VET 110 Unit 3 - Pigs

Which pig breed was developed in Denmark?

The landrace

Which pig breed is known as “the mother breed”?

The Yorkshire

Which pig breed is noted for being efficient feeders and rapid weight gain?

The Spotted

What is the oldest American pig breed?

Hampshire

Which pig breed are poor mothers?

The Poland China

Pig scientific name

Sus scrofa

Pig body temperature

102

Pig heart rate

60-80 bpm

Pig life span

7-8 years

Pig estrous cycle type

Non-seasonal polyestrous

Pig gestation

114 days (3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days)

Pig litter size

4-16

Pig weaning age

3-4 weeks, avg. 21 days

What is the most major byproduct of the pork industry?

Fat, edible & inedible

What pig byproduct is used to purify pharmaceuticals?

Pig organs

How were pigs domesticated?

Likely due to their inquisitive nature, and man found pork a useful product; Chinese probably oldest producers of pigs

Lard type breed

Small in size, thick and compact, prevalent in the 19th century but rare today

Meat type breed

Medium size with lots of muscling and little fat; 95% of the breeds in the US

Bacon type breed

Larger body with long sides, extra vertebra

Pig confinement operations

Allowed for better selection and breeding

Farrow

When a pig gives birth

Gilt

Young female pig that hasn’t given birth

Sow

Intact female pig

Boar

Intact male pig

Barrow

Castrated male pig

Needle teeth

3rd incisor and canine teeth of pigs that are present at birth, and are cut 24-48 hours after birth

Tusk

A long pointed tooth of pigs that protrudes from the closed mouth

Farrow to finish

When a pig is raised on the same farm from birth to market weight

Market hog

Pig raised for meat ready for market; 240-260 lbs

Jowl

Pig jaw

Snout

Pig nose

Young pig

Shoat, piglet, pig

Last piglet born

Runt

Farrowing rate

The number of sows that farrow per number of sows/gilts that were born

Grower pig

Pig that is between weaning and its sale to slaughter or transfer to breeding herd

Feeder pig

A weaned gilt or barrow weighing 40-80 lbs that is sold to be finished for slaughter

Finisher pig

Grower pig that is over 150 lbs and was raised for pork

Feed efficiency

The weight of feed necessary to grow a pig

Pig foot structure

Digitigrade with 4 toes (2 weight bearing, 2 dewclaws)

Homeothermic

Ability to maintain a stable body temperature regardless of external influences

When are piglets able to thermoregulate?

2 weeks

Wallowing

When pigs lie in mud or water to help regulate heat and eliminate ectoparasites

When a pig makes low grunts what does this mean?

Contentment

When a pig makes loud oinks what does this mean?

Warning

When a pig shrieks what does this mean?

Stress

Rooting

Behavior where pigs dig and push with their snouts

When is aggression seen in pigs?

Between sows, boars, and newly mixed herds

What is a misdirected investigative behavior of pigs and what can control it?

Tail biting controlled by tail docking

Farrowing crate

Used to keep sow from crushing and killing piglets

How can pigs be identified?

Ear notching, ear tags, branding, tattoos

What is done to feed in a pig’s last trimester of gestation?

Increased by no more than 30%

What do all nursing piglets need?

The sow’s colostrum and iron supplements

How long is a pigs estrous cycle, and what are the stages?

21 days; proestrus, estrus, diestrus, anestrus

What are the methods of breeding pigs?

Hand mating, pen running, artificial insemination

In piglets, what should occur every 45-60 minutes?

Suckling

Estrus of pigs

Lasts 1-4 days (avg. 40-60 hours); female is responsive to the male, ovulation occurs 36-44 hours after onset of this stage

Diestrus of pigs

Lasts 18 days if the female pig is not pregnant; lack of sexual receptivity

Proestrus of pigs

Follicular development intensifies as the corpora lutea in the non-pregnant pig starts to regress

Anestrus of pigs

Mainly seen when the sow lactates

When should gilts be bred?

After 2-4 estrous cycles

When can farrowing occur?

Day or night

How long are piglets born apart?

10-15 minutes; greater than 20 minute intervals is associated with still birth

What are piglets’ average birth weight?

3.1-3.5 lbs

In pigs, when should all fetal membranes be delivered?

Within 4-6 hours

What temperature should a farrowing barn be kept at?

55-75 with heat lamp at 85

How many breeds of pigs are there?

Over 89 breeds and 225 varieties

Pig body form

Long body, little flexibility and can’t groom themselves

What are the characteristics of a pig’s snout?

Prehensile, has the ability to grasp or hold objects

How many teeth do adult pigs have?

34-44

Characteristics of pig movement

Fast runners; can jump, climb, and burrow; can swim but will not cross lakes or rivers

What is a pig’s first line of defense?

Running

Pig temperature regulation

Unable to tolerate very high or very low temperatures; no sweat glands

Pig sense of sight

Poor, can’t focus sharply, virtually color blind, but has good lateral vision

Pig sense of smell

Keen, only ungulate that does not exhibit the Flehmen response

Pig sense of hearing

Very good, ears act as sun visors, communicate through vocalizations, enjoy music

When is hierarchy established in pigs that are coinhabited?

After 12-24 hours

How do pigs interact with dominant and subordinate pigs?

Subordinates nuzzle the belly of the dominant pig when it lays down; subordinates can antagonize higher ranking pigs without affecting social status

Types of restraints of pigs

Holding (small piglets), board, troughs in dorsal recumbency, canvas sling, farrowing crate

What are the nutritional characteristics of pigs?

Omnivorous; monogastric; feed is 60-70% of the cost of raising swine; most are fed high grain rations; vitamins & mineral need to be supplemented throughout their lives

Originated in Denmark, large drop ears, known for their maternal instincts, white, long, flatter-topped than other breeds.

Landrace

Originated in England, black with white legs, snout and switch, once kept at Buckingham Palace, known for producing high quality meats, erect ears.

Berkshire

Originated in Chester County, Pennsylvania, white with small, floppy, drop ears, mothering breed, known to produce large litters.

Chester White

Originated in the United States, solid red, long, drop ears, slight dish to the face, excellent meat type hog.

Duroc

Originated in the United States, probably the oldest American breed, black with a white belt, small, erect ears, well-known meat breed.

Hampshire

Originated in the US, noted for ability to easily gain weight, quiet dispositions, black with white snouts, legs and switch, generally poor mothers, medium drop ears.

Poland China

Developed in Indiana, black and white spots, efficient feeders, noted for rapid weight gain, drop ears, slight dish face.

Spotted

Originated in England, white, large, erect ears, known as 'The Mother Breed', produces large litters, bacon-type hog.

Yorkshire