CHAPTER XXXIII 



GENERAL PROBLEMS IN SWINE HUSBANDRY 



The pig excels all other farm animals in the economy with which he 

 converts feed into edible flesh, requiring but 4 to 5 Ibs. of dry matter 

 to produce a pound of gain, while fattening cattle require from 10 to 12 

 Ibs. The pig yields from 70 to 80 per ct. of his live weight as dressed 

 carcass; the steer only 50 to 60 per ct. Moreover, pigs will profitably 

 utilize many by-products of the farm often otherwise lost, such as dairy 

 by-products and kitchen and garden waste, as well as grains that cannot 

 otherwise be disposed of profitably. No other lines of stock farming can 

 so quickly be brought to profitable production with limited capital in- 

 vested in stock and equipment as can the making of meat from the pig. 

 Due to this efficiency in producing human food, pigs steadily increase 

 in importance as our population becomes more dense. 



Practically every farmer should raise and fatten pigs, for family con- 

 sumption if not for market, in order to save feed that would otherwise be 

 wasted. In many cases he should not only fatten his pigs but also slaugh- 

 ter them and market the cured products, obtaining increased profits even 

 tho the undertaking be a small one. 



913, Rate and economy of gains by pigs. The economy with which pigs 

 of different weights convert feed into meat is shown in the following 

 table, summarizing the data from over 500 feeding trials with more 

 than 2,200 pigs at many American experiment stations. In this table 

 6 Ibs. of skim milk or 12 Ibs. of whey is rated as equal to 1 Ib. of con- 

 centrates. 



Relation of weight of pigs to feed consumed and rate of gain 



The previous table points out several facts of great importance to the 

 pork producer. While the amount of feed eaten per head daily increases 

 as the pigs grow larger, the amount consumed per 100 Ibs. live weight 



