Finisher

Question 1

Goals of finisher unit

Answer 1

-optimize growth from 25-115kg

-maximize feed efficiency

-capture value at market

-ID of hogs prior to marketing (traceability)

-ensure appropriate animal welfare

-minimize impact of disease on production and food safety

-select breeding gilts

Question 2

Penning in finisher barn

Answer 2

1. Conventional pens
   -15-30 pigs
2. Large group pens
   -50-700 pigs
   -allows pigs to escape aggressors and harsh microenvironments

Question 3

Different slat pens

Answer 3

1. partially slatted pens (33-40% slats) - area for drinking and dunging
2. fully slatted pen- sleeping, eating, drinking and dunging done everywhere

Question 4

Flooring in finisher barn

Answer 4

-Concrete (wears down claws)

-total slats vs. partial slates

Question 5

Effective temperature

Answer 5

-felt by pig
-affected by environment (slat type, bedding, air velocity, dampness)

Question 6

Ambient temperature

Answer 6

-room temperature
-measured by sensor or thermometer in room
-positioned approx 4’ above floor
-1-2 locations per room

Question 7

Pig behaviour and temperature

Answer 7

Huddling= cold

Panting= hot

Question 8

Space allocation

Answer 8

**similar formula to nursery
Floor area/pig (m2) = k X BW^0.667

-performance negatively affected when k< 0.0335
-normal resting behaviour altered id k< 0.039

Question 9

Space allowance regulations

Answer 9

-k>0.0335

-when short term decrease needed, allow a decrease of 10% in finisher pigs
And up to 15% for finishers if high densities do not compromise the welfare of pigs

Question 10

Water flow, lighting, ventilation

Answer 10

**same as nursery
Water: 1L/min

Lighting: 12 hr cycles

Ventilation: ensure affective temperature

Question 11

Sick and injured pigs

Answer 11

-Need to have the ability to segregate sick or injured pigs in separate area where the necessary treatment can be administered

Question 12

Pig enrichment

Answer 12

-Pigs must be provided with some type of environmental enrichment (social, occupational, physical, sensory, and/or nutritional)
**most common is hay but very challenging
*others, rubber, chains, wood

Question 13

Types of pig enrichment

Answer 13

1. Social- contact with other pigs
2. Occupational
   -devices providing challenges and enrichment encouraging exercise
3. Physical
   -adding objects, substrate, structures
   4.sensory
   -visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, taste stimuli
4. nutritional
   -varied or novel food source eg. hay

Question 14

Growth of pigs

Answer 14

**Growth is not linear

-comprised of fat and lean tissue

Question 15

What affects growth rate?

Answer 15

-genotype
-gender
-health
-pen density
-environment
-nutrtion

Question 16

Composition of growth

Answer 16

For each 1kg of live weight gain (or feed intake), genetically advanced pigs deposit more weight, more lean (muscle and bone), and less fat

Question 17

Fat and loin thickness

Answer 17

Measured by ultrasound at P2 probing site; 5cm off midline over last rib

Question 18

Target fat and loin muscle depth

Answer 18

Fat: 14-20 mm

Loin: 55-70mm

Question 19

Why is measuring fat and loin thickness important?

Answer 19

-enables genetic progress

-to formulate diets based on protein (amino acids) requirements

-Carcass Index: to estimate carcass lean content enabling carcass quality premiums to be pain to producers

Question 20

Market pig shipping

Answer 20

-must be shipped within a window (115-130 kg live; 90-105kg dressed weight) in order to achieve premium prices for each hog
*target 85-90% marketed in core weight window

Question 21

Why weigh market pigs?

Answer 21

Most producers individually weigh all or a proportion of pigs prior to slaughter
-scale
-girth management
-auto-sort scales
-weigh leaders, eyeball the rest

**time intensive

Question 22

Factors contributing to the value of a market hog

Answer 22

1. Market price (per kg dressed)
2. Dressed weight
   -warm eviscerated carcass, head on, leaf lard in
3. Backfat and loin muscle depth= carcass index
4. Premiums (health, weight)
5. Demerits (trim losses)
   -eg. is there an abscess present?

Question 23

Calculating value of market hogs

Answer 23

1. After evisceration, the warm carcass is weighed to establish Dressed (carcass) weight (78-80% of live weight)
2. Carcass is ultrasonically probed to measure the fat and loin muscle depth at P2 site
3. Estimated lean yield (%) is calculated from the fat and loin measurements
   -estimate of the amount of lean meat on carcass

4.Assigned carcass index
-based on warm carcass weight
-estimated lean yield %

5. Multiply market price X dressed weight X index/100
6. Subtract demerits (trim)
7. Add premiums
   -lean bonus
   -health bonus