Swine Flashcards
Purpose of swine
meat
Fossil records of hogs trace back to
40 million years ago
How many pigs came with Christopher Columbus
8 pigs
Hernando de Soto‐ brought 15 pigs to
Tampa Bay, Florida
Sir Walter Raleigh brought sows to
Jamestown
Major pork producing state in mid 1600
Pennsylvania
After the Revolution war the swine production moved to the
west
Cincinnati became know as
Porkopolis
Pork Barrel
pork used to be cut and stored in barrels
Earmark
type of identification
Wall Street
market trading
“living high in the hog”
doing well in life; making money
Countries with the highest swine production
- China
- U.S
- Germany
- Spain
- Brazil
Top states of swine production
- Iowa
- North Carolina
- Minnesota
- Illinois
Why was there a drop in the number of farms during early 90s?
The cost of the products was relatively cheap meaning the farms were not making a profit and therefore went out of business. Only those with sufficient money were able to sustain themselves during that period.
Barrow
castrated male
Gilt
female that has not farrowed
Saw
female that has farrowed
Boar
mature male
Stag
lat castrated male
Rearrange from start to finish
Farrowing, Finishing, Breeding-gestation, Nursery
- Breeding-gestation
- Farrowing
- Nursery
- Finish
Purpose of gestation
Get saw pregnant
What are reasons to have individual/separated crates
- Saws tend to fight to establish pecking order
- Poor feed management
Why are we heading towards Modern gestation housing
More spacious allowing sows to freely walk around while having individual feed area and place to rest/lay down
Sow age of puberty
4-7 months
Sow estrus cycle length
21 days
Sow duration of estrus
2-3 days
Sow occurrence of ovulation
2nd day of estrus
Sow gestation length
114 days
Sow 1st estrus postpartum
3-5 days post-weaning
Estrus Detection
- expose the sow/gilt to boar
- press her back (if she stays stills she is likely to be in estrus)
- vocalization
- ear gestures
Lordosis
receptive to being bred
What are the type of mating system in swine
- hand mating
- pen mating
- Al (artificial insemination)
Pros and Cons of hand mating
Pros: knows breeding date
Cons: Expensive, less safe
Pros and Cons of Pen mating
Pros: Safe, Less expensive
Cons: Not knowing the breeding date
Pros and Cons of Al
Pros: Safe, less expensive than Hand mating and Pen mating, knows breeding date
Cons: if there is not enough semen the sow is less likely to wean 12 piglets
What method of mating is most common used in the swine industry
Al
How often is semen collected from Boars?
twice a week
Pre-sperm is
discarded
Gelatinous plug
filtered away
Goal is to have enough sperm to inseminate
10‐15 females
Al is used by
all producers
T/F Board semen is usually frozen
False
Why is frozen semen not as common/used in the swine industry
Pig semen does not freeze well
T/F Al is not needed you have boars on sight
False.
Piglets are weaned
17-27 days
T/F Momma saw does not mind being as warm as the piglets
False
What is done to piglets during the first 3 days
Ear notching
Iron shut
Tail docking
Clip needle teeth
What is done to piglets in the 7th day
Castration
T/F Is legal to use gestation grates in Florida
False
Improvest
vaccine against GNRH
Problems with Improvest
- Males still have their testis
- Trust issues among the operations
T/F Nursing is the most stressful transition for piglets
True
What are some stressors during the nursing period
Environmental
Nutrition
Social
How long do piglets stay in the nursery section
6 weeks
How much do piglets weight when they leave the nursery
50-60 Ib
How long do pigs stay in the Grow-finish area
16-18 weeks
How much do pigs weight Hereford processed
270-280 Ib
Soy has a component called soy-phytate which is found inside phosphorus. What do producers do in order for the pigs to absorb the phosphorus.
They supplement the pig Phytase which is an enzyme that breaks soy-phytate
Why has the modern segmented production in the swine industry changed into three sites (site 1 breeding gestation and farrowing, site 2 nursery, and site 3 finishing)
First reason is biosecurity. They have to make sure there aren’t any sort of disease being transferred from site to site. Another reason is to enhance the working process meaning workers can only focus on their individual site as opposed to running from site to site.
What does intensive management refer to the swine industry
Produce more pigs with less labour and resources. Better control of waste and disease.
What are the two types of breed of swines
Maternal and Paternal
Maternal breeds refers to
attributes of the sow
Paternal breed refers to
growth performance and carcass traits
small floppy ears
Large White
big floppy ears
Landrace
erect ears
York Shire
best identified for its red color
Duroc
recognized for its white belt
Hampshire
Covered with a large white spot
Spot
six white points and floppy ears
Poland China
six white points and erect ears
Berkshire
Farm purchases all breeding stock and
Integrators have large herds that produce their own females
Hybrid Swine Lines
Potential Selection Criteria for Hybrid Swine Line
Individual and parental performance records
MLI (maternal line index)
combines growth and maternal traits
SPI (sow productivity index)
combines number of piglets born and 21-day litter weight
TSI (terminal sire index)
combines Days to 270 Ib and backfat
Niche Markets demand for
superior product quality
What are the primal cuts of a pig
Bosten butt Loin Ham Belly Picnic shoulder
What hormone causes the pork meat to smell and taste bad
boar taint
What do boars ejaculate
Pre-sperm
Sperm-rich
Gelatinous plug
