192: Chapter 192 Pigs Eat Flour and Drink Milk! Iron Hooves Approach, Pig Farming in Full Swing

10:15 AM.

First floor of the Livestock Farm.

Liao Dacheng squatted in front of stall ZM07, holding a clipboard.

ZM07's belly was a size larger than yesterday; she lay by the feed trough, breathing slowly, her tail occasionally twitching.

"Old Liao, how much feed did ZM07 eat today?" Ma Dong walked over from the side, carrying a bucket.

"Three-quarters," Liao Dacheng stood up. "Ten percent more than yesterday. Appetite increases significantly two to three days before farrowing."

"Then when will she be moved to the Farrowing Room?"

"Moving this afternoon."

"Is the Farrowing Room ready?"

Liao Dacheng turned to glance at the Farrowing Room partitions.

Currently, there were only two farrowing stalls.

The first was occupied by ZM06 and ten piglets.

The second was empty, but it only had a simple stall inside without support pillars.

"The support pillars haven't been welded yet. Chief Engineer Han said he'd send a Welder down at two this afternoon."

"How long will the welding take?"

"Two support pillars, half an hour. After welding, I'll lay down the bedding and move the water and feed troughs over. It'll all be done within an hour."

"What about ZM08?"

"ZM08 moves tomorrow," Liao Dacheng flipped through the clipboard. "ZM08's due date is one to two days later than ZM07's—she'll farrow the day after tomorrow or the day after that. We'll get ZM07 settled today and clear the second farrowing stall for ZM08 tomorrow."

"Where is the second farrowing stall?"

"Right next to ZM06's Farrowing Room. I've already marked the spot; we just need to partition off another stall." Liao Dacheng pointed to an open space on the east side of the Livestock Farm. "That spot has enough space, is close to the vent, and the temperature is stable."

"Materials?"

"A few steel pipes and wire mesh. I'll talk to Chief Engineer Han's people later. After they finish welding ZM07's farrowing stall, I'll have them measure ZM08's as well so they can weld it tomorrow morning."

Ma Dong set the bucket down by the feed trough.

"Old Liao, how are the piglets doing?"

"Go see for yourself."

He walked to the front of ZM06's farrowing partition.

Ten piglets were pressed tightly against the sow's belly, lined up in a row; the sounds of suckling could be heard.

He squatted down and counted them.

"All ten are here. Number Four and Number Seven are in the front positions, nursing normally."

"Has Number Four's weight gone up?"

"A bit. I weighed it this morning: 0.85 kilograms, 0.03 more than yesterday."

"0.03." Liao Dacheng walked over. "Within the normal weight gain range, but on the low side. What about Number Seven?"

"0.9 kilograms, a bit better than Number Four."

"Number Seven's suction has always been stronger than Number Four's." Liao Dacheng wrote a line on the clipboard. "Keep observing. If Number Four's weight gain speed hasn't picked up after a week, consider manual milk supplementation."

"What do we use for manual supplementation?"

"Milk warmed to thirty-seven degrees, fed using a syringe with the needle removed."

"Is there enough milk?"

"Plenty. Current daily production is fifty-two liters. After distribution, there's still a surplus of three to four liters every day. Fifty milliliters of supplemental milk per day is enough for one piglet."

The communicator rang.

Liao Dacheng pressed answer.

"Veterinarian Liao." It was Lin Wan.

"Technician Lin, what's the matter?"

"Regarding the compost cycle, I'm coming down at noon to take a look. Will you be there?"

"Yes, I'm always at the Livestock Farm."

"What has the fermentation temperature reached?"

"Measured it this morning: forty-three degrees."

"Forty-three." Lin Wan paused for a beat on the other end. "It was forty-one yesterday."

"Correct. It rises about two degrees daily; it should reach forty-five tomorrow."

"Once it hits forty-five, we can open the valve for a trial."

"You're the boss; I'm just in charge of providing the raw materials."

"See you at noon."

The communicator hung up.

Liao Dacheng tucked the clipboard under his arm and walked into the central aisle of the Livestock Farm.

The 9,600-square-meter space was operating at a constant temperature of twenty-two degrees.

In the pig stalls, ZM04 and ZM05 showed no signs of being pregnant yet.

Pregnancy confirmation on the seventy-first to seventy-third day.

If successful, combined with the piglets ZM07 and ZM08 were about to produce, the herd size had a chance to exceed two hundred within half a year.

But today was the seventy-first day.

Liao Dacheng didn't care much about the Iron Hoof Legion.

What he cared about were the pigs.

Pigs didn't care what legions were outside; they only cared about eating feed and giving birth to piglets.

He walked to the front of the cow pens.

Four Holstein cows stood in their respective spots, the automatic feed troughs humming as they operated.

Cow Number Three's milk production had increased.

It would reach full production of sixty liters the day after tomorrow.

Sixty liters of fresh milk, in this era, was more valuable than coal crystals.

He pressed the communicator.

"City Lord."

"Speak."

"ZM07 will move to the Farrowing Room this afternoon. After Chief Engineer Han's Welder finishes the support pillars at two, we'll start moving her at three. ZM08 moves tomorrow and needs an extra partitioned stall. I've listed the materials; have the Welder come tomorrow morning."

"Fine."

"Regarding the Ewes, I checked them today. Fetal movement is normal, and the due date remains unchanged: the sixty-third day."

"Three days from now."

"Yes."

"Is the judgment for twins still the same?"

"Unchanged. Based on abdominal circumference and fetal movement frequency, the probability of twins is over seventy percent."

"Good, noted."

"One more thing."

"Speak."

"Regarding the flour, the City Lord approved thirty kilograms for ZM06's nutritional supplementation yesterday, and the results are excellent. ZM07 and ZM08 will also need thirty kilograms each after farrowing, totaling sixty kilograms. Should I inform Lin Wan in advance?"

"I already approved it yesterday."

"Oh, then never mind."

The communicator hung up.

Liao Dacheng placed the clipboard on the console and walked toward ZM07's stall.

He squatted down, watching the sow's slow breathing.

The day after tomorrow or the day after that.

Another all-nighter.