ANISCI 103- EXAM 2

Farrowing

The birthing process in swine.

Piglet

A newborn pig.

Gilt

A young female pig who has not yet farrowed.

Sow

A mature female pig.

Barrow

A castrated male pig.

Boar

A mature (intact) male pig.

Feeder Pig

A pig between weaning and finishing.

Market Hog

A pig (240 to 300 lb) ready for processing.

U.S. Swine Farming - Then vs. Now

Body Condition: Fat (Then) vs. Lean (Now); Housing: Outside (Then) vs. Confinement (Now); Diet: Forage & Ear corn (Then) vs. Corn or Soy (Now); Pig Farms: Many & Small (Then) vs. Few & Large (Now); Breeds: Purebred (Then) vs. Crossbred (>90% of Market Hogs) (Now); Annual farrowing: 1-2 x/Year (Then) vs. Continuous (Now); Litter size weaned: 7.5 (Then) vs. 9 to 12 (Now); Weaning age: 6-8 weeks (Then) vs. < 3 weeks (Now); Feed efficiency: 3.5 lb feed/lb gain (Then) vs. 2.4 lb feed/lb gain (Now).

Global Pork Production Leaders

1 - China, #2 - E.U., #3 - U.S., #4 - Brazil, #5 - Russia. Swine is the world’s 2nd most dominant meat-producing species.

U.S. Share of Global Pig Meat Production (2024)

~11%.

Front: U.S. Pork Exports

U.S. is one of the world's top 5 exporters, primarily to Mexico, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Canada. Exports average 20 to 30% of commercial pork production.

Front: U.S. Pork Imports

U.S. imports pigs/pork from Canada and Denmark.

Front: Top Factors for Consumers Comparing Chicken to Pork

1. Price (58%), 2. Lipid level (24%).

Front: U.S. Swine Inventory (Sept. 2024)

6 million breeding animals + 70 million market hogs, totaling 76.5 million total pigs.

Front: U.S. Swine Raising Regions

Most U.S. swine are raised in the Corn Belt: Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina.

Front: U.S. Swine Farm Size Trends

Most farms (82%) have

Front: Trends in U.S. Swine Production

Increasing vertical integration, decreasing pasture use & manual labor, increasing confinement, automation, & use of technology/AI/robotics/sensors, increasing individual animal productivity (Feed efficiency, >Litters/sow/yr, >Piglets weaned/litter).

Front: Swine Management Goals

Optimize productivity and product quality, minimize environmental impact (waste and odor), optimize animal welfare and health, minimize production costs.

Front: Sow Breeding Characteristics

Nonseasonally Polyestrous (year-round breeding).

Front: Sow Gestation Length

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

Front: Piglet at Birth

Born at 2-3 lb.

Front: Piglet Nursing Period

Nurse to weaning at 10-15 lb by 3 weeks of age.

Front: Nursery Phase

From weaning to 50-60 lb (2-3 months of age), fed corn/soybean meal.

Front: Grower Phase

From 50-60 to 125-150 lb (around 4 months of age), fed corn/soybean meal.

Front: Finisher Phase

From 125-150 lb to market weight of 275-300 lb (6-7 months of age), fed corn/soybean meal.

Front: Total Time from Birth to Market (Swine)

180 to 190 days.

Front: Types of Swine Operations

1) Farrow-to-Wean, 2) Feeder Pig Finishing, 3) Farrow-to-Finish, 4) Purebred or Seedstock, 5) Corporate.

Front: Swine Management Factors

1) Temperature, 2) Humidity, 3) Ventilation, 4) Site Selection, 5) Feed (60-70% cost), 6) Biosecurity (AIAO), 7) Health Mgmt, 8) Manure Handling/Flooring.

Front: Farrow-to-Wean Operations

Breeding herd produces early-weaned pigs (10-15 lb at 3 weeks) or feeder pigs (35-50 lb by 2 months).

Front: Finishing Operation

Feeder pigs (30 to 90 lb range) are purchased and grown to market weight.

Front: Farrow-to-Finish Operation

A breeding herd is maintained to produce piglets that are raised to market weight on the same farm.

Front: Purebred or Seedstock Operations

Similar to farrow-to-finish, but the end product is breeding boars and gilts or show pigs. Produce foundation stock/seed breeders. <1% of total hogs raised in the U.S..

Front: Seedstock Breed Examples and Traits

Berkshire (Carcass quality); Duroc (Growth rate, Feed efficiency); Landrace (Large litter size, Mother ability); Spotted (Large frame, Growth rate); Chester White (Maternal ability); Hampshire (Muscularity, Leanness); Poland China (Large size, Muscularity); Yorkshire (Large litter size, Mothering ability, Growth rate).

Front: Integrated Corporate Operations

Vertical integration - One company owns 2 or more stages of production normally operated separately.

Front: Ideal Temperatures for Swine by Age/Weight

Newborn: 95°F; 3-week old: 85°F; Nursery (12-30 lb): 80°F; Nursery (30-50 lb): 75°F; Grower-Finisher: 60-70°F; Gestating Sows & Boars: 60-65°F; Lactating Sow: 60°F.

Front: Solid Flooring for Swine

Inexpensive, requires regular cleaning (labor), +/- Bedding. Example: concrete, wood.

Front: Totally Slotted Flooring for Swine

Minimizes manure handling, expensive, harder to control temperature, harder on feet and legs. Example: concrete, steel, aluminum, plastic, wood.

Front: Partially Slotted Flooring for Swine

(No advantages or disadvantages explicitly listed in this excerpt).

Front: Ventilation System Tasks in Swine Housing

1) Provide oxygen, 2) Remove excess moisture, 3) Remove dust, 4) Remove noxious gases (ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon monoxide).

Front: Water Quality for Swine

Water analysis recommended semi-annually (salinity, pH, turbidity, coliform count, pesticides, heavy metals, hardness). Waterers should be checked daily for correct number, height, and flow rate/pressure.

Front: High Reproduction Rate in Swine

Key to the success of swine operations.

Front: Sow Productivity Factors

Litter size, piglets weaned per litter, 21-day litter weight, # litters/sow/year.

Front: Puberty in Gilts and Boars

Gilts: 5-8 months (improves until 18 months, then constant until 4 years). Boars: similar to gilts regarding age impact.

Front: Breeding Management - Young Boar

Handmate 1x/day, pen breed 8-10 gilts over 4 weeks.

Front: Breeding Management - Mature Boar

Handmate 2x/day, pen breed 10-12 gilts over 4 weeks.

Front: Breeding - First Estrus in Gilts

5-8 months (160-240 days).

Front: Breeding - Ideal Time to Breed Gilts

2nd or 3rd cycle, around 8 months of age, 250-260 lb.

Front: Sow Estrous Cycle

Non-seasonally polyestrous, 21-day cycle with proestrus (3-4d), estrus (40-60h), diestrus (14d).

Front: Gilt Puberty Induction - Boar Contact

Olfactory, auditory, and/or visual contact starting at 150 days can hasten puberty by 40 days.

Front: Gilt Puberty Induction - Breed

Duroc & Yorkshire reach puberty later than Landrace. Cross-bred gilts reach puberty earlier than purebreds.

Front: Gilt Puberty Induction - Housing

Delayed if alone, in small groups (

Front: Gilt Puberty Induction - Climate and Stress

Heat, long days, poor air quality inhibit puberty. Changing social contacts (mixing pens) and transportation can induce puberty.

Front: Pen Mating (Swine)

House gilts or sows with appropriate # of boars in a pen or pasture. Remove pregnant females. Rotate boars.

Front: Hand Mating (Swine)

Heat detect SID or BID (gilts from puberty, sows 3d post-weaning). Supervised boar exposure (25 min).

Front: Artificial Insemination (Swine)

Heat detect & breed (67% of all market hogs; 90% of hogs from farms with >500 sows).

Front: Flushing (Swine Breeding)

Increase feed 10 days before breeding to increase ovulation rate.

Front: Sow Return to Estrus Post-Weaning

4 to 7 days.

Front: Signs of Estrus in Sows

Standing reflex, interest in boar, vocalization, swelling/red vulva.

Front: "Back Pressure Test" (Swine)

Boars secrete pheromones which elicit the standing reflex in sows and gilts.

Front: Management Goal for Sows Post-Weaning

95% of sows bred within 7 days post-weaning to limit nonproductive sow days.

Front: Sow Culling Rate (Commercial Herds)

5-30% culled for failure to return to estrus after weaning.

Front: Sow Estrus Cycle Length (Range)

21 days (range = 18-24d).

Front: Sow Production Benchmarks

Deliver 2.2 litters/sow/year (4 litters before replacement), >85% farrowing percentage (# females farrowing / # females bred), >24 piglets weaned/breeding female/year.

Front: Feed Cost in Swine Production

60-70% of the total cost of production.

Front: Swine Ration Components

Formulated around cereal grains (Energy = corn, milo, barley, wheat), ground or pelleted (too fine can cause ulcers), add protein (soybean meal, meat & bone meal), add vitamins (A, D, E, K, & B), add minerals (Calcium & Phosphorous).

Front: Pre-Farrowing Sow Care

Vaccinate (4-6 weeks & 2 weeks before), de-worm + de-lice (2 weeks before), wash sows, provide warm, dry, draft-free environment, move to new housing (1-7 days before).

Front: Swine Housing Options for Gestation

1) Gestation crates, 2) Free access gestation stalls, 3) Group housing in pens, 4) Outdoor / pasture.

Front: Farrowing Crates

Used from 7 days before to 21-28 days after farrowing (~1 month).

Front: Stages of Farrowing (Swine)

1) Preparation, 2) Piglet Delivery, 3) Placenta Delivery.

Front: Piglet Delivery Interval

Normal interval of 15 to 20 minutes between piglets. Be aware of 1 hour between piglets.

Front: Litter Size (Gilts vs. Sows)

Gilt = 9.5 piglets in 1st litter (increase by 0.5 piglet/litter), Sow > 10 piglets per litter.

Front: Normal Total Litter Delivery Time (Swine)

2 to 3 hours.

Front: Placenta Delivery Time (Swine)

30 minutes to 12 hours after last piglet. Retained if greater than 12 hours.

Front: Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy (Swine)

During the first month, each uterine horn needs at least 2 piglets (total of 4) to prevent regression of the corpus luteum (CL) by Prostaglandin F2a.

Front: Inducing (Synchronizing) Farrowing (Swine) - Reasons

Allows for close supervision, groups sows for weaning & rebreeding, improves labor and facilities use, allows for cross fostering.

Front: Method for Inducing Farrowing (Swine)

PGF2a injection to sows on day 112 of gestation. 70 to 80% farrow in 24-36 hours. +/- Oxytocin injection 24 hours after PGF2a (caution), resulting in farrowing within 6 hours.

Front: Piglet Care Post-Farrowing

Ensure breathing, dip umbilicus, ensure nursing & colostrum intake within 4 to 6 hours.
Source: 11. Swine II - posted.pdf

Front: Gestation Length (Swine)

111-115 days; Average of 114 days = 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days.

Front: Weaning Age (Swine)

@10-15 lb by 21 days.

Front: Nursery Phase Weight (Swine)

From weaning to 50-60 lb.

Front: Grower Phase Weight (Swine)

50-60 to 120 lb.

Front: Finisher Phase Weight (Swine)

120 to 275 to 300 lb.

Front: Total Time from Birth to Market (Swine)

180 to 190 days.

Front: Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy (Swine) - Embryos

Each uterine horn must contain at least 2 embryos (total of 4) to signal pregnancy and prevent regression of corpora lutea (CLs) by Prostaglandin F2a.

Front: Pre-Weaning Mortality in Swine - Timing

Roughly 1/3 of pre-weaning deaths occur in the first 72 hours.

Front: Causes of Pre-Weaning Mortality in Swine

1. Stillbirths (<5-7%), 2. Hypoxia (premature umbilical cord rupture), 3. Chilling (environment 85-100°F needed), 4. Crushing (most common in 1st 3 days), 5. Low birthweight (<2 lb has high mortality), 6. Starvation (runt or sow lactation failure - 2nd most common), 7. Diarrhea/Scours (bacteria & viruses - 4th), 8. Respiratory Diseases (5th).

Front: Weaning Age Factors (Swine)

Determined by nursery facilities / management. Typically @ 2 to 5 weeks (most at 3 weeks) or @ >10-12 lbs.

Front: Weaning Stress in Swine

Loss of maternal antibody protection by ~3 weeks.

Front: Segregated Early Weaning (SEW)

Piglets weaned @ 21-22 days, moved to isolated, clean nursery then finisher (no contact with other groups).

Front: Temperature for Weaned Piglets

85°F then drop slowly to 70-75°F.

Front: Grower Ration (Swine)

Corn/soybean meal, 16 to 18% protein, 1.4 to 4 lb per day.

Front: Finisher Ration (Swine)

Corn/soybean meal, 12 to 14% protein, 6 to 10 lb per day.

Front: Grower & Finisher Housing (Swine)

60-70°F, group by weight (within 20% of average), 20-50 pigs/pen or pasture, 1 waterer/20-25 pigs, 1 feed space/4 pigs.

Front: 250 lb Hog - Liveweight vs. Dressed vs. Retail

Liveweight: 250 lb; Dressed (on the rail): 180 lb (~28% weight loss); Retail Cuts (in the store): 144 lb (~20% more weight loss from dressed). Dressing % = (Carcass weight / Live weight) x 100 = ~72% (68-75%).

Front: Farrow-to-Finish Performance Benchmarks - Reproduction

Litters farrowed/sow/year: 2.1 (pen mating), 2.2 (hand mating); Farrowing rate: >85%; Pigs weaned/female/year: >24 (best indicator of reproductive efficiency).

Front: Farrow-to-Finish Performance Benchmarks - Mortality Rate

Breeding herd: <4% (confined), <6% (outside); Preweaning: <8%; Nursery: <2%; Growing/finishing herd: <1%.

Front: Farrow-to-Finish Performance Benchmarks - Growth & Feed Efficiency

Time to market: < 180 days; Average daily gain (lb/day): Nursery > 1.0, Finishing > 1.9; Feed efficiency (lb feed/1 lb pork): Nursery < 1.6, Finishing < 2.6.

Front: Timing of Vaccination in Pigs

Should occur before likely encounter with infectious organism. Protective immune response takes 10-21 days. Tailored to each operation.

Front: Pig Vaccination - Pre-breeding (Gilts, Sows, Boars)

Repro: Parvovirus, Leptospirosis, PRRS, Erysipelas.