Pig Keeping - Housing, Feeding and General Management

Preface

There are some aspects of pig keeping that bear more directly than others upon the profitability of the enterprise and I have given special mention in this book to housing, feeding and general management.

I am indebted to many people for help in the preparation of the book and I should like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Cooper and Mr. and Mrs. Dibble for the photographs taken on their farms; also, my thanks are due to Mr. John L. Jones and Mr. V. Wiltshire for preparing the photographs and line-drawings. I am grateful to Mr. F. J. Fullbrook who has read the manuscript and to Mr. Derek Barber and Mr. F. J. Hill for their many suggestions, and above all to my wife for her encouragement and patience.

W. D. PECK

Chipping Sodbury

Bristol

September 1960

CHAPTER 1

Policies in Perspective

Looking back on the past, the prospect for pigs has often appeared in doubt, for though there have been times when the future has looked extremely bright it has always seemed to lose some of this early brilliance. Today, the pig keeper is faced with the difficult task of choosing the best market. Should he train his sights on the specialist bacon market or have we worshipped at the altar of the Wiltshire cure for too long, and do the heavy hog and the new techniques of curing and pre-packaging portend a radical change in our views about bacon? All in all, there is a good deal of confusion and the decision is not an easy one to make.

After the war, there was no doubt what was wanted; home production of meat of all kinds was little more than a token of our needs and our ability to supplement this by large-scale purchases from abroad was limited by meagre reserves of foreign exchange. An expansion in pigs offered the quickest way to an increase in meat supplies and as a policy was both politically and economically desirable; it was markedly successful too, culminating in the end of meat rationing in 1954. But if our expansion policy had been a success, so had that of our overseas competitors, and notably Denmark, who began to send us an increasing tonnage of top quality bacon. This coincided with a further expansion in output at home as the production cycle moved into top gear, and the Exchequer became increasingly involved in price guarantee payments.

A Changing Pattern

To discourage any further increase in production the guaranteed price was substantially reduced at the 1954 Price Review and the policy was changed to encourage greater competitive strength through a progressive improvement of quality and reduction of production costs. At about the same time, marketing was returned to private traders and the Fatstock Guarantee Scheme introduced to protect the right of producers to a guaranteed price by providing a price safety-net, while leaving the market free to reward efficiency and penalize poor quality and inefficient production methods.

Naturally, producers were anxious that the ordered conditions of marketing enjoyed during the era of Ministry of Food trading should continue and there should be a modicum of protection against foreign competition while the industry was in process of re-organization. Consultation with the interested parties, however, revealed a division of opinion on how best to deal with the complex problems of pigs and bacon marketing and this was not entirely reconciled by the Howitt¹ and Bosanquet² reports, nor the Government’s decision to replace import quotas on bacon by a 10 per cent ad valorem tariff, repeal the pre-war Pigs and Bacon Marketing Boards and set up the Pig Industry Development Authority with responsibility for ‘planning, co-ordinating and carrying out developments both in pig production and marketing of pig products’.

A relatively short time has passed since these changes took effect, but if first signs are a reliable indication they have not provided the hoped for stability in the market and have failed to prevent a return of the notorious pig cycle. In fact, the fluctuation in price has been much wider and more frequent than in the years before the war. What is the remedy?

A Different Pig

The root of the trouble lies in the competition which exists between the fresh pork and manufacturing market and the bacon market. This might be removed by a marketing board able to control all pigs as well as bacon imports, but the Government seems unlikely to favour this suggestion. An alternative suggestion is to introduce separate price guarantees for pork and bacon pigs and so insulate the specialist bacon producer against both foreign competition and the pork market. This is an attractive proposition, but it can be little more than a temporary solution for it ignores the fact that since the de-control of marketing the bacon market has been declining in importance in the face of a growing demand for fresh pork and processed pig meats, and it would serve only to disguise the long-term effects of these developments in consumer preference.

In the circumstances, the solution may be to develop a pig capable of satisfying all requirements of the market; a multipurpose pig, in fact. Indeed, with the removal of the 10 per cent tariff on bacon imports and the prospect of an Outer Free Trade Area the prudence of continuing to regard the bacon market as the keystone of the industry is surely open to question.

We are aware, of course, that the housewife insists upon lean, quality bacon and, candidly, who can blame her? But her requirement for bacon does not vary much throughout the year and there appears to be very little scope for increasing sales, even at times of declining prices; on the other hand, there is no sign of a waning demand for pork, and sales have risen 70 per cent since 1945. Foreign competition, too, is not as serious in the pork market and in 1957 less than 10 per cent of the total supplies were shipped from abroad, compared with 60 per cent of our bacon; and since then our share of the bacon market has declined even further.

Are we wise, therefore, to copy slavishly the Danes and produce a special bacon pig which is less suitable for other markets? A pig which must be uniform in type and colour and grown to a fine specification of weight and conformation—requirements difficult to satisfy—while feeding and marketing demand special knowledge and experience.

The alternative is the heavy hog. A pig infinitely suitable for pork and manufacturing when bacon is oversubscribed, and so attractively flexible that the risk of serious competition between pork and bacon is largely removed. It is true that criticism has been made of the quality of the bacon, but usually this can be traced to curing without first trimming the excess backfat; when this is done there is little ground for complaint. And the less restricted diet and system of feeding produce a good balance of lean to fat and the quality of the meat and firmness of the fat is generally better than that of the lighter bacon pig. As with most animals, a matured carcase has a far superior flavour.

Tailoring the pig after slaughter is easier and generally more effective than training the shape on the trotter and is well suited to the factory process, leaving the pig keeper free to follow his fancy of breed and crosses and to exploit the hybrid sow to the full; what is more, it is a policy ideally suited to the extensive, relatively unspecialized pig keeping practised in this counry.

Gains for the Curer

But it is not only the pig keeper who stands to gain from a rationalization of marketing and processing. When supplies of imported bacon exceed a certain level the wholesale price on the London Provision Market is very quickly depressed; this is reflected in the market price and producers are deterred from selling in the bacon market. In these circumstances curers are hard pressed to buy sufficient pigs of the right type and at a price at which they can produce bacon competitively. The cumulative effect is either a sharp reduction in factory throughput or, alternatively, the purchase of pigs less likely to produce top quality bacon by Wiltshire curing methods and a wide variation in the standard of bacon. Curers who adapt their factories to utilize the heavy hog are able more easily to adjust their output to meet demand and when bacon is depressed can channel the pigs into the fresh pork and manufacturing markets.

Changes in marketing and processing may be slow, but let us hope they will effectively secure a stable market for British pigs at a time when the demand for pork and processed pig meat is expanding and helping to fill the short fall in the supply of beef. Indeed, the prospect for pigs of the right kind appears quite promising.

¹ Development of Pig Production in the United Kingdom; Comnd: 9588.

² Report of the Reorganization Commission for Pigs and Bacon; Comnd: 9795.

CHAPTER 2

Choosing the System

On many farms pigs are little more than a sideline and make a very small contribution to the farm income; on others they are a main enterprise. But size of the unit as such is less important than the two overriding factors in any business, namely profit and the return on the capital investment. When a pig unit is added to an existing farm system the main consideration is whether the resources to be employed could be put to better use elsewhere. Much will depend, of course, on physical factors, but a decision should usually be based on a combination of likely profit margins and interest on capital.

There is also the danger of complicating the system of farming by adding subsidiary pig and poultry enterprises, and before deciding to keep pigs it is wise to consider whether the necessary managerial skill and time are available for the extra work; if not, it will be better to forget the pigs (or poultry) and avoid dissipating energy on too many lines of production. The future is likely to be more, rather than less, competitive and there will be a smaller margin for errors of judgement and a greater need for a high degree of technical efficiency.

The Alternative Systems

If you are still convinced pigs will be a profitable addition to the farm, having taken stock of the possible alternatives, the next step is to select the system of pig keeping best suited to the farm and individual circumstances. Broadly, there are four systems from which to choose:

1.Pedigree breeding and the sale of breeding stock.

2.Commercial breeding and the sale of weaners.

3.Breeding and fattening.

4.Buying stores and fattening.

Top-class pedigree breeding is a job for the specialist and requires considerable experience and patience, not to mention capital. It is customary for pedigree breeders to market some of their pigs as pork or bacon, if only to get a guide to the conversion rate and grading potential of the stock; with other breeders the pedigree side is subsidiary to fattening, but they argue that it costs very little more to buy and keep pedigree stock and there is always the hope of some extra profit by the sale of breeding pigs. But do not be too strongly influenced by this prospect, many a man has regretted chasing this ‘will o’ the wisp’ and for the majority of farmers one or other of the commercial alternatives will be more attractive. The question is, which one. For many the answer will be fattening.

Breeding or Buying?

There is still the question whether to breed or buy the pigs. It is usually an advantage to breed, but this requires some experience and preferably facilities to run the sows and their litters out of doors. When this is not possible more careful management is necessary. Soil type and climate are also relevant, particularly when the buildings are not ideal for farrowing and rearing.

The advantages of running a breeding herd are threefold. First, it enables a selection of the best strains of pigs for carcase quality and economy of production. Secondly, there is no risk of buying-in disease. This is most important with diseases like virus pneumonia, which can reduce the efficiency of fattening by as much as 20 per cent. And the pigs are not upset by harrowing experiences of marketing. Thirdly, a regular supply of weaners permits a certain amount of forward planning knowing that costs will not vary in sympathy with a fluctuating market; and it should not be difficult to keep the cost well below the average market price.

There are other considerations, however, which may favour buying pigs for fattening. For instance, the element of fixed capital invested in a breeding herd—the stock and their housing and equipment—is quite an item, and when capital is limited it will generally be preferable to keep it turning over in a fattening unit. This point is well illustrated in Table 1, in which the amount of capital required to give a margin of £400 over total costs has been calculated for three systems of pig keeping.

TABLE 1

Capital Requirement for Three Systems of Pig Keeping to Give a Gross Margin of £400 per annum

Source: An Economic Study of Pig production in South West England, 1955–56. Report No. 99 University of Bristol (Newton Abbot).

The availability of labour is a further point to consider. On arable farms, for example, a certain number of men must be regularly employed to meet the demand for skilled labour at the peak periods of the season: at other times of the year there may be some under employment. A fattening unit fits into this system quite well, whereas a breeding herd would compete for labour at the times of the year when the men were urgently needed elsewhere on the farm.

On market gardens fattening pigs may be bought to convert unsaleable crops into meat and dispensed with altogether when the vegetable trade improves. This quick reaction to market trends would be impossible with breeding pigs.

On dairy farms it is often a question of making use of buildings available for only part of the year. Covered yards for the cows are vacant in the summer and can be very simply converted to hold a bunch of fattening pigs, especially when the price of slip pigs is attractive. Breeding pigs, on the other hand, require housing throughout the year and additional accommodation would be needed.

To Sell or Fatten?

This is the problem for the pig keeper who already runs a breeding herd. Some of the points have been touched upon and judging from Table 1 there seems little doubt that, in terms of the return on capital, it is better business to fatten than sell weaners. There are times, however, when this is not possible and it is better practice to sell slip pigs at about 8 weeks of age. This is certainly the case when the buildings are unsatisfactory for housing fattening pigs, although it is useful to have some fattening accommodation, even if poor, to avoid having to sell weaners on a bad market.

Again, a need for cash is a pertinent reason for a quicker turnover, even though the return on capital and the margin of profit (see page 192) are less attractive.

Fattening—Which Market?

Since the decontrol of marketing in 1954 there has been a choice of three markets in which to sell fat pigs. Pork and bacon have been supplemented by a demand for heavy-weight pigs, but it is far from easy to determine which will give the best return.

It is difficult to generalize; conditions vary so much from one farm to another and what is practicable on one is not feasible on the next. It may be