DIVISION OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 

 SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



609 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, BRANDON, MAN. 



REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT— W. C. McKELLICAN, B.S.A. 



BREEDING SWINE. 



There are nineteen swine on the Farm at present. These are divided between 

 two breeds as follows : — 



Yorkshire : 3 sows, 1 boar and 9 young pigs. 



Berkshire: 2 sows and 4 young pigs. 



During the year the following young pigs were sold to fanners, for breeding 

 purposes: 2 Yorkshire boars, 1 Yorkshire sow and 2 Berkshire boars. Thirty-one 

 bacon pigs were sold to the butcher, at prices from 7i to 8£ cents per pound. 



FEEDING EXPERIMENTS. 



BARLEY VS. SHORTS. 



An experiment was conducted, in which chopped barley was compared with 

 shorts aas a feed for young pigs, averaging 70 to 75 pounds in weight, at the beginning 

 of the test. The pigs used were from early fall litters, and had received no milk or 

 any commercial substitute for it. Up to the start of the experiment, they had been 

 fed on shorts, barley and feed flour. 



They were divided, on December 14, 1912, into two lots, as nearly evenly as 

 possible; there were three Berkshires and one Yorkshire in each lot. One lot received 

 barley chop, and the other shorts; in addition, both lots received a small quantity of 

 feed flour and some majngels. The quantities fed daily at the start were: Barley or 

 shorts, %\ pounds per pig; feed flour, | pound per pig; mangels, 2 pounds per pig. 



These quantities were increased as the pigs grew. It was found that the pigs on 

 the barley could use more feed, and they were consequently given a little heavier 

 ration. The quantities in each case were kept to what the pigs would clean up with 

 relish. The grain feeds were purchased at the following rates: Barley, $15 per ton; 

 shorts, $20 per ton; feed flour, $28 per ton. The mangels were grown on the Farm 

 and are valued at $3 per ton. The results are as follows: — 



Number of pigs in lot lb 



Weight at start of test, December 14, 1912 



Weight at end of test, February 14. 1913 



Gain in two months 



Gam per pig per day 



Total amount of barley fed 



Total amount of shorts fed 



Total amount of feed flour fed 



Total amount of mangels fed 



Total cost of feed _. 



Cost of feed per 100 pounds gain in weight 



Lot I. 



248* 

 488| 

 9 52 

 4 2G 



Lot II. 



248* 

 488* 

 10 58" 

 7 40 



This is a decided victory for barley. Of course, it would not always be possible 

 to buy barley at | cent per pound, but even if it were the same price as the shorts, 

 the results would still be in its favour. It is possible that the similarity between the 

 shorts and feed Aoiut made the ration that contained both not so palatable and well 

 balanced as the one that had barley and feed flour, and part of the failure of the shorts 

 is due to that cause. 



16—39 



