MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19911, 13 June 1936, Page 23 (Supplement)

MODERN PIG-KEEPING

The Cheapest Animal. , The cheapest thing in New Zealand to-day is “the in-pig sow of good parcentase. Yet the majority of men want such a pig for a couple of pounds or so; they want anything in the shape of a pig, and they usually get 'what they want. At, say, 525 a good in—pig sow can show more profit than any animal. In 12 months it rcau easily produce 12 of a progeny, and thus show a handsome profit on the in« \‘ostment. In the breeding of animals there is nothing to compare with the pig for rapidity of returns. One has to wait two or three years for any return from horse breeding, the sheep has but one descendant in the year. occasionally two, and the cow is much the name as the sheep, except that twins are exceptional, but the return is as nearly as long delayed as in the can or the horse. And the whole ‘0! the progeny of the pig can, under good management, be marketed within the year. The wise man is he who will pay a decent price for a good inpig sow, for any price paid for the right sow is always the-most profitable proposition in the end. e u a o Rod carrots, The other day it was noticed that a farmer had grown white carrots for his winter pig food. The carrot is certainly the best root to teed for pigs, but the red carrot should always be used especially for the winter months. At this time of the year. when there is very little good grass available, vita—mins are scarce, or not available at all, and the red carrot is about the only vegetable that contains vitamins, except, that is, tomatoes, and tomatoes are hardly a 1315 food. The red carrot is a good source of all the vitamins but the white carrot only contains vitamin B, and not a very high percentage of this.

Styo for Flnlshlng. There are some people Who would still argue that the stye is necessary for the last stages in a baconer's life.‘ In the days when fat. pigs were saie- { able the she may have been all right; but the stye is definitely not desirable: when lean caresses are in demand and when an export pig must, be an abso-‘ luiely. healthy one, Of course this supposes that proper outside tonal-g tions are provided. \\'ith fair shelterfl sound houses and grass runs that are: periodically rested ihere is everything; i in be said for ihc open-air condition 311% [the ltime. The pig is a very rapidlyi [growing animal if he gets the neces-l sary food. and under stye conditions! t and no exercise he has his‘natural ten—i dent‘y to put on fat. Everything mush he done in check this tendency, and‘l one of lhe best, ways 10 check it isl 10 give the pi: hrnllhy out—(1001‘ con—l diiions where it will be encouraged to i take exercise. A big objection to use the Sim at all is that it, is an encour-

lagement to return to the conditions! that make pig-keeping so objection~i able, with the roughly lconstructed stye having no proper drainage, rapidly developing into an evil—looking nuis—-an-ce. :- , o o a Winter Feeding. There is no doubt that when separated milk or‘whey are not available that pigs can be developed to min-vi ketable weights in the winter months, on meat meal, a good grain meal, mo-1 lasses water and roots. It is not 5111— 1 flclently realised that keeping pigs hanging on is not a. profitable busi—_ ness and that a little money spent, on meals is sound business. It is the net return that counts. Satisfactory pigs loannot be produced in a minimum of time, and yet high—grade caresses, unless they are fed, and, or course properly managed. In Denmark both meat—meal and dried blood are frequently used in addition to separated milk as protein supplements to the grain meals and roots. Snya—hean meal (with added chemicals) is also being advocated in England .10 take the place of separated milk or whey. it I I? 0 Housing. Some people have. peculiar ideas as to the health requirements of animals. The other day a man was heard criti—cising the method or housing advocated by the \Vaikaio Pig Recording and Research Assor‘ialion. He did not. believe in the open—fronted house; it should, he argued, be quite closed up. He quite ignored the first rule of health; that in any sleeping or resting quarter the animal should be able to breathe absolutely fresh air. The body should be kept warm by good bedding (though this requirement is seldom observed) and the building must be absolutely draught proof. The open front is a very great advantage especially to s. pig which is so subJeot to lung troubles. Probably the best situation of the houses is to race nor’-east. The excellent idea is suggested by the Recording Club to have two doors reaching to 'within is’inches of the top of the ‘house and hinged at. the bottom so that they may rest. on title ground in fine weather, thus‘ making the house have an absolute: open front. Where there is decent‘ shelter and the house faces away from the prevailing winds there is really no necessity to have any front to the house at all, that is, if the house is absolutely draught proof, and very few houses' are as draught proof as they should be.

Tothorlng Saws. The custom ls rapidly growing in England- of tethering sows at grass. In Essex 3. local farmer has Invented a very ingenious method of tetherins

which is said to be as efieutixc for tethering bulls as it is for tethering sows. The tethering point is a short iron stake of three—quarter—inch round iron is inches to 2A Inches ions. Near the head of it is forged a disc, after the shape of an inverted‘ saucer. below which are short vertiq cal fins designed to check a. sideways pull from loosening the stake. The short stake is readily dropped in with a crowbar. it is easily removed by an upward puii, Part of the tether itself consists of a nine—foot length of one inch boiler piping pivoting horizontally on the top of the stake and kept in position by a metal collar and a split spin. At the end or the piping is 7 feet. 6 inches of light chain in—corporating a swivel link. The total 1| length affords the sow range over somL ‘75 square yards. including access to i her shelter. The t‘hain being shorter 5 than the pipe prevents the sow rootl in; out, the stake.