Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-09-13
WHAT 1T COSTS TO GROW A PIG.
Iowa Homestead Gives Experience
of Nebraska Experiment
Station.

|
Station.
The average man raises live stock
for profit. At the present time the
producer has little control over the
selling price of his product and his
profit from year to year therefore
will largely depend upon the ingen-
uity which he exercises in keeping
down the cost of production. Few
of us stop to ask ourselves what II
costs to make pig weigh fifty
pounds, neither do we stop to think
what it costs to keep a SOW for a
year. Our bank balance at the end
of the year is about the only check
we have on these matters. But this
does not mean that a closer scrutiny
of the cost of production would in
crease the production. The Nebras-
ka Experiment Station has been
bringing out some facts along that
line. That station has found that
it costs from SIS to $40 to keep an
old SOW year while the cost of a
gilt or SOW narrowing their first lit
ter is from $40 to S22. After de-
Quoting the value of the growth of
the sows that station finds that a lit
ter OF pigs at an average weight of
fifty pounds will cost from SO to
$12.
The average number of pigs far
rowed in these experiments was 9.S
pigs for old sows and eight pigs for
young sows. The average number
per litter at the close of the expert
| ment was 6.5 pigs for old sows and
six pigs for young sows. In the test,
forty-four old sows and fifty young
sows were used.
The cost of feed charged up
against each pig at fifty pounds
weight was $2.13 as the average of
all sows for two years. This makes
the cost of producing pigs up to fifty
pounds $4.26 per hundred, which is
somewhat higher than the cost of
gains after that weight, provided
the pigs are economically fed and
sold when they reach about 225
pounds weight.
The yearling and older sows were
kept upon pasture alone during the
pasture season after weaving their
filters and upon rations of about
one-half alfalfa hay and one-half
grain during the winter season. In
winter, for each 100 pounds weight
OF the mature sows, one and one
half pounds of grain was fed daily;
that is, if ten sows weigh 5000
pounds they would require forty
five pounds of grain daily, with an
equal amount of alfalfa hay fed
either in racks or cut and mixed
with the grain. Upon these rations
the sows gained 112 pounds each
during the winter season up to far
rowing time.
The gifts required liberal feeding
during the summer on pasture and
during the winter following. From
20 to three pounds of grain, gener-
ally corn, was fed for each 100
pounds live weight of the pigs while
they were on pasture; that is, ten
pigs weighing 1000 pounds receiv-
ed from twenty-five to thirty pounds
of grain daily. Ten pigs weighing
1900 pounds received from thirty
eight TO forty-five pounds daily.
After these gifts were placed In
winter quarters they were given the
run of field of rye and were fed
a ration Of one-quarter chopped al
falfa and three-quarters grain con-
sisting of barley and corn, ground
and mixed with alfalfa. OF this ra-
ton they were fed three pounds
daily for each 100 pounds live
weight, which ration had to be de-
creased in some cases because the
pigs were becoming too fat. Upon
this ration they gained, during the
winter season, November 1st to
weighing over 800 pounds at far
rowing time and about go pounds
when their filters were weaned.
In test to ascertain the cost of
carrying pigs from the time they are
weaned until they are put in the
feed lot, 1872 pigs were used and the
work has been carried on for several
years. In general, these pigs were
fed less than a full grain ration,
most of them receiving two pounds
to 2.5 pounds of grain daily for each
100 pounds live weight. The aver
age cost of the grain and pasture in
growing these pigs was $3.50 per
100 pounds. 1t will be seen that
this cost is lower than the cost of
producing the fifty-pound pig. and it
Is also lower than the cost of finish
ing the pig for market after he is
placed in winter quarters. Accord
ing TO figures, the cost Of feeds per
100 pounds of gain with pigs in dry
lots is 1857 per 100 pounds.
The results of these experiments
are written up in detail in bulletin
No. 121 by the Nebraska Experiment
Station. 1t will be sent free from
Lincoln. Neb., to all residents of
Nebraska and limited number will
be distributed elsewhere. This bull
letin contains so many interesting
things that We advise Homestead
readers to make application for it.