Pigs Flashcards
1
Q
Traditional pig breeds
A
Tamworth
Saddleback
Large black
Middle white
2
Q
Benefits of traditional pig breeds
A
Good mothers with good milk production
Slow maturing
Good grazers or foragers
Resistant to sunburn
3
Q
Modern pig breeds
A
Large white
Landrace
4
Q
Commercial requirement from female pigs
A
High litter size
Good farrowing frequency
High growth rate
Low fat carcasses
5
Q
How many pigs per litter
A
11.4-14.2
6
Q
How many litters per sow per year
A
2.3-2.4
7
Q
How many weaned per sos per year
A
23-26
8
Q
How many pig sold per sow per year
A
23-25
9
Q
Pig between birth and weaning
A
Sucker
10
Q
Pig between weaning and 8 weeks old of 20 kg
A
Weaner
11
Q
Pigs between 8-12 weeks old
A
Slip
12
Q
Pig between weaning and sale
A
Grower
13
Q
Grower pigs over 70 kg
A
Finisher
14
Q
Pig at 24-55 kg
A
Porker
15
Q
Pigs at >55 kg
A
Baconer
16
Q
Male pig castrated before puberty
A
Barrow
17
Q
Male pig over 6 months
A
Boar
18
Q
Female pig hasn’t produced a litter
A
Gilt
19
Q
Female has farrowed a litter
A
Sow
20
Q
Structure of head
A
Flat cartilaginous disc in snout
Short neck and powerful shoulders
Unspecialised dentition
Limited capacity to digest fibrous materials
21
Q
When does transition of deciduous to permanent teeth occur?
A
8-20 months
22
Q
Which sex grow top and lower tusks?
A
Male
Female
23
Q
Digestive system
A
Mouth
Stomach
Small intestine
Large intestine
24
Q
Social structure of female and male
A
Female lives in matriarchal groups 6-30 animals
Male lives solitary life
25
When does pig breed?
Autumn that trigger oestrus cyclicity
| Pheromones stimulate receptivity in sows
26
When does pig farrowing?
Spring or summer
27
What happened during farrowing?
2-3 days prior to farrowing sows leave sounder
Give birth to 3-6 piglets
Sow and piglets Leave nest after 7-14 days
Piglet wean at 13-17 weeks old
28
Growing pigs
Group based
29
Breeding gilts or sows
Loose housed
30
When are stalls allowed?
First and last five days of pregnancy and for 24 hours during mating
31
When should sows house in crates?
Before and during farrowing and during lactation for 26-33 days
3-7 days prior due date
Late entry increase stillborn and risk of farrowing in group housing
32
Bio security measures
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Keep bugs out of farm
Limit visitors
Record visitors movement
Provide protective equipment
Need shower facilities
No visit to other farm prior visit
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33
How to increase volume by increasing the number of pigs sold per sow per year?
Increasing number of piglets born and weaned per sow per litter
Increasing number of litters produced per year per sow
34
How to increase farrowing frequency by sow management ?
Reduce gestation length by 3 days only
Reduce lactation length no less than 21-28 days
Reduce number of non productive or empty days
35
2 steps in sow management
Pre farrowing till weaning
Preparation
36
Function of farrowing crates or pens
Protect piglets from crushing and savaging by sow
Force sow to lie down slowly so piglets have time to get away
Heated creep areas to encourage piglets to lie away from sow when not feeding
Provide a warm safe hygienic environment for piglet
Sow in crates must not be confined more than 6 weeks
Enter crates 3-7 days prior due date
Late entry increase stillborn piglets and risk of farrowing in group housing
Separation of sows and piglets at 21-28 post parturition
37
How to prepare the farrowing pens
Must be washed disinfected prior entry
Appropriate climate for sows and piglets 18&30
Provide heat lamp
Remove faecal matter daily
Record cards on crate
Assess number of functional tests for cross fostering
38
How many stages are in farrowing process
Stage one pre farrowing period
Stage two farrowing process
Stage three end of farrowing
39
What happened in pre farrowing period?
1-14 days pre farrowing
Mammary gland develop and vulva starts to swell
Reduce appetite
40
What happened in stage two?
Range for 3-8 hours
Piglet birthing interval 10-20 mins
Sow lies on side shivering lifting upper back leg
Tail may twitch prior to birth
Piglet born headfirst
41
What happened after farrowing?
Placenta deliver 1-4 hrs after last piglet
Piglets born with eye open and suckling immediately
First born attach to front teats
Variation in weight relates to increase with litter size
Piglets weaned at 6-8 kg
42
4 common farrowing problems
Large litters resulting in uterine inertia
Very large piglets
2 or more piglets presenting at same time
Dead pigs inside uterus
43
When should we provide assistance at birth?
Piglet interval is greater than 60 mins to minimise still births
44
6 aspects of Piglet management
Ensure piglets consume colostrum
Iron injection given within 24 hours of birth
Clip needle teeth
Use of vaccination programs
Cross fostering
Feeding
45
How much colostrum is needed for piglets in first 24 hours?
200-400 mL
Provide stomach tubing to split suckling
46
Why increase in litter size is a bad thing?
More variation in birthweight and risk of longer parturition and low vitality piglets
47
Importance of clip needle teeth
Reduce scratches during play and fighting
48
Details of cross fostering
Occur only when piglet consumed its mum colostrum
Between 12-24 hours after birth
Only Move piglets when number exceeds functional teats
49
What is the diet during pre weaning and when to intake?
Mothers milk and creep feed
Low intake before day 21
50
Purpose of pre weaning diet
To ease impact of weaning and to be highly palatable
51
Why pre weaning diet is low before day 21?
Abundance of milk and immaturity of digestive system
52
4 Goals of management in sow
Target body condition at 3
Abundant supply of cool water to reduce constipation increase feed intake
Keep sows calm and quiet
Prevent and manage lameness
53
2 goals of gilt management
Get as many gilts to cycle as young as possible
Mate them to provide a good litter size to permit a long reproductive breeding life, low incidence of premature culling
54
4 aspects of gilt management
Selection based on genetics and physical traits
Selection based on early life characteristics
Appropriate nutrition
Effective puberty stimulation and oestrus detection
55
What genetics and physical traits would be chosen?
18-20 weeks
| Select based on feed legs teat number and back fat
56
What early life characteristics favour gilt management?
Less than 40% male produce more gilts from the ratio in litter
Birthweight greater than 1.2 kg gilts more fertile
Ensure high colostrum intake
57
What nutrition is provided for gilts ?
Preparing diet prior 8 weeks before mating
Ensure high feeding plan 3 weeks prior mating
Feed to target weight
58
When to start puberty stimulation and oestrus detection?
26-29 weeks old
Daily physical contact with boar by priming pheromones
Boars at 10-12 months old minimum
Occur in designated mating area with no distraction for 15-20 mins
59
3 aspects of weaned sow management
High feed intake during lactation and post weaning to support ovarian follicle growth and ovulation
Group housing to promote oestrus cyclicity
Ensure oestrus detection procedures to allow sows inseminated at correct time
60
How long does oestrus last for ?
24-72 hours
61
When does ovulation occur?
31 hours after oestrus starts
62
When should insemination occur and why?
12-24 hours before ovulation
Too early or late insemination leads to lower conception and pregnancy rates and reduced litter sizes
63
How long does egg survive for ?
6 hours
64
What is the best detector of oestrus in sow?
Boar
65
2 types of pheromones and its function
Signalling pheromones for behavioural response
Priming pheromones for ovulation
66
2 ways of mating
Artificial insemination
Supervised natural mating
67
Benefits of AI
Quicker
Reduced need for boars
More rapid genetic gain
Increased control over timing
68
How long could semen survive for and appropriate temperature for transportation?
Within 4 days
16
69
3 aspects of pregnant sows management
Housing
Rapid detection of non pregnant sows
Feed intake affects pregnancy outcomes and litter sizes
70
Benefits of housing in group of pregnant sow
Reduce aggression
Promote positive behaviours
71
How to house growing pig
In pen shape with formulated diets to suit specific needs, ad lib feed and good access to feeders
72
When should growing pig wean?
20 kg
73
When should grower diet be introduced?
20-60 kg from 10-15 weeks old
74
When should finished diet be introduced?
60 kg to slaughter From 15 weeks old
75
When should Weaner diet cut off?
10-12 weeks old
76
What type of system should growing pig in?
Deep litter based system
77
3 welfare issues
Frustration of normal behaviour
Increased competition relating to access for food
High incidence of abnormal behaviours
78
Alternatives of farrowing crate
Individual pens
Group housing
