The swine industry terminology Flashcards
boar
- intact male pig
- used for heat detection
- the boar produces a pheromone in their drool that males the female pig show that they are in estrus
- do not taste good (the testosterone makes it taste bad)
Barrow
- castrated male pig
- tastes good
sow
mature female pig (has given birth to piglets)
gilt
female pig that has never given birth to piglets
Farrow
to give birth to a litter of piglets
non-productive days
- time the sow isnt lactating or gestating
- goal is to have 2.4 litters/sow/year
in-pig
- pregnant/ gestating
Piglet
newborn pig
weanling
- newly weaned pig
- is moved to the nursery
- are weaned around 21 days
Feeder (weaner) pig
- young pig (weanling to about 8w, 22.5-25kg / 50/55lb)
- in the nursery, moved to a grower-finisher barn
market pig
- pig about 115kg (5-5.5 months) (market weight will vary)
- ready to be sent to market
OPPMB
Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board
- free market
- head office is in Guelph
- is the marketing agency for market pigs
- also involved in promotion and research
Canada pork export
- third largest in the world
- 15-20% of the world’s pork exports
(1-USA, 2-Japan)
what are the direct components of the structure of the Ontario Pork Industry (9)?
- producers
- marketing agency
- processors and wholesalers
- retailers
- consumers
- organizations
- institutions
- veterinarians
- individuals
(provide supplies and services to the direct components)
what are the 3 different types of swine producers?
- breed stock breeders
- commercial swine breeder
- farrow-to-finish breeder
describe purebred swine breeders
- main purpose is to improve the various breeding stock for commercial breeders
describe commercial swine breeders
- usually maintain herds of 2 or more breeds that are used in crossbreeding programs to produce crossbred breeding stock (want the best traits)
describe farrow-to- finnish producers
- maintain their own herds of crossbred stock and raise the offspring to market hogs
- can be further divided to: 1. farrow-to-wean producer (feeder producer), 2. wean to finish
what are the maternal lines (3)? (Pig)
- Yorkshire
- landrace
- Yorkshire/landrace crossbred
what are the sire lines?
- duroc
- Hampshire
- pietrain
- yorkshire
- landrace
what are the 3 traits of economic importance in swine
- Carcass traits
- Production traits
- reproductive traits
describe carcass traits
- high heritability (50-60%)
- effects economics
- this trait does not respond well to cross-breeding
- backfat thickness (measured by ultrasound) (we do not want back fat)
- carcass length
- loin area (there’s a negative correlation here with back fat)
describe production traits
- economic effect
- medium heritability (30%) (therefore 70% is an environmental effect)
- affected by both the environment and genetics
- growth rate
- feed efficacy (there is a negative correlation between these traits)
describe reproductive traits
- low heritability (5-10%)
- respond well to cross-breeding
- more environmentally based
- birth weight
- number farrowed
heterosis (6)
- matting of different breeds to provide offspring with hybrid vigor
- genetic phenomenon responsible for superior vigor, and growth, and often seen in crossbred animals
- animal grows better and is not as susceptible to problems
- traits with high heritability have little response to heterosis and vice versa
- max advantage seen when sow and her litter are cross-bred
- use the best, leanest sows and boars in a crossbreeding program
hybrid vigor will result in
- larger litters of heavier pigs
- lower mortality rates
- better pre and post-weaning growth rates
crossbreeding will not: (2)
- improve lean yield
- substantially improve feed efficiency
