Animal Science and the
Industry
Unit B
Exploring the Swine Industry
Lesson 3
Common Core/ Next Generation
Science Standards Addressed
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4 - Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social
science.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2a - Introduce a topic and organize
ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and
distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,
figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
Bell Work
1.Name as many breads of swine as you
can?
2.Are pigs Ruminants?
3.Can a gilt be a father and why?
4.What is better ham or bacon, and why?
Student Learning Objectives
• Locate major physical characteristics of
swine.
• Describe common swine breeds.
• Explain selection of superior animals.
• Contrast various pork production systems
and methods of marketing hogs.
Terms
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Barrow
Boar
Farrowing
Feeder Pig
Gilt
Meatiness
Meat-type hog
Pedigree
• Piglet
• Porcine Stress
Syndrome (PSS)
• Production testing
• Prolificacy
• Sow
• Specific pathogen
free
• Type
Swine Terms
• Piglet
– a baby pig
• Barrow
– a male pig that was castrated at a young age
• Gilt
– a young female pig that has not given birth or “farrowed”
• Sow
– an older female pig
• Boar
– mature male hog
Swine Terms
• Prolificacy
– the ability to produce large numbers of
offspring
• Meat-type hog
– hog that produces the greatest amount of high
value meat cuts
What are the major parts of a hog?
What are the major parts of a hog?
Main use of swine is for meat
• 4 primary carcass cuts (most valuable meat)
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–
–
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picnic shoulder
ham
loin
Boston Shoulder
• Other carcass cuts (usually ground into sausage)
– jowl
– side
– hock
What are the major parts of a hog
carcass?
What are the common swine breeds
and characteristics of the breeds?
Duroc
• Originated in the United
States
• color is varying shades of
red
• droopy ears
• good mothering ability
• efficient feed converters
• fast growth rate
• a meat-type hog
Hampshire
• Originated in England
• black hogs with a white
belt that encircles the
forepart of body, starting
behind head and neck
• erect ears
• foraging ability
• leanness of carcass
• muscling
• used as show animals or
in crossbreeding
programs
Yorkshire
• Originated in Yorkshire,
England
• color is white, can have
black freckles
• long bodies
• erect ears
• large litters
• good mothering ability
• good feed efficiency
• rapid growth
• used as bacon-type hogs
or in crossbreeding
programs
Hereford
• Originated from the
Poland China, Duroc
and other breeds
• color is red with a
white face
• droopy ears
• prolific
• good mothering ability
• foraging ability
Berkshire
• Originated in
Berkshire & Wiltshire
Counties in England
• color is black with 6
white points (feet, tail,
snout)
• erect ears
• medium-sized hog
• lean carcass
Poland China
• Originated in Ohio
• color is black with six
white points (feet, tail, &
face
• drooping ears
• large breed
• produces carcasses with
large loin eyes
• very little back fat
• commonly used in
crossbreeding programs
Chester White
• White in color with
drooping ears.
• Originated in
Pennsylvania.
• Very aggressive
• Used in cross
breeding programs
• Black and white
spots with drooping
ears.
• Original cross
between a Poland
China and English
spot. Developed in
Ohio.
Landrace
• White with very
large drooping ears
• Originated in
Denmark
• Considered a
bacon breed in
Europe.
Tamworth
• Red/brown with
erect ears.
• Originated in
England/Ireland.
• A lean breed, but
not noted for
exceptional growth.
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
Terms
• Specific pathogen free (SPF)
– these swine are free from diseases at
birth/raised indoors
• Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS)
– an inherited neuromuscular disease in
heavily muscled animals
• Type
– means that you are trying to find an animal
that is close to ideal as possible
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
More terms
• Meatiness
– describes how much meat and fat an animal has
• Pedigree
– a record of ancestry or heredity
• Production testing
– the best way to evaluate and make predictions on an
animal’s potential to be productive
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Selection will vary based on your personal
preference and production needs
• buying wrong animals could lead to failure
of your business
• Things to look for:
– size
– health
– type
– pedigree
– production testing
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Health of animals is very important
• You want to purchase animals that are disease
free
• Herds should be certified brucellosis &
pseudorabies free
• Never buy swine from herds that do not offer
health information available from the seller
• Test for PSS
• Observe animals for parasites & diseases
• Isolate animals with problems to avoid spreading
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Select for type
– meatiness
– genetic defects
– PSS
– pedigree
• avoid genetic defects by researching pedigrees
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Swine registries have production testing for
purebred animals
• characteristics included in registries
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offspring
health
appearance
back fat
ability to grow quickly
reproductive qualities
if breed standards are met
What are the different production
systems and how do they work?
Terms
• Farrowing
– process of a female pig giving birth
• Feeder pigs
– a pig that has been weaned and weighs
approximately 40 pounds
Sow and Litter Systems
• Pigs are farrowed and fed up to slaughter
weight at the same farm
• confinement or pasture systems
• most common swine operations
Sow and Litter Systems
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•
•
•
Confinement
Pasture
Advantages
Advantage
pigs can be marketed • lower initial investment
throughout the year
less labor
Disadvantages
income throughout
• more labor intense
the year
• production might be
Disadvantage
limited depending on
expensive startup
season
costs
Purebred System
• Produces breeding stock that others
producers will use in their systems
• Requires intense management
– registration paperwork
• Least common operation
• Less than 1% of all hogs raised in the U.S.
are registered purebreds
• Purebreds are extremely important
because of breed improvements
Purebred Systems
• To be a purebred producer you must know:
– a great deal about genetics
– showing & promotion of your breed
• Purebred Producers are working to:
– create animals that will meet consumer
demands
Feeder Pig Production System
• Breed & farrow litters of piglets
• This systems farrows and weans and sells
the feeder pigs
• Keeps a breeding herd of sows that farrow
between 14 to 16 piglets each
• Minimal investment is required
• Must mange to keep a steady supply of
feeder pigs to sell
• Less feed is required in this system
Finishing Feeder-Pig System
• Operations that buy feeder pigs and feed
them until they are market weight
approximately 240 pounds
• Profit is based upon how much feed it
takes to produce 1 pound of pork
• The less feed it takes the more profit
• Balancing feed rations is very important in
this system
Review
• What are the major parts of a hog?
• What are the common swine breeds and
characteristics of the breed?
• How do I know which hogs are better than
others?
• What are the different production systems
and how do they work?
The End!