Chapter 22
Porcine Husbandry
Courtesy of Sasha Jones Royal 2012
http://quizlet.com/11439778/piggies-and-ears-flash-cards/
Objectives
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zoological classification of the species.
terminology associated with the species.
TPR
common instruments relevant to the species and
their uses.
• prominent anatomical or physiological properties of
the species.
• Identify and describe characteristics of common
breeds.
• ear notching
Reading Assignment
Chapter 22: Porcine Husbandry
Chapter 2: restraint
Zoological Classification
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Kingdom - Animal
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order – Artiodactyla
Family – Suidae
Genus and species
– Sus – Scrofa - Vittatus
Terminology
• Swine: Refers to the
porcine species
• Sow: Mature intact
female
• Boar: Mature intact
male
• Barrow: Male castrated
before puberty
• Stag: Male castrated
after puberty
Barrow Swine, Overall Champion Market
Barrow, Linda Miller, Alma, KS. Photo by Jim
Meyer.
Terminology (cont’d)
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Gilt: Immature female, before the birth of her first litter
Farrowing: The act of parturition
Piglet: Very young, small pig, generally from birth to weaning
Shoat: Intact male, before puberty; sometimes used as a
synonym for pig
• Pig: Young swine of either sex, less than 120 lb (about 4
months old)
• Hog: Large swine, more than 120 lb, of either sex; commercial
swine producers usually prefer this term when referring to
any size of swine
Sus scrofa
• Some believe that pigs were the earliest
animal to be domesticated, not the cat or dog.
• Paintings and carvings of pigs over 25,000
years ago have been found. The Chinese
domesticated pigs 7,000 years ago
Physiological Data
• Temperature
– 101º to 103.5º F
• Pulse rate
– 60 to 90 per minute; 200 to 280 per minute in
newborns
• Respiration rate
– 10 to 24 per minute; up to 50 in very young swine
• Adult weight
– Varies by breed
Rear one-third:
Rump, tail, vulva,
ham, hock, dew claw,
toe, stifle region of
the ham
Middle one-third:
Back, loin, length of
side, underline
(belly), Fore flank,
rear flank
Front one-third:
Head, neck, snout
jowl, shoulder,
knee, pastern,
elbow pocket
Value
• Front 1/3:
– shoulder : Boston Butt
and the Picnic Shoulder
– jowl, feet, and neck
bones
• Middle 1/3
– loin and spare ribs:
most valuable
• Loin: 20 cuts.
Canadian Style
Bacon, Pizza, and
chops
– Belly – bacon
Anatomical terms
Anatomical Terms
Internal organs
• Respiratory:
– Laryngeal diverticulum
– Lungs
• Right - 4 lobes
(cranial, middle,
caudal, accessory)
• Left - 2 lobes (cranial
caudal)
• Cardiovascular
– Left cardiac notch larger
than right
– External jugular in deep.
Internal organs
• GI: Spiral colon:
– Left side: Coiled in
two directions
– Ascending colon
Uses of pigs other than for eating
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Organ donors
Source of biological materials, ex. Insulin or
heparin
Model for biomedical research
For entertainment
As pets
As truffle-finders (they are smell experts)
Swine Breeds
Breeds
• Use synthetic lines (crossbreeding)
– Maternal lines
• More pigs/litter
• Higher milk production
• Docile temperament
– Terminal lines
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Fast growth
Well – muscled meaty carcass
Durable
Leaner
American Landrace
• Denmark
• maternal instincts
(large litters over
extended time)
• White, Long, Flattertopped
• sixteen or seventeen
pairs of ribs
• hair color must be
white
with drooping ears
American Landrace
Maternal breed, cross breeding
Berkshire
• England
– Once kept at
Buckingham Palace
• Black with 6 white
points: white legs,
snout and switch
• Erect ears
• Dished snout
• high quality meats
• Fast efficient growth
Berkshire
Terminal breed
Chester White
• Chester County, PA
• White with long
droopy ears
• Mothering breed
Chester White
Duroc
• United States
– One of the most
popular breed in US
• Solid red
• Ears droop forward
• Slight dish to the face
• Excellent meat type
hog
Duroc
Duroc/ Tamworth
Hampshire
• United States
– oldest American breed
• Black with a white belt
• Small, erect ears
• Well-known meat breed
– Lean meat
• Good rustling (foraging)
• Crossbreeding
• Terminal breed
Hampshire
Hereford
• Missouri, Iowa and
Nebraska
• crossing Berkshires and
Durocs
• Red with white face, legs
and underline, long neck
• Medium-sized, drooping
ear
• Good rustling (foraging)
• Good mums, prolific
Hereford
Poland China
• US
• black with 6 white points:
snouts, legs and switch
• drooped ears
• large breed
• easily gain weight
• quiet dispositions
• generally poor mothers
• terminal breed
Poland China
Spots/ Spotted swine
• Indiana
• Black and white spots:
20-80% black/white
• Efficient feeders
• Noted for rapid weight
gain
• Droopy ears
• Terminal
Spotted Swine
Tamworth
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Ireland
red in color
deep-sided
well-arched back
erect ears
bacon breed
good mothers and large
litters
• good foragers
• very active
Tamworth
Yorkshire
• England
– Popular in US and Canada
• White (skin can have freckles)
• Large, erect ears
• Known as “The Mother Breed”
– maternal breed
– Produces large litters
• Bacon-type hog: long carcass
• High feed efficiency
• Crossbreeding
Yorkshire
Vietnamese Potbelly
• Dwarf swine breed : 1960's
in Vietnam
• In 1986: thousands of
dollars
• weigh an average of 70-150
lb. with some reaching 200
lb. or more; they average 3ft. long and 15-inches tall.
• Full growth: 5 years of age.
• Colors: solid black to solid
white, with a variety of
spots in between.
Vietnamese Potbelly……..
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Pets: but these pigs do not
necessarily stay small, cute, or
cuddly.
Unspayed females suffer from
"PMS" and strong mood swings;
intact males produce a pungent
odor in addition to displaying
other unpleasant traits-neither
are desirable pets
As stated above, their average
weight is close to 100 lb., and
they do not like to be picked up
or held.
Unlike cats and dogs, pigs are
prey not predators, so being
lifted up or restrained causes
them extreme alarm.
Potbellied Pig
• Pig story
• 50% are abandoned or sent to another home
in their 1st year of life
Yucatan miniature
• Southern Mexico.
• natural occurring
miniature pig
• Cardiovascular research
• Diabetes studies
• Facial mandibular
research
• Regenerative Medicine
• Skin research
Yucatan miniature
• Charles River's mini pigs
– small Yucatan strains
developed at Colorado
State University from
foundation animals
imported from the
Yucatan peninsula in
1960.
– Black or slate grey,
relatively hairless, short
profile and shortsnout
Blue butt pig
• No register as a
breed
• Show animal for
FFA programs
• Cross breding
between a dark
and white pig
(York-Ham)
Ear Notching in Swine
Reasons for ear notching
• A permanent ID system
– 1-3 days old
• Individual identity for all animals
• Inexpensive means of identification
• Enables producers to keep an accurate set of
records
Tools – Ear notching
• Ear Notcher’s
– clean with toothbrush in hot
soapy water
– disinfectant notcher’s :
surgical spirit for 10 minutes
– Store dry within a plastic
bag
• larger pigs
– wound dressing
– house them in separate
pens
http://www.neogen.com/7500-01.htm
Ear notching
• Don’t make too shallow
• Leave at least 1/4 inch
between notches
• Avoid making notches
too close to the head.
• Putting the notches in
the right locations
Principles of the system
• right and left: pig's perspective.
– Same as yours if you are
standing in back of the pig
– Reversed if you face the pig
• pig's right ear = litter ear.
– When a sow has a litter, all
pigs in the litter receive
identical notches on the right
ear.
• left ear in pigs = unique notch.
Principles of the system
1 through 161
Except for the 81 notch, there can be two notches
at each of the four locations
Right Ear
Litter
Number
Left Ear
Pig
Number
What are this pig’s numbers?
What are this pig’s numbers?
http://www.boarsemen.com/boarpen/earpart2.htm
Resources
• http://biology.ucok.edu/AnimalBiology/pigweb/pig.html
• http://www.depts.ttu.edu/porkindustryinstitute/Swine%20
Production%20class/A&P%20lecture%202003_files/frame.h
tm
• http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion
/pregastric/pigpage.html
• http://netvet.wustl.edu/species/pigs/pignotes.txt
• http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/swine
• K Holtgrew-Bohling , Large Animal Clinical Procedures for
Veterinary Technicians, 2nd Edition, Mosby, 2012, ISBN:
97803223077323
References
• http://www.boarsemen.com/boarpen/earpart
1.htm