8
—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 16, 1966
NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT managing three separate groups of
sows takes some doin’! Above, Abram Zeiset demonstrates how he handles his two
groups in the sow shelter by a system of gates. The sows at the trough came in
eagerly from the pasture to accept this offer of a mid-morning snack. Here, Zeiset
takes a count of heads to see that all the group is accounted for before he releases
the second group of sows to the pasture. Below, your fearless photographer scaled
a bulk bin for a shaky shot of the same scene from a different viewpoint.
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HERE’S THE “WALKING PIGS”, shown in another picture, investigating
their new home in the growing house. To minimize labor in this house. Zeiset
has a slatteed floor at the rear of the pen which the pigs soon learn to use. Sows
remain with their litters until weaning, and then they rejoin their group for re
breedin§‘ L. F. Photo
THIS SOW DIDN’T MIND STANDING UP so our camera could see how she
fitted her farrowing crate,.but her offspring were not exactly delighted with the
rude interruption at mealtime. This is one of 17 such units in Abram Zeiset’s far
rowing house. Fans help keep it cool in summer, and heat lamps offer supplemen
tal heat in winter. The pigs stay here until ready for sale as feeders, or until their
space is needed for the next occupants. -., , ~ F., Photo
; WHH
• County Swf'nemen 018 Arrowing of each group.
tMrr , _ 1X Zelaet mcnUoried that he had
(Continued from Page 1) practiced hand breeding his
last summer when he had as sows to more an ® n ® boar,
many as 110 sows on the farm, but found that his Utter size
Sows in each group are culled ,il some cases was too large
out as the need indicates, but to b 8 practical. He is present
are generally kept for about switching to pasture breed
six litters.
While one group ot sows is
BREEDING PROGRAM in the farrowing house, the
Zeiset’s present sows are a other two are kept in a sow
mixture of Yorkshire, Duroc, shelter with access to pasture,
and some Landrace. They are Keeping these two groups sep
bred to purebred Yorkshire a rate. both on pasture and for
boars, of which he maintains feeding, is managed by a sys
three. To keep producing tem of gates. He demonstrat
crossbreds and not have to e d this "simple-but-complicat
have several breeds of boars, ed” procedure, as he described
Zeiset rotates his entire sow it, and it appeared to work
herd every few years. very well.
For example, he will save fa ™ \ owne *
40-50 gilts from the present £ set Abe baS ” at
litters and from the next two. a ? d f se t v ; e b “* ld :
He will have these grown for 8 th f] the,r added
him, and as they mature they would T repay him
will replace the present sow ° v r er , * „ th ® "“I
groups. At that time, he will t e n \ be o f 1 fat ens aboat
change boars, probably Duroc “ f£. er ’ H ' s “°P farmm 2 «
for this cycle, he said, adding b^* ted about 60 acres > and
that the last Duroc boars he ? u ° n u T 1 ®
used considerably improved ™ st °J his harvest 1S
feed conversion in then- off- used on * h « fa ™- _
spring. (See Photo Page 9)
The little pigs are weaned Qne year’s milk production
between five and eight weeks wou ld make a milk river 3.-
o£ age. The sows are rebred 0 00 miles long, 40 feet wide
about three weeks after wean- and 3 feet deep . the river
he tries to maintain would stretch from Boston to
a spread of six weeks between san Francisco.
L. F. Photo