ARCHIVE FILE
This article was published in 1937
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BREEDING AND FEEDING OF PIGS
Mr. N. H. LITCHFIELD, Inspector of Stock, Bega.
THE SITE.
In selecting a suitable site for a piggery, it is essential that full consideration be given to the following features:—
Drainage.
A gradual slope with an easterly aspect is preferable. Steep land is unsuitable and should be avoided.
Sunlight.
The pens should have adequate sunlight, both in the yards, troughs and sheds.
Shade and Shelter.
During the warm summer months, adequate shade and shelter is required for successful pig raising. Pigs are very subject to the effects of excessive exposure to heat, and suitable shade or shelter trees, consisting of wattle. kurrajong or eucalyptus, should be grown in the yards and protected by suitable guards.
Situation.
The piggery site should be at a distance of not less than 50 yards from dairy premises and well away from a dwelling so as to avoid against any nuisance created by prevailing winds. The site selected should also be well away from a public road or thoroughfare-100 yards in shire and 50 yards in municipalities.
CONSTRUCTION OF SHEDS, YARDS AND FEEDING PENS.
It is essential that pigs be given adequate protection from cold and heat draughts and that the pigs will have a warm, dry bed. A suitable shelter shed for pigs is one made out of sawn slabs or galvanised iron with three sides enclosed and with a good iron roof. The floor of the shed should be constructed of concrete and properly drained, the floor level being above the immediate level of the ground Hardwood flooring which is detachable should be provided in the shed for the pigs to lie on, as the concrete is apt to cause rheumatism and colds and for this reason is unsuitable to bed pigs on. The wooden floor should be such that it can be removed for thorough cleansing or disinfecting of the pens. The walls and roof of the pig shed should be regularly limewashed about once a quarter so that fleas and lice may be kept out of the sheds. Fences can be constructed of unsawn slabs or good quality pig netting. Suitable yards of sufficient area will be required for grazing paddock, fattening, breeding and weaning of pigs. A suitable size for the fattening pens on the average farm would be 7 yards by 8 yards, and breeding pens 16 yards by 3 yards. It is essential that the fences be pig-proof.
The feeding pens should be enclosed and provided with impervious floors and troughs. Glazed pipes set in concrete make excellent pig troughs. The wooden troughs provided on many farms are most unsuitable for a pig trough and can never be maintained in a sanitary or hygienic condition. This type of trough is absorbent and is responsible for various ailments in pigs, particularly tuberculosis, swine pneumonia, digestive troubles and other ills. The feeding trough should be so constructed that it can be cleaned out daily and maintained in a hygienic condition. Troughs should be provided which will not enable pigs to wallow in them, and separate pens will be required for feeding pigs of various size and age to ensure proper feeding of all pigs. After the pigs are fed they should not he allowed to lie about the feeding trough and should be removed from the feeding pen. Slips, store pigs and brood sows should have access daily to a run-out where ample green feed, water and exercise can be obtained.
Feeding Pigs.
The brood sows and weaners from the time of weaning at eight weeks old should have a suitable ration, consisting of a variety of food which will ensure vigorous growth up to the time of topping off for bacon or pork. The ideal baconer is a pig dressing 120 lbs., which weight should be attained within six months from the time of birth. On the dairy farm the ration fed may consist of separated milk, buttermilk, barley or maize grain, and green lucerne. Ample supply of wood ashes should be made available to the pigs. Pigs fed mainly on separated milk are liable to develop rickets or paralysis owing to a lack of a suitable supply of mineral matter in the feed. Sterilised bonemeal and molasses added to the daily milk ration will improve it, and where symptoms of rickets appear this trouble may be overcome by the addition of bonemeal, molasses and limewater added to the milk daily. Fodder crops which may be grown for pigs and afford good feeding are maize, millet, barley, oats, potatoes, lucerne, rape, pumpkins, artichokes and mangolds.
TYPE OF PIGS TO BREED.
The Tamworth and Berkshire breeds are most popular in N S.W., and admirably suit our climatic conditions and market requirements. The Berkshire is an early maturing breed and suitable for pork or bacon. The Tamworth is a lean pig, and when crossed with the Berkshire sow produces the ideal baconer sought after by the local trade. This cross produces a lean, streaky bacon, and is preferable to any other in Australia. It is important that in breeding pigs that a pure bred boar with essential characteristics be procured, and in selecting a Tamworth boar for mating with the Berkshire sows, the following points should be observed:—
The boar should be well sprung in the ribs, with a fine slanting shoulder, head fairly long with a moderately long and straight snout. The boar should be a golden red colour with hair set on a flesh-coloured red skin free from black markings. The sides should be long and deep and the hams broad, full, and well let down onto the hocks. The skin should be smooth and pliable and free from wrinkles, and it is essential that the boar display a vigorous constitution and masculine appearance.
The Berkshire sow should be well modelled and possess good length, good hams and deep flanks. The ribs should be well sprung. The belly should be full and carry not less than twelve teats The colour should be black with a white marking on face, fetlocks and tip of tall. The hair should be fine and soft, with a tendency to thickness, and the skin should be smooth, pliable and free from wrinkles.
The sows are excellent mothers and are fairly prolific, rearing from eight to twelve at a time. Sows over eight years of age are best fattened for the butcher, as they become unprofitable to breed from owing to the loss of teeth and milk producing capabilities. Branding of pigs should be compulsory.