Pig Feeding Trials on Skimmed Milk

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 4, 16 October 1950, Page 336

Pig Feeding Trials on Skimmed Milk

By

E. D. EDWARDS,

Technical

Assistant, Department of Agriculture, Wellington.

THE increased costs of supplementary meals may have ereated an impression that it is not profitable to use them with skimmed milk for pig feeding. A recosting of the results of trials with various meals as supplements to skimmed milk reveals that this costless (to the pig producer) dairy by-product gives today an increased farm return sufficient at least to cover the rise in costs since 1942, when pig meat was 6d. per lb. and meals averaged es. 6d. per cwt. . THE following review of the results of trials carried out under the district pi? council on three farms in the Auckland district indicates that where meat meal forms a limited nortion of the supplementary meal it is the most economical. Similarly a certain class of proprietary mixture can be as economical. A satisfactory return may be obtained from other concentrates, but their value is increased by the addition of meat meal.

The d ownwar d trend in pig production in recent years has resulted in a considerable wastage of skimmed milk. increased costs of concentrates may be a contributing factor m this situation, but the careful use of limited amounts of meal is usually accom panied by an appreciation of the value a d utilisation d a more efficient utilisation of it. The relative values of skimmed milk when supplemented by various meals . under present price relationships have been determined by a reassessment of data obtained during feeding trials

conducted in 1942. In each trial a minimum of 6 Large White pigs were used at first. Some were sold during the trials, but on each farm the number sold was divided evenly between trials. The meals used and their adjusted values for the analysis are shown in Table 1. The value of pig meat in 1942 was taken as 6d. per pound and for 1950 as lid. per pound. Table 2 indicates the values of skimmed milk obtained from the trials under the conditions already indicated. There were no trials in which meat meal was fed as the sole supplement. However, in those trials where it was used with a carbohydrate meal in addition the mixed meal gave |d. higher return per gallon of skimmed milk than did the non-meat meal trials. The average return for skimmed milk after deducting the cost of meal is 3d. per gallon as against 2|d. per gallon where a carbohydrate feed only is used. When forming the major portion of a meal supplement and compared as in Farm 3, meal A at £5O per ton gives a lower return by Id. per gallon of skimmed milk than meal B at £lB per ton. In this analysis proprietary meal B is equally as good as meat meal B. . The results of this trial justify the use of a combined meat meal-cereal meal supplement with skimmed milk up to porker stage. If jib.. of meal per pig per day, costing 2|d. per lb., is used, porker weights can be reached with an expenditure of about Bs. 6d. on meal per pig, thus giving a return of 3 l/3d. per gallon of skimmed milk. If the food consumed by the dry sow and the litter to weaning is included, the return per gallon, is reduced to about 2d. There appears to be no justification for the use of high-priced proprietary mixtures the price of which is far beyond that which would be fair for a mixture of the main feeding-stuff ingredients available today. Fancy mixtures with small quantities of ingredients for which special virtues are claimed should not be preferred. to good-quality straight grains, meals, or mixtures of these.

Meal 1942 I 1950 Meat meal A (50 per cent, protein) 1942 9s. 6d. per 112lb. 1950 12s. Meat meal B (60 per cent, protein) 14s. per 1121b. 18s. Proprietary meal A 38s. per 1001b. 50s. Proprietary meal B 13s. 6d. per 1001b. 18s. Copra 13s. 6d. per 1001b. 18s. 9s. 6d. per 1001b. For the carbohydrate meals barley meal has been substituted on an equivalent food-unit basis and having a value of 22s. per 1001b. Whole maize (shelled) (2s. per 1001 b. Barley meal 15s. fid. per 1001b. Wheat meal 17s. 3d. per 1401b. Molasses 14s. per 1121 b.

TABLE 1—MEAL PRICES, 1942 AND 1950

Farm ; Meal used to supplement skimmed milk No. of days on trial Increase per pig per day lb. carcass weight Carcass weight per pig at beginning and end of trial Cost of meal per pig 1950 s. d. Return per gallon on skimmed milk (pence) Beginning End 1942 | 1950 1950 1 Copra 125 .80. 33 133 20 3 1.41 2.29 Maize 125 .78 33 130 13 7 1.32 2.43 2 Meat meal A, copra, and molasses 98 .80 33 III 21 9 1.39 2.63 Cereal meal, copra, and molasses 98 .84 33 116 33 1 1.19 2.25 /■ 3 Meat meal B, copra, and molasses 71 .93 34 100 20 9 2.00 3.11 Proprietary meal B and molasses 70 .80 33 90 10 3 1.58 3.16 Meat meal B, copra and molasses and minerals 49 .80 - 33 71 14 1 2.06 3.23 Proprietary meal A and molasses 7.0 .83 33 91 24 0 .81 2.18 Page 336

TABLE 2—SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF 8 FEEDING TRIALS