharps. The sharps used ill the experiment were a good average sample of the type turned out by the majority of English mills Results similar to those obtained from Group 1 could not be. expected from a ration containing low-grade sharps.