THE PIG INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 208, 3 August 1937, Page 4

THE PIG INDUSTRY.

THE FEEDING OF PIGS. (Notes by 31. J. Scott, 8.A., B-. Sc.) Balanced Feeds.—ln every country in the world the first approach that the scientist makes to the question of feeding is by way cf the composition of the foodstuffs. The amounts of protein, fat and carbo. hydrate determino accurately tho value of a feed, and a knowledge of them usually accounts for tho observed properties of tho feed. The man who uses tho feed, however, can make littlo use of the analysis, nor can he take nnv advantage of tho advice so frequently offered that ho must usd balanced feeds. Not only lias the animal a tolerance for a very wide range of quantities, it has an even greater one for a range of qualities. After a short tune it can adjust itself to four or even six times the amount of protein that is ideal, and can get along with about, half tho quantity it should require. Similarly with minerals it can live and be healthy with just the minerals found in grain or it ran consume added minerals at the rato of ounces per week. This tolerance is most i remarkable whilo the pig is "idling” and while it has a few reserves stored away in its body. As soon as these reserves become depleted or when the pig is fed liberally enough to grow, then trouble arises, 'fills takes the form of any of tho common ailments .from lameness and rickets to constipation, and worm infection to pleurisy. Unsuitable feed that lowers the tone of tho animal system is tho opening through which most of the ailments of pig* find entry. Thoso whose pigs grow satisfactorily but still are subject to certain ailments may dissent from the viewpoint stated above. It is quite possible to get rapid growtli on unsuitable feed, but it. need not be healthy growth. With unsuitable feed* the more rapid the growth tifie more unhealthy the animal is—a. fact that is made use of iu the production of experimental rickets. Even although it i 3 ‘‘grot*;h for feed used” that makes a feed supply valuable, growth and good health are a better combination than growth and ill-health. The signs of health that are unmistakable are a sleek coat, a shining skin, a bright eye. energetic action and normal excreta.. A feed supply that leaves pigs wanting in any of these, in spite of tho fact that tho pigs aro growing rapidly, is unbalanced and would bo improved by the addition of tho missing ingrediont. THE MISSING INGREDIENT.

.Most people can tell at. a glance if their pigs are in normal health, but because of tho interplay of many factors such as ago. rato of growth, amount of sunlight, presence or abaenco of parasites and all the variables that influence a pig’s health, it is often difficult to recommend with any measure of assurance treatment that will improve things. Although tho value of minerals, condiments, and vitamins is widely recognised it is most remarkable how many healthy pigs there are in the country that got no added minerals or condiments, and live, sometimes on skim milk, sometimes on buttormilk. sometinies on offal and sometimes on a wide variety of home grown feeds, pliv= milk. The common thread that runs through these different places is tho care of tho owner. He feeds regularly, he feeds just as much as the pigs clean up. His pigs aro always looking for more, but never really hungry. Ho is a careful observer. Any pigs that requiro attention get it promptly. He is careful to have just tho right number of pigs that will use his feed supply at every time of the year, and generally ho pays attention to nil the details that require attention. As a result ono can say with a good deal of conviction, and with no desire to bo clever or offensive, that tho best supplement that can bo usod with any feed supply, no matter what its origin, is understanding and caro on the part of the owner. It is not everyone’s good fortune that be can take rare; or put otherwise, tilings go wrong with some in spite of the best of care. In such cases it becomes necessary to find something that can bo added to the ration in order to keep pigs healthy with limited care.