Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1897-06-11
Pigs and skim MIX.

nm SUEluB Is utIc IL JUlkHb IN well
to remind ourselves of the value OF
skim milk as feed for growing pigs.
Much as has been said in its praise.
sui think that few of us really appre-
ciate how always indispensable 1t is
as a factor in a ration that is going
70 make pigs grow most rapidly, or
nave ever calculated how much per
hundred the skim milk is worth, says
frot. Smith in Country Gentleman.
The record of some experiments tried
al thls station during the past three
years may be OF interest to your read
ers on this and related topics. Having
an abundance of milk and relatively
re" pigs, we approached the subject
from somewhat different point OF
view from the average farmers; still
we were enabled to ask questions Ct
the porkers and obtain answers from
them that are of interest TO every
ualrymau at least The first question
asked Of the pigs was how much they
would give for sweet skim milk If no
otner feed were mixed with it. One
pen OF seven pigs, averaging lOS
pounds in weight, gained 279 pounds
IN nVe weeks, drinking in that time
o'zz5 pounds of skim milk and receiy-
ing no other food. They give us there
iore one pound Of live pork for 22.3l
POUNDS OF skim milk. Reckoning these
pigs as worth 4 cents per pound on
loot, the skim milk was worth close to
10 cents per hundred. The same thing
was then tried with eight smaller pigs,
WEIGHING hIrf 0fhaV
made pound of gain for each 1923
pounds OF skim milk, or at cents
pound Tor live pigs the skim milk was
worth almost u cents per hundred.
NOW, no one would think for a mo-
ment of feeding skinned milk to pigs
without putting some sort of solid food
Win IT, and naturally cornmeal comes
Hrst on the list as the most common
gram feed for this class of animals.
wo pens of pigs were therefore Sc
lected to try what cornmeal and skim
milk were worth as pig feed. One pen
Oh seven pigs averaged 1871 pounds,
ana the other COL pounds when the
Leedlng began. The milk was fed warm
rom the separator, and a pound OF
;ornmeal added to each IA pounds OF
mix. AT the end of five weeks the
heavier pigs had gained sixty pounds
'ach, or twelve pounds per week, and
lad made that gain at an expense of
en- pounds OF skim milk and one and
'ne-quarter pounds of cornmeal per
'ound. The gains of the smaller pigs
we're not quite as large in the aggre-
'ate, but were made with almost ex-
ctly the same outlay of milk and I
neal. Valuing the cornmeal at SIS {
er ton, and the pork again at cents, l
he skim milk was worth with these
ourteen pigs, in five weeks feeding, Il
most 40 cents a hundred This L
ounds preposterous, but these are the :
icts-a pound of pork returned by the 4
igs for every ten pounds of milk and
ne and one-quarter pounds OF corn
ZEAL We have been able in but two
Asses out OF many to get our pigs to
eturn us less than 20 cents per hun
red for skim milk. In these days of
wv prices, therefore, it behooves the
lctory patron and the dairy farmer
to husband well his skim "A
ilk, feed it mixed with cornmeal to
ell-bred pigs weighing less than 200
FUNDS, keep them comfortably housed
Id expect to get from this source a
turn for a good share of the cost of
e labor on his dairy herd. 80