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OBJECTIVES

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TERMINOLOGY

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BREEDS

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Swine Breeds

  • Berkshire
  • Chester White
  • Duroc
  • Hampshire
  • Landrace
  • Poland China
  • Spotted
  • Potbelly
  • Yorkshire

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Berkshire

  • Originated in England
  • Black color, white points and nose
  • Short faced with erect ears
  • Early-maturing
  • Juicy, flavorful, tender meat

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Chester White

  • Developed in the United States
  • White with drooping ears
  • Large litters and excellent mothering ability

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Duroc

  • Developed in the United States
  • Reddish brown in color
  • Drooping ears
  • Quick muscle growth
  • Aggressive

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Hampshire

  • Developed in the United States
  • Black with a white belt and erect ears
  • Well-muscled, rapid growers
  • Excellent mothers
  • Good tempered
  • Good carcass quality

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Landrace

  • Originated in Denmark
  • White in color with huge drooping ears
  • Longer than other breeds because of extra vertebrae
  • More confinement adaptable

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POLAND CHINA

  • Developed in the United States
  • Black with white patches, drooping ears, and large size
  • Maximum weight at any given age
  • Excellent feeders – gain readily
  • Quiet nature and hardy constitution

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Spotted Swine

  • Developed in the United States
  • Black and white spotted with drooping ears
  • Able to transmit their fast-gaining, feed efficient, meat qualities to their offspring

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VIETNAMESE POTBELLY

  • Developed in Vietnam
  • Average 3-ft long, 15-inches tall, and 70 – 150 lbs
  • Solid black to solid white with a variety of spots
  • Used as pets

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Yorkshire

  • Originated in England
  • White with erect ears
  • “Mother breed”- large litters and excellent milking, and mothering ability
  • Muscular with high proportion of lean meat

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Terminology

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Terms

  • Pork - meat that comes from pigs
  • Common Cuts
    • Sausage
    • Bacon
    • Pork Chops
  • Swine (porcine) - proper name for pigs

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Boar

  • A male of breeding age

Berkshire

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Sow

  • A mature female that has produced young.

Hampshire

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Gilt

  • An immature female

Spots

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Barrow

  • A castrated male

Poland China

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Farrow

  • Act of giving birth

Yorkshire

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COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION

  • Vertical Integration: production of a product (broilers) with all aspects controlled by one company. Company = integrator.
    • Grower provides: land, house/equipment, utilities (electricity and gas), daily labor, water
    • Integrator/Poultry Company provides chickens, feed, medication, technical assistance, catching and marketing. Pays grower for chickens.

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METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION

  • Ear notching
  • Ear tags
  • Ear tattooing

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  • Leg tags (chickens
  • Branding (horses & cattle)

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Ear Notches

  • Method of permanent identification
  • Pigs are ear notched using a special type of pliers that leave a V shape in their ear.

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Ear Notching

  • Depicts both a litter and individual number.
  • Litter number is placed in the right ear
  • Pig number placed in the left ear

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Ear tags

  • Easily read identification
  • Usually used once you have selected which pigs you will keep.
  • Available in different shapes

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Ear tattooing

  • Another form of permanent identification
  • The thinner part of the lower ear is most suitable for tattooing.

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Parts of a Pig

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AREAS TO EVALUATE

  • Muscle: forearm, shoulder, top, loin, rump, ham
  • Fat cover: jowls, behind the shoulder, over the top, rear and fore flanks and underline

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Livestock Evaluation (CDE)

  • Team of 4
  • Judge cattle, pigs, goats and sheep for their structure integrity and muscling
  • Place a ‘class’ of 4 animals in order from best to worst
  • Judging can be for market or reproduction
  • Give reasons (explanation) of placing to judge on 2 classes
  • Keep/Cull class
  • Written exam and team activity (topics rotates based on year)

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More Information on Swine

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Feeder Pig

  • A weaned pig ready to finish for slaughter

Pietrain

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Needle teeth

  • Set of 8 very sharp teeth in swine that are usually removed from days old piglets to prevent injury to other piglets and sow’s udder.

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PSE (Pale, Soft, Exudative

  • Meat characterized by its pale color, lack of firmness, and fluid (exudate) dripping from its cut surfaces.

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MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

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PROCESSING PIGLETS

  • Recommended 1-4 days post weaning.
  • The steps of processing are:
    • Clip needle teeth
    • Cut navel cord
    • Iron injection
    • Dock tails
    • Castrate males
    • Ear notch

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CLIP NEEDLE TEETH

  • Piglets have 8 needle teeth located on the sides of upper and low jaws
  • Clipped to prevent biting of littermates or the sows udder

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CUT NAVEL CORD

  • Cut to approximately 1 to 1 ½ inches in length and dipped in iodine solution.

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IRON INJECTIONS

  • Given to prevent anemia which can result due to the low iron content of milk.

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DOCK TAILS

  • Cut to about 1 inch with side cutters
  • Prevents tail biting and cannibalism by pen mates and possible infection of tail or spinal cord

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CASTRATION

  • Performed on male market hogs to prevent undesirable boar odor or taint associated with cooked pork from intact males

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EAR NOTCHING

  • Identifies which litter pigs came from and so determine reproductive ability of sows.
  • Identifies individual pigs

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FARROWING

  • Sows moved into farrowing crates or pens one week before farrowing date.
  • Once farrowing begins, piglets should be delivered in 15-20 minute intervals
  • Piglets average 2.5 - 4 lbs.

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INDICATIONS OF FARROWING

  • Restlessness
  • Swelling of vulva
  • Fullness of udder
  • Milk letdown
  • Fluids present from vulva

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FARROWING FACILITIES

  • Clean, dry, and draft-free
  • Temperature of 65°F to 75°F with supplemental zone heat for piglets
  • Guardrails about 6” from pen wall and 8” up from floor to prevent crushing
  • Crates to restrict the sow - typically 5’ wide and 7’ long

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FEEDING

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FEEDING PROGRAM

  • Must balance cost and nutrient requirements
  • Feed according to the requirements of the animal’s stage of development
  • Some factors affecting nutrient requirements:
    • Quality of the diet: energy, by-products, molds, etc…
    • Breed, sex, and genetics of pigs
    • Stage of development of pig
    • Amount of time to finish pig

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FEEDING PRACTICES

  • Self feeders allows young pigs to feed at will
  • Environmental temperature can affect appetite
    • Ideal temperature is 60 to 70° F.
    • Wetting pigs down on hot days will cool them off and improve appetite

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WATER

  • Water is the most essential nutrient required by a pig
  • Always provide fresh, clean water
  • If pigs are kept outdoors, haul warm water to them during cold weather

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SHOW PREPARATION

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HANDLING PIGS

  • Move slowly and deliberately when driving pigs
  • Spend time with the pig to help it adjust to human interaction
  • Practice show ring activities at home and again upon arrival to a show.

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EXERCISE

  • Begin exercising pigs two months before a show
  • Pigs do not sweat.
    • Use caution when exercising to prevent overheating
  • Use a whip or livestock cane to teach pigs to respond to commands such as turning.
    • Do not strike on the ham or hip this will cause the pig to arch it’s back and look unnatural.
    • Use gentle taps around the head

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EQUIPMENT

  • garden hose (to wash pig)
  • rubber boots
  • small brush that fits in the pocket of your pants
  • scrub brush
  • mild soap
  • clippers
  • cane
  • rags (to wash out ears and wipe off feet)
  • water bucket and feed pan

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ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

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DEVELOPMENT OF BEHAVIOR

  • Genetics and experience determines how an animal behaves
  • Some pigs are genetic carriers of a porcine stress gene(PSS)
    • This can cause increased excitability and nervousness
    • Can even lead to death due to extreme stress

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INTELLIGENCE

  • Pigs are intelligent and curious
  • They learn quickly and respond well to positive reinforcement.
    • It is important to make new experiences positive

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BEHAVIOR

  • Pigs frighten easily to unfamiliar sights, smells, and sounds
  • Sensitive to sharp contrast
    • A pig may balk if it sees shadows, puddles, bright spots, change in flooring type or texture, or drains

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SOCIAL HIERARCHY

  • The social organization established when unacquainted pigs are initially mixed together
  • They fight by mouth-to-neck attacks with strong thrusts sideways and upwards, to establish a dominance hierarchy
  • Hierarchy typically established within 24 hours
    • Aggression drops dramatically after about one hour

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ROOTING

  • “Rooting” is when the pig tucks its head and uses its snout to push up whatever it comes in contact with.
  • Natural as opposed to learned behavior

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TEMPERATURE REGULATION

  • Mature pigs are susceptible to hot conditions
    • Seek shade and wallow in mud or water
    • more active at night
    • Build nests to provide shelter from environmental extremes.
  • Young pigs are sensitive to cold
    • huddle with littermates -

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ANIMAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

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MEASURES OF GROWTH

  • Birth weight
  • Weaning weight
  • Days to 270-280 lbs

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EFFICIENCY OF GROWTH

  • Defined as units of feed per unit of gain
  • In swine, the feed conversion is 3.5:1
    • Every 3.5 lbs. of feed should result in one pound of gain.

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PUBERTY AND GESTATION PERIOD

  • Puberty: 5-8 months of age
  • Gestation length: 110-120 days (114 average)

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ANIMAL HEALTH

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DISEASES

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SWINE DYSENTERY (SCOURS)

  • Body system affected: gastrointestinal
  • Cause: bacteria
  • Type of swine affected: 8-14 weeks old
  • Treatment: antibiotics, sanitation
  • Symptoms: slows growth of pig; loose, frequent, off-colored feces; lethargy; dehydration

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ACTINOBACILLUS�(HAEMOPHILUS PNEUMONIA)

  • Body system affected: respiratory
  • Cause: bacteria
  • Type of swine affected: growing-finishing swine
  • Treatment: antibiotics
  • Prevention: Vaccine
  • Symptoms: abdominal breathing, high fever, sudden death

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LEPTOSPIROSIS

  • Body system affected: reproductive
  • Cause: bacteria
  • Type of Swine affected: boars and sows
  • Prevention: vaccination program
  • Symptoms: results in abortion and stillbirths
  • Transmissible to humans

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PORCINE REPRODUCTIVE AND RESPIRATORY SYNDROME

  • Body system affected: reproductive and respiratory
  • Cause: virus
  • Type of swine affected: all
  • Symptoms: birth of premature litters; stillborns; increased preweaning illness in piglets; respiratory disease in the nursery

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PORCINE STRESS SYNDROME(PSS)

  • Body system affected: nervous
  • Cause: genetic
  • Symptoms/signs: the onset is sudden with muscle tremors, twitching of the face and rapid respiration, skin becomes red and blotched. 
  • Treatment: ineffective
  • Prevention: cull animals that carry the gene

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PSS CONT’D

  • Presence of the porcine stress gene in the show pig industry is one of the contributors to “dead or downer” pigs and poor pork quality.
  • Stress positive pigs exhibit extreme nervousness and excitability when exposed to stressful situations resulting in PSE pork and increased death loss.
  • Show pig producers should use animals that are stress gene negative (NN) to prevent these problems.

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PARASITES

  • Common Types: Mange, Lice, Roundworms, Threadworms, and Nodular worms
  • Causes: lack of sanitation
  • Treatment: spraying with insecticides for mange and lice use of deworming agents on worms
  • Symptoms: presence of the parasite on the hair or in the feces, loss of hair and scaling of skin, reduced performance.

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EVALUATION

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SOUNDNESS

  • Pig should grow, develop, and move correctly
  • Front legs are straight when viewed from the front
  • Toes should point straight forward and each toe should be the same size
  • Rear legs should be straight when viewed from the rear of the pig

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MUSCLE

  • Wider through the center and lower part of the ham than the top (rump) part.
  • The loin should be wide with a deep groove down the center and rounded on the edges (butterfly shape).
  • Wide in the shoulders and chest floor

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FRAME SIZE

  • Refers to the skeletal size of the pig
  • Should have a long neck, tall with long legs, and long body
  • Long from shoulder to ham.

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GENERAL APPEARANCE

  • Referred to as “eye appeal”
  • Pig should appear balanced
  • Blemishes apparent in a young pig are often magnified in a finished pig

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REFERENCES

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Pietrain

  • Originated in Belgium
  • Black and white spotted with erect ears
  • High proportion of lean to fat
  • Often carries the gene for Porcine Stress Syndrome
    • Purebreds rare, instead used in crossbreeding programs