PIG FEEDING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 24, 11 January 1912, Page 3

PIG FEEDING.

REPORT OX EXPERIMENTS

The report of the seven experiments, conducted ut the Kilmarnock Dairy School by the West of Scotland College has been issued and contains many interesting results. The experiments were primarily intended to show how best to utilise skimmed milk and whey in pig feeding, and what, meals or mixtures of meals might be most profitably used to partially replace or supplement skim-milk whey. The experiments commenced in the spring of 1905, and were continued each summer up to 1910 inclusive. In 1905 forty-eight young pigs weighing about 90lb each were divided into six lots of eight pigs, four in a, pen, in such a way that each lot was of nearly the same total live weight. The different lots were kept under the same conditions, but were fed on different rations. Each pig was weighed at the commencement of the experiment, and at stated intervals thereafter, until about 2101 b live weight.. Careful records were made of the live weight at each weighing of the dressed carcase weight, and of the weights of different parts of the carcase. Careful tests were made of the quality of the bacon from the different rations by qualified bacon curers, both before and after curing, and after cooking. In the summary of results are given the average results of the seven different experiments, and attention is drawn to the way in which the results of the different years confirmed eachother. It was found possible to utilise whey profitably by feeding it alone to pigs. Pigs fed on whey alone increased in live weight at an average rate of 11b per head per day, and gave a return of a halfpenny per gallon for the whey, and a further sum of 8s 7d per pig towards other expenses. Pigs fed on barley meal and water, with a little wheat bran, without any dairy by-product, did not thrive as well as on whey alone, or give such a satisfactory return for the food consumed. Barley meal and water alone were found to be quite unsuitable. When either barley meal, Paisley meal or maize meal, or a combination of these was included with when less whey was consumed, and the increase in live weight was more rapid. The pigs which received most meal with the whey gave the best result. Of the meals given with whey, maize meal produced with only one exception the greatest average increase per head per day; and of all the whey-fed pigs in these experiments, those fed with maize meal gave the best returns for the whey and meal consumed. Whey and Paisley meal gave a more profitable return than whey and barley meal, with only one exception, in a series of five experiments. On the average feeding on whey and barley meal gave no better direct return than giving whey alone. In three cases out of five the return was less. Whey and maize meal given during the whole period of the experiment gave better results than when with barley meal in the first period, with barley and maize meal in the second and with maize meal in the remaining per-' iod. The relative position of the lots receiving maize fneal \yere in order of quantity of maize meal consumed. The proportion of maize meal to 1 whey, which gave the best results, was 21b ‘mehh t!o‘2j gallons Htdiey on an 1 average over’ I the 1 tvhole ' period,' 1 witln * a smaller proportion of meal earlier and a grbhtei*' pfopb'rtibiP lixter 1 in th’d'expeiiheht. ' In . three experiments separated milk • and’ Hatley’ meal' gave greater increases in live weights than whey and barley meal. Prom these results the relative values for bacon production, of separated milk and whey respectively/ arc re fouii’d 1 tcK be approximately as three to two. In one test with Paisley meal and whey it was found that warm food produced a greater increase in weight than cold food. It required 12T per cent, less dry matter to produce the same increase with warm food than with cold. The amount of dry matter in the food required to produce lib live weight increase varied with, among, other conditions, the kind of food, and the proportion of solid to liquid food, and the live weight of the pigs. It required least dry matter when ti.e food was maize meal and whey.

The bacon-producing value of separated milk, whey and meals respectively were found to be increased when the liquid and solid foods were combined. The smallest amount of dry matter was required when maize meal was given at the rate of 21b to legations of whey. As the weight of xlie pig increased, so did the quantify of food required ■to produce lib li;. o weight become greater j, at 2141 b live weight it required 50 per cent, more food than at 1181 b. While the pigs went on increasing at about the same rate per day from ,1001 b to 2001 b live weight, the larger pig required more food to satisfy it. A heavier and older pig was found to be a less economical bacon-producer than a lighter and younger pig. It was found,possible' to increase the live weight of the pig from 1001 b to 2101 b in from nine to ten weeks at the average weight of 1.721 b per head per day by feeding with separated milk and barley meal. When the ration was whey and maize meal it required eleven weeks to produce the same increase. Different lots of pigs yielded different percentages of carcase to live weight. This was due partly to the different weights of the pigs at killing. Heavier pigs on the same diet yielded higher percentages than lighter pigs. But it was due partly also to the kind of food. Whey and maize meal produced the highest l percentage of carcase to live weight. Different pigs yielded different proportions of bacon to carcase weight. This was due partly to the kind of food. Pigs fed on maize meal and whey gave the highest proportion of bacon to carcase weigJit, and therefore also the highest proportion of bacon to live weight. Barley meal, without skim-milk or whey, proclucecl a bacon inferior in Quality to that from meals given with milk or whey. Barley meal and separated milk in every test gave the best quality. When whey was used in quantity so as t" pro-'ide a .considerable proportion the dry matter of the food, a good quality of bacon was obtained with either barley, Paisley or maize meal.

On tho average of two experiments conducted in 1909 and 1910, whey with a mixture of equal parts barley meal and Paisley meal gave better results than whey'with a mixture of two parts barley meal ayd one part rice meal. But whey with a mixture of equal parts barley meal and maize meal gave the best results of the three. Whey with raw potatoes and a mixture of equal parts barley meal and maize meal give better results than- whey cooked with potatoes and a similar mixture of equal parts barley meal and maize meal gave better results than whey with a similar mixture of meals and either cooked potatoes or raw potatoes.