Windermere Experimental Farm

FEEDING PIGS FOR PROFIT (Experimental Farm Notes)

            With grain prices at low levels and the price of hogs low, and tending lower, many farmers are likely to decide against hog raising.  On the other hand the successful farmer and feeder realizes that the hog at the present time offers one solution for increased returns on present grain prices.

            A feeding trial conducted at Windermere Experimental Station last year may be of interest.  The pigs in this test were not slaughtered, as they were intended for breeding stock.  Weights were taken every 30 days and feed carefully portioned out over the 120-day feeding period.  The ration consisted of middlings 200 pounds, oat chop 100 pounds, barley chop 50 pounds, shorts 50 pounds, bran 25 pounds, linseed meal 14 pounds, tankage 14 pounds, bone char 4 ½ pounds, and salt 2 ¼ pounds.  The pigs were fed this in skim-milk and water twice a day, and had access at all times to good rape pasture.

            The average weight of meal fed each pig for the period was 506 pounds, and 1062.5 pounds of skim-milk.  The average weight of the pigs at eight weeks of age at the beginning of the test was 40.7 pounds, and the average final weight was 234.5 pounds, making a gain of 193.8 pounds.  This works out at 2.6 pounds of grain to produce a pound of pork.  This shows that with grain prices considerably lower than a year ago there are still possibilities in receiving fair returns by converting the grain into pork.

                                                                                                R.G. NEWTON Supt.,

                                                                                    Dominion Experimental Station

                                                                                                            Windermere, B.C.