Swine Flashcards
What are the weights of swines at different ages?
Nursing pigs - 1 kg at birth
Weaned pig (3 weeks) - 6 kgs
Starter/nursery (6-8 weeks) - 25 kg
Grower pig - 25-60 kg
Finisher pig (16-17 weeks (6 mo) ) - 60 kg to market at 105-110 kg
What are the names for ages and sexes of swine?
Gilt - young female
Boar - reproducing male
Sow - reproducing female
Barrow - castrated male
Hog - growing/finishing pig
What type of market is the pork industry under?
free market
What are the characteristics of the open free market system in the pork industry?
Large price volatility
No supply management
Heavily export dependent
What are the 7 market cutouts?
Rb, belly, butt, loin, picnic, ham, carcass
How much money does the pork industry make on exports
4.82 billion
Why does Canada do so much export to the US?
Canada has little slaughter capacity, US can provide this, so we export
What are the major 4 breeds of swine?
Yorkshire - originated from the UK, large white pigs, good milk prof, large litters
Landrace
Duroc - lean muscle mass, good for cross breeding
Hampshire
At what weight does the first estrus cycle occur in sows?
120 kg body weight
Which estrus cycle do we like to target breeding?
2nd estrus cycle
How long is a sows gestation period?
114-115 day gestation
How long is a sows lactation?
17-28 days
How many litters does a sow have per year?
2.3 litters
How many litters do sows have per lifetime?
5 litters per lifetime?
How many pigs per litter?
9-12 pigs
How many days do we rebreed pigs after they are weaned from sows
rebreed 4-7 days after weaning
How many boars per sow?
1 boar per 20 sows
What is the percent that AI breeding occurs?
85% of breeding is AI
What are the signs of estrus in sows?
- swollen red vulva: discharge
- stands to be mounted
- seeking boar: increased vocalizations
What are teaser boars?
help with estrus detection, help stimulate sows to ovulate
What are three reproduction goals?
- maximize number of pigs born alive
- minimize pre weaning mortality
- increase longevity
How do we manage gestating sows?
Keep and feed sows in individual stalls and manage them in large groups/pens
What are the challenges to having gestation stalls
Strong social hierarchy: can be aggressive towards eachother
Insatiable appetite during gestation - limiting feed intake leads to aggression
Bar biting due to stress and frustration
What are three ways to minimize fight for food in group sow housing?
- large pens with individual feeding stalls are closed
- slow feeding system
- skip a day feeding
What are 2 characteristics of european desings for sow housing?
- lower-density group housing
- enriched straw bedding packs, eat straw and feel full, prevents lameness, natural rooting behaviour
What do piglets need during lactation in terms of housing?
heat lamp and creep feeding area
What is the biggest problem when farrowing?
sow crushing piglets when laying down
What is a farrowing crate?
slows sow when lying down, allowing piglets to move out of the way
What is an ellipsoid crate?
allows the sow to turn around
How long are sows and piglets in the farrowing crates for?
21-28 days
What are the 4 procedures we conduct on piglets at farrowing?
tagging/ear notching
teeth clipping/filing - 8 sharp teeth can cause injury to sow and piglets
tail docking
castration
How is tail docking done on piglets at farrowing?
Hot iron tool
What is the importance of tail docking at farrowing
prevents tail biting
How is castration done on piglets at farrowing?
done surgically, with a knife or scalpel
What is the importance of castration?
Eliminates boar taint, which is an unpleasant smell which acts as a pheromone,
What are we doing in order to prevent castration pain in boars?
Developing a vaccine in order to castrate the males naturally
What is the benefit to creep feeding?
Reduce the post weaning growth lag, if solid feed is offered earlier, the piglet will develop a stronger gut
At what age are pigs weaned?
3 weeks
What are some characteristics of a barn for grower/finisher pigs?
- slatted floor
- nipple drinker (water)
- automatic feeders (reduces labour)
What are the goals for growth of a finisher pig?
- Fast body weight gains
- fast lean growth
- high carcass yield
What is the main issue with transporting pigs to slaughter?
Issue with animal rights. Protests happen, try to feed pigs water
What ensures good handling during transport to slaughter?
- Minimizing stress
- keeping trucks well ventilated, well bedded in the winter
- fit for transport (not lame)
What is favoured in meat in the pork industry quality or quantity?
quantity, only have a quantity grade
Why are quality assurance programs beneficial?
Demonstrate to consumers a standard of quality, regulations and commitments to food and care
What does HACCP stand for?
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
What is the goal of HACCP?
To ensure food safety, eliminate food recalls, minimize points of concern around food safety
How many food services in north america use HACCP principles?
all
What are the three canadian pork excellence programs?
pig care - welfare/care
pig trace - tracing pork
pig safe - food safety and overall safety
What is Ractopamine?
Is a feed additive that increases muscle mass and lean gain in livestock, fed in the diet a few weeks before slaughter
What is the stance on ractopamine in pigs?
Almost all Canadian pigs aren’t on ractopamine
What is DFD vs PSE?
DFD: dark firm and dry meat, very dark and when its cooked is very dry and firm
PSE: pale soft and exudated
Which has a higher pH DFD or PSE?
Higher pH in DFD and lower pH in PSE
What does PEDv stand for?
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus
How high is the mortality in PEDv in piglets vs after weaning?
close to 100% for piglets and just an illness for weaned
When was the first outbreak of PEDv in Ontario?
2014
What is PDCoV?
Porcine Delta Corona Virus, similar but less sever to PEDv
What does PRRS stand for?
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome
What are the symptoms of PRRS?
Reproductive failure, abortions, stillborn
Coughing
How to manage PRRS in the herd?
Vaccines with limited success, creating PRRS free herd certifications,
What is the overall goal of eliminating PRRS?
prevention is the goal
What does ASF stand for?
African Swine Fever (foot and mouth disease)
What are some characteristics of ASF?
Highly infectious and high mortality
What is the reporting like on ASF?
Federally reportable, surveillance, euthanasia if reported
Is ASF zoonotic or non zoonotic?
non zoonotic
What is a unique characteristic of ASF?
Known to survive cooking
When were the first cases of domestic ASF reported and where?
2007 in Europe
When was the last major breakout of ASF in China?
2018
Are there any cases of ASF in Canada or the USA?
No cases of ASF in canada or the USA
What are some biosecurity protocols in the swine sector?
Shower in, shower out, plastic boots and coveralls, truck wash
Why are wild pigs a challenge to the pork industry?
Challenge to contain the population, and they are highly reproductively efficient, they are a huge biosecurity risk
Why is welfare a challenge to the industry?
Sow housing and transportation causes protests, welfare standard and audits are conducted on the large packing companies like maple leaf
What are some common challenges in the pork industry (6)?
Contagious diseases
Competitiveness in the world market
Animal Welfare
Proper assessment of quality and value
Trend toward multiple site production and integrated pork production
What are overall trends of farm size and amount of farmers?
Farms are getting bigger and Farmers are decreasing
What are ways that animal well-being has been improved(2)?
Managing pain, castration, enriched cages
What are ways that labour can be reduced on farm (4)?
introducing automation
extended grazing systems
reduce labour costs
using new technologies
What are three HACCP based programs?
VBP+
Canadian Pork Excellence
Feed assure
What are four characteristics of a starter pig diet?
- very nutritional
- highly palatable
- highly digestible
- very expensive
