Lecture #22 ~ Swine

Animal Science

__% domestic consumption

75

__% export consumption

25

US ranked ___or __ for exportation of pork products

1 or 2

US ranked #__ for pork production and consumption

3

US pork industry employs over ____ people

half a million

what is pork production near?

the feed

most expensive aspect of raising agricultural animals?

feed

gilt

female pig who hasn’t given birth

sow

female pig who has given birth at least once

boar

intact male pig

barrow

castrated male pig

piglet

young pig of any sex

farrowing

giving birth to piglets

nursery/nursery pig

weaned piglets (aka feeder pigs or weanlings)

finishing/finishing pig

production phase between nursery and market (sometimes called feeder pigs)

monogastric

“simple” digestion system

are pigs omnivores or carnivores?

omnivores

Domesticated from ___ wild boar and ___ wild boar

Asian, European

What happened when pigs arrived in the western hemisphere?

Columbus brought 8 while De Soto brought 13; proliferated to 700 within 3 years

why are pigs very prolific

short generation interval (early puberty + short gestation period) and high repro rate

when does swine puberty start

5-7 months

how long is the pig gestation period?

3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days

size of male and female mature pigs

350 lb (can grow to 1k) and 275 lb (900 lb), respectively

at what weight do mini pigs sexually mature

120lb

what were mini pigs strains developed for?

research

puberty when?

6 months

how long is the estrous cycle

20-21 days

how fast post weaning can they breed

4-7 days

repro lifespan of boara

2 yrs

repro lifespan of sows

4-6 yrs

sows can produce __ piglets/yr

30

what does the 30 piglets/yr allow for in comparison to cattle industry?

rapid genetic changes

pork is about ___% less fatty than in the early to mid-1900s

50

describe AI

semen from boar is inserted into female’s repro tract, allows for control of genetics, safety, and less boars needed

why are females all brought into the farrowing barn as one group?

biosecurity

average litter size

10-14 piglets

how to ensure health of gilt/sow and piglets

warm for piglets, colostrum, treating umbilical cord, iron, castration, ID, tail docking, clipping teeth, and nutrition

when are pigs weaned?

2-8 weeks (14 lbs)

the time at which pigs are weaned depends on:

production cycle, piglet management, and sow management

nursery pigs consume __ lbs of feed per day

4

pigs remain in the nursery for ___ days

36-46

true or false: new pigs are allowed to be brought in and out of the barn when in the nursery

false !!

what kind of pigs do finishing barns contain

pigs from nursery (50 lbs) until market

how long to pigs remain in finishing barns?

16 weeks

why are barrows and gilts housed separately in finishing??

bio differences in growth rates, nutritional reqs, and carcass composition

diets based on ____

growth

finishing: optimize conversion of feed into__

muscle

finishing pigs consume about __ __ pounds of feed per day

6-10

market pigs weight about ____ pounds and are _ months in age

250-300; 6

animals must be _____ prior to slaughter

stunning (can’t feel pain; unconscious)

true or false: slaughter is highly regulated in the US

true

who needs to monitor all aspects of slaughter and processing?

veterinarians (not employed by slaughterhouse)

reasons for culling sows:

low # of pigs weaned (low # born alive OR poor udder/milking ability), return to estrus after breeding (not preg), structural soundness of feet/legs

advantageous to keep sows through __ to ___ itters

6-7

do sows or gilts make better mothers

sows

why is keeping sows for 6-7 litters financially good?

divide cost of rearing sow over more pigs weaned

most traits change by _____ on highly heritable traits

selection pressure

the most economically important traits are ___ traits and are of ___ heritability

repro; low

true or false: the least heritable traits respond to cross-breeding with a high degree of heterosis

true

examples of sow breeds

yorkshire, landrace, large white

describe yorkshire sows

white, erect ears, litter size, structural soundness

describe landrace sows

white, long drooped ears, litter size, structural soundness

describe large white sows

white, erect ears, prominant in Europe, ancestor of yorkshire breed, noted for strengths in all sow and most sire traits

examples of boar breeds

duroc, hampshire, 

describe duroc boars

red, drooped ears, fastest growing, strongest in performance traits, strong in structural soundness

describe hamoshire

black w/ white belt over shoulders, erect ears, lowest backfat, large LEA, best carcass traits, strong structural soundness

characteristics of best breeding system:

genetic selection for most heritable traits, cross breeding, select appropriate breeds for cross-breeding

___% of market hogs in the US are crossbred

90

describe farrow to finish

maintain breeding herd and raise pigs to market weight

what is the most common type of swine operation

farrow to finish

describe feeder pig production

maintain breeding herd and produce feeder pigs for sale at 40-50lbs

describe finish swine operations

buy the 40-50 lb feeder pig and grow them to market weight

describe purebred swine operation

produce purebred boars and gilts for sale, and use semen for AI produced mostly by breeding companies which don’t sell boars

describe integrated swine production

growing segment and follows trend in poultry industry, combines farrow to finish plus seedstock production

other uses for pigs

med research, biomedical products, xenotransplantation, truffle hunting, teacup pig companion

describe african swine fever

extremely fatal vascular disease in swine w/ HIGH contagious, HIGH morbidity, HIGH mortality, and prevention is best/only tool in preventing since no vaccine

describe influenza A

the flu; strains affect many species, resp infections of different contagious properties and severity of infection; zoonotic

swine breeds used on the farm

landrace, yorkshire, berkshire, duroc, hampshire

three parts of the swine center on cook campus

farrowing house, pig platforms, and pig fields