Hog Growing Contest, 1947

“Carolina Farm Comment” by F.H. Jeter, Extension Editor, N.C. State College, Raleigh, as published in the Wilmington Star, March 25, 1947

The small cooperative livestock association based on the Cofield shipping point in Hertford County is conducting a sow and litter contest this year. The contest is for the farmers of Hertford, Bertie, and Gates counties, who are members of the little mutual association and who ship their finished hogs from that point—when they have hogs to ship.

The purpose of this kind of hog growing contest is to develop the hog population of North Carolina and to make the industry more profitable to those who have a part in it.

The first phase of the contest is to see who can produce the heaviest litter of pigs at 56 days of age. The second is to see who can produce the heaviest litter at 6 months of age at the greatest profit to the owner. It is figured that through the use of good brood sows, many litters, when six months old, will weigh a ton or more but records must be kept showing exactly how much feed the pigs consumed, what the feed cots amounted to, and the gains made on the feed.

Selected Sows

By reason of these contests, and a number of them are beign held all over North Carolina this year, the farmers will try to develop register-of-merit brood sows. Then they plan to select their brood sows in the future on the basis of their performance rather than on the basis of their appearance.

Jack Kelly, swine specialist, visited members of the Coefield Assocation the other day and reports that in Bertie County, H.W. Spruill of Ebenezer, Billy Burkett of Lewiston, Willie J. Butler of Askewville, N.J. Miller of Riverside, and A.T. Powell of Trapp have all indicated that each of them would enter one or more litters of pigs into this contest. Other farmers in Hertford and Gates also will enter the contest.

Ton Litter Contests

The farm agents of Northampton, Hertford, Gates, Pasquotank, and Currituck counties are sponsoring ton litter feeding contests and are planning to have a show and sale of fat hogs, grown out in these contests at Elizabeth City on May 9 and 10, and another at Winton next fall on September 17.

Mr. Kelly has been working with the swine growers of that section to help them in getting their pigs off to a good start. He says that thrifty pigs are produced by healthy, vigorous, heavy-producing brood sows that have been fed the right kind of feed before and after farrowing.

Hand Feeding

For instance, the specialist recommends that the sow should be hand-fed during the gestation period and supplied with enough feed to keep her in good, medium condition. He recommends a mixture of 1 bushel of oats, 1 bushel of corn and 6 pounds of fish meal or tankage as a good feed mixture for the animal during this period. High quality mixed supplement also can be used, or the sow can be fed corn with one-third of a pound of tankage or fish meal per day.

At any rate, these brood animals should always get plenty of water and green feed. They need a mineral mixture which can be made up of 10 parts of ground limestone, 5 parts of bone meal, and 2 parts of salt. This keeps the body of the hogs in good condition and prevents breaking down of the legs and back.

Green Feed Important

Green feed is always important. In fact, Mr. Kelly says that, where possible, brood sows should farrow on a good pasture because this is a regular resort for the young pigs. Growers have found that the use of pasture will cut the cost of gains in pigs by as much as 30 per cent on the protein supplement.

Good pasture helps in preventing wormy pigs and when the youngsters are free from worms, they grow faster and make better gains on less feed.

After the spring pigs are farrowed, the brood animals need further attention. It is well to hand-feed them until the pigs are 2 weeks old and then put them on a self-feeder with grain, minerals, and the protein supplement, such as tankage or fish meal. Wean the pigs when they are 8 weeks old and continue them on the self-feeder and pasture.