DIVISION OF ANIMAL nUSDAXDRT 459 



SESSIONAL PAP'^R No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, AGASSIZ, B.C. 



REPORT 0? THE SUPERINTENDENT, P. H. MOORE, B.S.A. 



BREEDING WORK. 



During this year the breeding stock of Yorkshire hogs has been greatly increased. 

 There are at present twenty-seven head of breeders (one aged boar and two young 

 ones, eight sows over 1 year, and sixteen sows 1 year or under). There will also be a 

 number raised from the summer litters to still iufreaso the herd and to roplaee some 

 of the old sows that are becoming worn out. 



xVll the young stock shows an improvement in both size and type on the older 

 material. The breeding stock has all been kept in the " A "-shaped colony houses 

 during the year, with the exception of two weeks at farrowing time. This method has 

 proved most satisfactory, particularly for young, growing sows. These cots were tried, 

 in a few cases, for farrowing sows, but they did not prove satisfactory for winter 

 conditions. The greatest loss was with hea\y, old sows, and, on the average, 40 j,; 

 cent of llie pigs farrowed were killed. No losses were experienced when the pigs have 

 been farrowed in the piggery and put into the cots at two weeks of age; "the young 

 pigs grow stronger and the sows keep in better health than when they are kept in the 

 piggery a longer period. The sows are all given pasture or mangels, according to the 

 season, and they get a meal mixture of barley, peas, oats, and shorts. At times they 

 get a little skim-milk, which, even in small quantities, is most beneficial. 



The young pigs are weaned at 8 or 10 weeks, but are taught to feed on skim-milk 

 and shorts when 3 weeks old, and, by the time they are taken from the sows, they 

 seldom or never stop gaining. 



The demand for breeding stock has been strong this year, so strong that the 

 proportion of orders filled is not known. All surplus stock that was of the best quality 

 were sold, and any inferior pigs were put into feeding pens. 



Three grade Yorkshire sows were kept to breed pigs for the experimental work. 

 They were good, young sows, and produced well, but pure-breds of the same age were 

 more profitable. They were sold at the close of the year. There has not been any 

 disease or loss from disease in the breeding stock this year. 



The following short table will give in condensed form the work of the sows over 

 1 year old. Slightly better results were obtained in winter than in summer. The 

 second table gives the food cost per pig weaned at 60 days and raised in winter. Tl;.^ 

 figures were taken from the performance of two sows 2 years old. They were started, 

 after weaning a litter, very thin in Hesh, and at farrowing time they were in excellent 

 condition. They were kept in a paddock and housed in a cot. The winter was mild 

 and some food was obtained from the paddock, which is not accounted for in the 

 t: ' '•'. Further work of a similar nature is being done to got the average of a greater 

 number of sows and litters. 



