Chapter 1291: Xiao Town Animal Husbandry

What Xiao Town is relatively short on is water resources; although a small stream has already been diverted down and the water volume has been increased somewhat, such a singular and not particularly large water source is certainly not enough.

Therefore, in addition to the wells collectively dug within Xiao Town, every household must also dig their own wells as soon as possible; this is at least a safety net.

The groundwater in Xiao Town is too hard, and the taste is both salty and astringent; as drinking water, it is indeed quite poor, and there is no way to filter it centrally.

What Huaxia can do now is to let them make their own filters, using materials like Charcoal, coarse sand, fine sand, and so on, stacked layer by layer in a sandwich method to achieve the maximum filtering effect.

Furthermore, each type of material has no real value; the Charcoal can be burned by themselves, and at the very least, it can remove most impurities. As for those minerals, whatever can be adsorbed, so be it; the taste should be slightly better.

As for whether they are willing to make them, that is their own business; Huaxia will not force them, nor is it mandatory, but will only provide technical support and suggestions.

Furthermore, every household must dig water cellars to store rainwater. Unlike wells, the depth of a water cellar can be shallower, but it can be wider to store as much water as possible. As long as it rains, a single rainfall falling into a family's courtyard can basically collect half a cellar of water.

If the population is small, say a family of five, one cellar of water can even last for half a year if it is only used to maintain the survival needs of eating and drinking.

The entire Northwest region continued to use water cellars until after this century, and it was only until tap water was fully connected over a decade ago that water cellars were abandoned by most households.

But it is not to say they were completely abandoned, because the rainwater in the water cellars can be used to feed livestock, which can save a lot of water fees; why not do it?

Moreover, the taste of rainwater is better than tap water; using rainwater to make tea tastes better, though of course, it also has to do with the lack of so many high-quality mountain springs.

Xiao Town can adopt multiple measures to store and obtain water resources to ensure daily life and livestock water. Grazing in Xiao Town is also a must; as for cattle, pigs, and chickens, try to have every household raise them.

Because sending meat from Huaxia City to Xiao Town can at most be done in Winter; at other times it really won't work, as the cost is too high, even if there is enough Saltpeter to make ice, it is completely not cost-effective.

In Huaxia City, a family can at most raise a few chickens, and those living in the Second and Third Ring, because of the lack of space, cannot even raise chickens, let alone other larger livestock.

Draft cattle have been privatized, but they can only be raised in the town. Those who have no place to raise them and no draft cattle of their own can only rent draft cattle in the Spring to help them complete their farming.

Xiao Town can be considered to have better conditions than Huaxia City because everyone has a place to raise pigs and cattle. Cattle are used for farming and certainly cannot be slaughtered, but each household can only raise one; one is allocated to them, and if they want to raise more, it depends on their own ability.

Sheep belong to collective grazing and cannot be given to individual households. Sheep are a group; going out to graze means the entire flock. In the future, it will be necessary to select herdsmen to graze full-time on the saline-alkali land.

If you take sheep that eat the Grass growing on saline-alkali land and then castrate them, the taste is the most delicious, and there won't even be a gamey smell.

After these sheep grow up, a small portion will be left for the people of Xiao Town, and most will be taken to Huaxia City to be slaughtered, serving as the meat supply for Huaxia City.

Plus, the number of grazing sheep will not be too many, at most a few hundred. Huaxia City can also frequently send people over to perform centralized castration, leaving only a few rams for breeding.

Now, the lambs already separated from the Pasture are basically all castrated; only a few are not. The current castration technique of Huaxia veterinarians is very good, and it is not very difficult; as long as everyone dares to take action, they can quickly learn how to castrate.

Moreover, the mortality rate of castrated sheep is very low; it is not certain that even one will die out of several hundred. Once the balls are cut, sprinkle some plant ash, then sew it up, and in a few days, they will be jumping around.

There are no piglets this year because the season is not right for piglets; they are all half-grown pigs now, so we can only wait until after Spring.

Boars must be castrated, but the mortality rate of castration is slightly higher, but who makes Huaxia have its own Pasture now, and the number of livestock is large enough?

With enough food and enough safety, the speed of livestock reproduction is astonishing. If Baifeng hadn't brought up castration for the sake of taste, the herdsmen would have brought it up themselves, because they reproduce too fast, and it is estimated that the existing space in Huaxia City is no longer enough for grazing; castration can also keep the number to a certain level.

Furthermore, castration can also ensure that excellent genes are passed down. Those that look bad at a glance are castrated directly to be eaten when they grow up; only livestock that are good in every aspect can keep their balls to breed.

The pigs at this time are not white-skinned pigs, but rather the color of wild boars, brownish-black, and their tusks grow normally.

Therefore, as soon as a pig exceeds a hundred catties, it must be prepared for slaughter immediately. If you don't kill it, even if it is domestic, the risk is very high.

If there are no restrictions and it is allowed to grow for two or three years, a five or six-hundred-catty boar will not only hurt people but also knock down the pigsty. It used to be a trouble, but now after castration, it is only necessary to keep a few stud boars and keep them locked up separately.

When it is time for breeding, take it to the sow pen for breeding. At this time, people cannot interfere, otherwise, it is easy to get yourself killed; these are all bloody lessons, and even the most powerful hunter would not dare to take this risk.

After the stud boar finishes breeding, it depends on whether it can be taken back. If it is still so savage and cannot be driven out of the sow pen, it can be killed directly; next time use another stud boar, as wildness also represents danger.

Pigs are raised by each household, and only castrated ones can be raised; they cannot breed on their own. Every year, they need to spend a certain amount of grain to buy piglets, or they can take them for free first and give a certain amount of pork after the pig is slaughtered.

The right to breed is in the hands of Huaxia, but it is mainly because it is too dangerous. Letting a group of people with almost no experience in raising livestock raise stud boars that are as dangerous as wild boars is playing with their lives. After castration, the pigs grow meat quickly, taste good, and their temperament will be slightly more docile; they will even be like sows, no longer growing such long tusks, making them safer.

For chickens, send big roosters and big hens directly to Xiao Town and let them raise them themselves. Don't worry about the eggs laid; let them hatch them themselves, and they will soon be in flocks. Moreover, roosters are also important time-telling tools; without an alarm clock, as long as the chicken crows, it means it's time to come out and work.