ANSC 1401 - Swine

Barrow

Castrated male

Boar

Uncastrated male

Gilt

Immature female (who has not yet given birth)

Sow

Female who has given birth

Pig

The offspring

• Can refer to any under the Procine category

Porcine

Species name for swine

Farrow

The act of giving birth

Shoat

A young pig of either sex

What are the basic characteristics of Swine?

• Produce meat

• Corn and Soybean Meal are the two main ditary ingrediants

• Production of Swine began in the Corn Belt but has since moved South

  • Decent climate

  • Good temperatures

  • Less population → Less interference with society

What are the traits of female swine?

• Litter size: 12-14 pigs

• Weaned: Average of 11 pigs

• Number of litters/sow/year: Roughly 2

  • Sows produce about 26 pigs a year

• Sow productivity: The number of pigs born and their weight at weaning

• Gestation length: 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days

What are the traits of male swine?

• Good growth rates → high feeding efficiency

  • Carcass merit (muscles & leanness)

What are the basics of the swine industry?

• One entity will typically own the entire cycle

  • Horizontal integration

    • Increased efficiency & consistency

  • High investment v.s. Low investment

    • Biosecurity vs the outdoors

Why are pigs typically kept in confinement (high investment)? What are the 4 buildings?

• Pigs are extremely prone to diseases, therefore the majority are kept in confinement.

  • Concrete floors with vats to avoid build-up of feces & urine

  • All buildings are under close watch

    • All buildings are ventilated with AC/Heat control

• Cycle is split into:

  1. Breedint & Gestation Barn

  2. Farrowing House

  3. Nursery

  4. Grower/Finisher Barn

What is the Breeding & Gestation Barn?

• Once a gilt reaches maturity, she is moved to the breeding & gestation barn

• Here, she is bred, typically using Artificial Insemination

  • She will be kept and closely monitored for her gestation period up right around her expected due date

What is the Farrowing House?

• Sows will be moved to this building a few days before their expected due date

• Here, she is kept in a crate

  • Prevents crushing her offspring

  • Prevents her from eating other’s offspring

  • Kept until her litter is weaned

• After weaning, she will be moved back to her normal pen to go about her life

What is the Nursery?

• Weaned pigs transferred here

• Pigs will be encouraged to eat solid food and start drinking water on their own

  • Highly secured and monitored

  • Temperature is controlled

  • Proper ventilation and circulation throughout

What is the Grower/Finisher Barn?

• Once nursery pigs reach the desired weight (50-60 lbs) they will be moved here

• They are fed to grow into the desired marketable weight of roughly 280 lbs

What is the production schedule?

• The scheudle producers work around when raising their swine

  • Producers schedule a plan to breed/farrow swine in groups/phases

    • “All in, all out”

    • Mazimizes their facility use

    • Allows time for cleaning and disinfecting

What are the genetic concerns for swine?

• Feet and leg soundness on concrete

• Underline

  • Generally aim for six sound nipples on each side

• Cryptorchidism

  • Where one or both testicles fail to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum

• Scrotal and Umbilical hernia

• Porcine Stress Syndrome

  • Messes with meat quality (PSE; Pale, Soft, Exudative)

  • Some more prone than others

What are the animal welfare concerns?

• Sow housing during gestation

  • Sows kept this way to prevent offspring death

  • Sows have access to feed and water

• Castration, tail docking and teeth clipping

  • Eliminates aggression and attitude

  • Prevents cannibalism

  • Prevents gum infections/injuries

• Handing and transportation

  • If done properly, pigs are stress and care free

Babirusa

• From Indonesia

• Bizarre tusks

Giant Forest Hogs

• From Africa

Peccary

• From Centra/South America

• Also called Tavelinas

European Wild Boar

• Originated from mainland Europe/Eurasia

Feral Hogs

• Originated in America

• Descended from European Wild Boars

• Cost Americans billions of dollars in property damage, harming of wildlife, and land destruction

  • Considered an invasive species

• Not productive in the industry but can be eaten

Whate are the Sire breeds?

• Hampshire

• Duroc

• Poland China

• Spot

• Berkshire

• Pietrain

• Tamwroth

• Hereford

What are the characteristics of the sire breeds?

• Used terminally

• All dark

• Good carcass merit from muscling and fast growth rate

Hampshire

• Originated in Hampshire, England

• Best mothers of the sire breeds

• Belted with erect ears

Duroc

• Can range from light golden to deep red

• A breed developed in the U.S.

• Red with floppy ears

Poland China

• Developed in the U.S.

• 6 white points

• Black with floppy ears

Spot

• Traced back to the Poland China

  • U.S. Origin

• Spots with floppy ears

Berkshire

• Shorted & dished faced compared to Poland China

• Best meat quality of the shire breeds

• 6 white points

• Erect ears

Pietrain

• Originated in Germany

• Tend to have meat issues due to thick muscles

  • PSE

• Spots, erect ears

Tamworth

• Originated in Ireland

• Not much muscle or production

  • Produce good quality bacon

• Red, erect ears

Hereford

• Duroc x Chester White x Poland

• Has a pattern like to the Hereford cow

What are the Maternal breeds?

• Yorkshire

• American Landrace

• Chester White
  
  (YAC)

What are the characteristics of the maternal breeds?

• All are white

• Good maternal instincts

• intact nipples → good milkers

• Reproduce well

American Landrace

• Originated in Scandinavia

• Will have the largest litter sizes

• Has small ounce of Poland China blood

• VERY long ears that stretch past the cheek bones

• Longer than a Chester White

Yorkshire

• Originated in Yorkshire, England

• Large whites were used as a base breed

• More muscles than other dam breeds

• Erect ears

Chester White

• Developed in Pennsylvania

• Poorest mothers of the category

• More carcass potential

• Floppy ears that DONT extend past the cheekbone

Meishan

• Other breed

• Originated in China

• One of the oldest pigs in the world

• Can produce litters of 20-25 pigs

• Very fat with a slow growth rate

Minzhu

• Other breed

• Originated in China

• Hairy

Pot-Belly

• Originated in Vietnam

• Used as pets

• Get so big that their bellies scrape the ground