Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-29
Value Of ButtermIIk for Pigs.

A sui scriber in Nebraska asks for In
formation in regard to the value of av-
erage buttermilk as n food for pigs and
hogs; and also inquiries how much pork
100 pounds of buttermilk will make.
Buttermilk is an excellent food for
pigs as well as calves. 1t contains about
10 per cent. of dry matter, and is COM
posed Of per cent albuminoids
(caseine); 5.4 Of carbohydrates milk
sugar); of fat-nutritive ratio 1:2.6.
The proportion of muscle-forming mat
ter is greater than in whole milk, and
this deficiency of it renders buttermilk
slightly constipating.
In the best creamery practice, per
haps the oil left in buttermilk may not
average l per cent, but the compost
ton here given is considered a fair av-
arage in general practice. Now these
constituents of buttermilk are in solu-
ton. and all digestible. To feed it in
the most skillfuI manner would require
the admixture with it of food some
what laxative. This is found in the
best condition in faxseed. If three
quarters of pound of boiled haxseed
be mixed into 100 pounds of butter
milk, it will very nearly restore the oil
buC VI udluIdl dUU
greatly improve the feeding value ofthe
buttermilk, keeping pigs or calves in
good health. and pushing them forward
almost as rapidly as new milk. Decor
ticated cotton seed would answer the
same purpose. The old STYLE linseed-
oil meal-one pound to 100 pounds of
buttermilk-will also prove good ad-
dition when faxseed is not easily OBJ
tanned. The object is to prevent consti-
patton. and the arrangement of health
which it causes.
AS to the question how much pork
100 pounds of average buttermilk will
make. our correspondent can see that
it will depend upon how it is fed. and
besides this, it will depend upon the
age and thrift of the pig to which it is
fed.
First, to compare it with the universal
pig food, corn, 100 pounds of buttermilk
has as much nutritive value as 20pounds
of corn. and is much better adapted to
growing young pigs than corn. Corn
has so much starch or carbonaceous
matter rs to render it heating, produc-
ing feverish condition of the system.
Buttermilk, on the contrary, is little
too heterogeneous. as we have seen.
lake 20 pigs, at weaving age,
weighing 20 pounds. and, for the
first month they will put on l pound
live weight to IL pounds of buttermilk
fed. We have had them do better than
this, when it was mixed with the flax
seed. as described. The next month it
will take little more, and the next
month more still, and so on; requiring,
up to months old. an average of
about is pounds of buttermilk to each
pound gained in live weight. To make
the best profit on the buttermilk, pigs
should not be kept beyond months
old. The average gain in this method
of feeding, through the whole time,
should not 60 below 5 pounds gain in
live weight TO 100 pounds of buitermilk
fed. We have made pounds live
weight to 100 pounds of buttermilk and
skim-milk during 6 months feeding,
besides paying for the faxseed added to
it, the pigs averaging 240 pounds at 8
months old. Hogs, year old or over,
will take 20 or more pounds of butter
milk and skim-milk to put on l pound
live weight.
Our correspondent will see, that to
make these gains, the pigs must be fed
in warm weather, or in warm pens
Lire Stock Journal.