FEEDING OF FARM STOCK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3828, 26 July 1927, Page 12

FEEDING OF FARM STOCK.

Practical experience has shown that certain foods are more suitable than others to a given kind of stock. Thus clover or mixed hay and oats are suitable for horses, hay and turnips for cattle and sheep, and so on. Generally the kind of food given to farm animals depends upon the, kinds grown on the farm, but care should be taken to study the class of animal and the type of work the animal is performing. For instance, once the daily wants of the body are supplied, it is a question of supplying a diet calculated to return the owner the most money. Not much thought is required to understand that the diet which would meet the requirements of, say, the horse, would not meet the needs of the milch cow. The working horse, the milking cow, and the fatting bullock and the growing lamb all make special demands, which must in each case be specially met. The dairy cow probably more than all domestic animals prefers a mixed and palatable diet. The cow is an honest manufacturer. Her product does not vary in its composition to any great extent. She may be fed less than she wants and lacking some essential material, but she does not yield a milk lacking in that material. She may draw upon her body tissues for this material; but, of course, this cannot go on for long without impairing her health. ■ The milk, in spite of a starvation diet, will contain its valuable nutrients, but the milk yield will be limited. The question of feeding is one that receives nothing like the attention it deserves. Breeding and feeding go hand in hand. If the cow has the inherited ability to milk well, she must be generously fed in order to become a big producer. Many cows are so poorly fed that they do not have a chance of producing their maximum. Good feeding, care, and management are essential for the development of the potentialities with which cows are endowed through breeding. The class of feed, too, is important. Thera ‘“are foods that feed and foods that fill, and there is too much tendency to think that if cows are given a “ bellyful ” nothing more remains to be dons •” A dairy cow must have ample and a variety of raw materials if she is to manufacture milk in plenty. Any experienced milker will grant that average production may be increased by providing a suitable food supply. In varying the rations the cow is assured of plenty of food substances that contain the essential elements. Finally, the daily cow should not be neglected in the off season. She should " come in ” in very fair condition.

The breeding ewe from the present time onwards should have attention. The farmer should look well ahead and arrange where his flock is to lamb, and sow a succession of suitable crops for feeding off in the spring. As with cows, so it is with sheep. It is a mistake to get ewes into too high a condition during the breeding season, yet as the lambing, approaches it is advisable to feed them rather more generously. Careful feeding of stock makes for good-health conditions on the holding, and particularly so in regard to sheep. No class of farm stock warrant more thought than sheep, and experience teaches that preventive measures will pay best, for sheep do not show, generally speaking, very characteristic symptoms when ill, but just die. Sheep troubles are generally of dietetic -origin. It is the pasture which counts. Rough, rank grass is not suitable for sheep. Chronic indigestion is set up, there is scouring and ' general debility, all of which may be avoided provided a wellbalanced foodstuff is supplied. Sheep, like all other animals, do better on a variety of food. Too much of one class of food is a bad practice. All changes of food should be made gradually, while a supply of salt licks in troughs may well help out the sheep when the food lacks palatability, etc. As it is with cattle, and sheep, so it is with pigs in regard to care in feeding and their welfare, although the pig is the-- least punctilious of all domestic animals in choosing its diet. It must be remembered, however, despite the pig’s voracious appetite, that

the edible condition of the flesh and its market value are adversely affected if damaged and decomposing foodstuffs are fed. The pig being confined so much and dependent upon man for its foods should be specially considered. The appetising character of the food, its flavour and digestibility, its laxative or constipating character, its cost, must all be considered. We must take into account also the quantities necessary to make a balanced ration and the increase of food required during the cold weather. A ration may be considered to embrace the total amount of feed consumed by the animal in 24 hours. Changes of diet should not be j made suddenly. This is most essential when bringing in pigs from grazing to fatten off for market- As the animal increases in weight so also should the ration be increased in proportion. Feeding at regular intervals has its advantages. One should endeavour to feed sufficient to the pig to satisfy it, and not leave residues in the trough to become stale or sour. Pigs are good grazers, and there are many crops on which they will thrive if given a chance. Owing to its high protein content, lucerne is considered one of the suitable foods for pigs, and is a good substitute for bran. It is both palatable and digestible. Profesor Henry says that “ lucerne is destined to become a factor of the greatest importance in pigfeeding operations wherever that wonderful plant will grow,” and Professor Evvard, of the lowa Agricultural College, is even more emphatic. '’Lucerne,” he says, “is our greatest hog forage. The cheapest gains that have ever' been secured upon any forage at this station have been made upon lucerne.” Central Otago is surely a long time taking up the breeding of pigs seriously, as in this locality lucerne grows to perfection.