PIG-A-PALOOZA!
Hi! Welcome to Pig-A-Palooza, an interactive
PowerPoint that should be very informative
about two key aspects of the swine industry:
swine breeds and the ear notching system.
See directions to below to proceed.
Press the box that
pertains to you!
Teachers
Students
TARGET AUDIENCE
• Junior High Students
• Grades 6 to 8
• Ages 12 to 14
• Mixture of Boys and Girsl (approximately 25 students)
• Class is an elective; THEREFORE, background knowledge of swine and the swine
industry will vary throughout the class.
• Actual experience working with swine and the swine industry varies as well.
• Primarily Caucasian students
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
• Typical classroom setting
• Projector screen in room
• Students have a classroom set of laptops
• Rural school and rural school atmosphere/setting
• Shop attached to classroom
• Benefits
• Projector helps with technology integration
• Students comfortable in classroom setting
• Being a rural school, some students have an agricultural background
OBJECTIVES
• Objective #1
• Given 6 pictures and/or questions about the defining
characteristics of swine breeds, students will be able to
choose the appropriate swine breed with 100 %
accuracy.
OBJECTIVES
• Objective #2
• Given two questions, students will be
able to identify two reasons for the
importance of identifying pigs with the
ear notching system with 100 %
accuracy.
OBJECTIVES
• Objective #3
• Given six questions about swine
ear notches that include
examples, students will be able
to calculate the correct ear
notch of swine.
BUTTONS
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**Watch for miscellaneous
buttons throughout
the presentation!**
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START THINKING!!
What all do you already know about swine?
Today, we are going to introduce two
important parts of the swine industry: swine
breeds and ear notches. Before we begin,
please complete the following activity!!
Given the topics, please list two things you
already know as well two things you hope to
learn by the time this activity is completed.
PIG-A-PALOOZA
Name That
Breed!
Click on one of the boxes above.
Then, proceed through the interactive
and instructive materials. At the end
of each section is a ten question quiz.
You must get all of these right to move
on. If you miss a question, you will be
given feedback and be asked to try
again. Good luck!
A Top Notch
System
Click Here for Some
Additional Fun Facts!
I hope you enjoy exploring the various
swine breeds in the industry!
Click HERE to Begin
Activity
BERKSHIRE
The Berkshire breed can be identified by
many common characteristics. The breed
has a solid black body other than the feet,
tail, and nose which must be white. This
breed has erect ears, and is registered with
the American Berkshire Association. This
breed is known for its excellent carcass
quality and has been important in the
development of the swine industry.
CHESTER WHITE
The Chester White breed must have a solid
white body accompanied by medium-sized
floppy, or downward pointing, ears. This
breed is often known for their durability,
making them a valuable asset to meat
packers. Their overall mothering ability
allows them to be well-liked by Chester
White breeders. The Chester White breed is
registered through Certified Pedigree Swine
(CPS).
DUROC
The Duroc breed is known for being red in
color and having floppy, downward pointing
ears. The breed is known for great siring
abilities and having large litters. Durocs are
the second most recorded breed of swine in
the United States. They are registered with
the National Swine Registry and require the
red color, floppy ears, and at least six
functional teats on each side in order to be
registered.
HAMPSHIRE
Hampshire swine are black in color and must have a white
belt that stretches over the shoulders and down each leg.
The ears must be erect, the belt must be full, and there must
be six functional teats on each side in order to be registered
with the National Swine Industry. Hamps are the third most
popular breed in the swine industry, and they are preferred
by industry packers due to their thin skin and good carcass
quality.
HEREFORD
The Hereford breed must have a white face
and at least two white feet with two thirds of
the body being red. The shade of red can
vary from a lighter orange to a darker
reddish brown color. These hogs often
have a long neck, and they are not
significantly popular in the United States.
LANDRACE
The Landrace breed is expected to be solid
white in color and long bodied. Typically, they
have 16 or 17 ribs. They also have large
floppy ears and narrow faces. They are known
for their milk producing abilities and
registered with the National Swine Registry.
POLAND CHINA
The Poland China breed is
expected to be solid black
with six white points (nose,
each foot, and tail). The
ears must also be floppy
and downward pointing.
They are registered with
the Certified Pedigreed
Swine.
SPOTS
The Spotted breed must be black and
white. Sometimes, an animal has more
black and sometimes it has more white;
this varies on genetics. The breed also
must have floppy downward pointing
ears. They, too, are registered with the
Certified Pedigreed Swine. Their litters
are known to be fast growing.
TAMWORTH
The Tamworth breed is not very
popular in the United States. They are
expected to have a color that ranges
from golden orange to reddish brown.
The ears must be erect. Often, they are
a very fine boned swine breed.
YORKSHIRE
The Yorkshire breed must be solid white
in color and have erect ears. They are
known for having an attractive profile
and are referred to as the “Mother
Breed” due to its mothering abilities.
The Yorkshire breed is one of the most
recorded breeds in the United States
and is registered with the National
Swine Registry.
YOU ARE NOW READY TO COMPLETE THE
QUIZ!!!!
• If you wish to review more, click the
button in the
corner to go back through the slides. If you think you are
ready, click “Take Quiz” below!
Take Quiz
QUESTION 1
Which swine breed is pictured below?
A
Chester White
B
Duroc
C
Hampshire
D
Tamworth
Oops! A is incorrect.
Remember, Chester Whites are solid
white!
Try Again
Very Good! B is correct!
Click “Move On” to go to the next
question.
Move On
Oops! C is incorrect!
Remember, Hampshires are black with
a white belt.
Try Again
Oops! D is incorrect!
Remember Tamworths have erect ears.
Try Again
QUESTION 2
One way that Chester White and Landrace
breeds differ is in their ear size.
True
False
Correct! Landrace breeds have
much larger and floppier ears!
Move On
Oops! That is incorrect. Think about
how we identify Landrace breeds.
Try
Again
QUESTION 3
Select the breed that must have erect ears and a
black body and a white belt that extends over the
shoulders and down the two front legs in order to
be registered with the National Swine Registry.
A
Hereford
B
Poland China
C
Hampshire
Oops! A is incorrect.
Remember that Herefords do not have any black
on them.
Try
Again
Oops! B is incorrect!
Remember that Poland Chinas have floppy
ears.
Try
Again
Brilliant!
C is Correct!
The Hampshire breed must have all of
those qualities to be registered.
Move
On
QUESTION 4
Which breed is shown below?
A
Hereford
B
Duroc
C
Spot
Great job! A is correct.
This is a Hereford!
Move On
Oops! B is incorrect.
Remember that Durocs do not have any
white on their bodies!
Try
Again
Oops! C is incorrect.
Remember that Spots are black and
white!
Try
Again
QUESTION 5
The Landrace breed is referred to as
the “Mother Breed.”
True
False
Oops! The “Mother Breed” is actually
an all white breed with erect ears.
Try
Again
Very good! The answer is False.
The Yorkshire breed is the “Mother
Breed” due to its milk producing and
mothering abilities.
Move On
QUESTION 6
Application Question!
Farmer Smith has decided to start breeding swine. He cannot
decide which breed to buy to begin his business. His
daughter loves floppy eared pigs. Farmer Smith also has
worked with the National Swine Registry in the past and would
prefer one of those breeds. His wife told him not to buy white
hogs because they will always look dirty. Which breed of
swine should Farmer Smith buy?
A
Landrace
B
Duroc
C
Poland China
Oops! A is Incorrect!
Remember that Landraces are white.
According to Farmer Smith’s wife, this pig
will always be dirty. She did not want a
white pig on the farm.
Try
Again
Great Job! B is Correct.
Durocs are red with floppy ears and they
are registered with the National Swine
Registry. They are a great choice for
Farmer Smith.
Move On
Oops! C is incorrect!
Remember that Poland Chinas are registered
with the Certified Pedigreed Swine. Farmer
Smith wants to register his animals with the
National Swine Registry.
Try
Again
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
You have successfully completed the “Name
That Breed!” activity! You did a great job! We
hope you enjoyed this activity!
Take a moment to think about what all you
learned before moving on to the next activity!
A TOP NOTCH SYSTEM
Great job on Part 1: Name That
Breed! I hope you enjoy
learning all about the ear
notching system in this
section! Good luck, and enjoy!
LET’S BRAINSTORM!
What do you think are some good reasons for having an identification
system, such as ear notching, in a swine production facility? Please type
your answer below. Then, click “Check Answer” to see how your answer
compares!
hj
Check
Answer
REASONS FOR AN EAR NOTCHING SYSTEM
• A permanent form of identification
• Individual identity for each animal
• Helps with animal registration
• Inexpensive form of identification
• Accurate for recordkeeping
• Helps with total numbers
• Vaccinations
• Overall Herd Health
This is an example of the tool that
farmers use to do ear notching. Hence,
this explains why ear notching is fairly
inexpensive.
SOME INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
ABOUT EAR NOTCHING
• The RIGHT ear is the Litter Ear—every pig in the litter will have this
same number (Think of like a Last Name).
• The LEFT ear is the Individual Pig in the Litter (like the First Name)
• Read it right to left from the pig’s perspective (if you are behind the
pig)
• Reverse if you are looking at the pig.
CALCULATING EAR NOTCHES
This picture does a GREAT job showing
what each notch represents. A pig could
have any combination of these numbers
in order to identify it. The numbers are
added up and then written with a “-”
between them. Sometimes, a pig may
have a notch side-by-side, indicating that
there should be two of those notches
calculated.
CALCULATING EAR NOTCHES
Let’s see what this pig’s ear notch would be!
First, we add up the right ear:
27+9+81+3+1 = 121
Then, we add up the left ear:
9+3+1 = 13
Therefore, this pig’s notch is:
121-13
It is litter number 121 and it is the 13th pig in
that litter.
TAKE NOTE!!
Remember there could
be more than one notch
that is meant to represent
a number twice. For
example, pretend there
is a notch where the
pointer indicates. This
would mean you add up
9+3+3+1=16. This would
then change the overall
ear notch to be
121-16.
LET’S DO SOME PRACTICE BEFORE YOU
MOVE ON TO THE QUIZ!
Look at the areas
indicated by the green
triangles. Add up the
notches and write the
correct ear notch. Try this
on your own first. Then,
continue to the next slide
to see it worked out.
ANSWER! WERE YOU RIGHT?
First, we add up the right ear:
9+27+1 = 37
9
27
Now, we add up the left ear:
3+1 = 4
3
1
1
The correct ear notch is:
37-4
You have done a GREAT job at learning about
ear notches! You are now ready to complete
the 8 question quiz for “A Top Notch System”.
If you wish to review more, click the arrow
below to go back through the information. If
you feel ready to go, then click “Take Quiz!”
below! Good luck!!
Take Quiz!
QUESTION 1:
Which of the following is a good reason to use an ear
notching system in swine production systems?
A
Fairly inexpensive
B
Attractive
C
Not good for record keeping
CORRECT!!!
Great Job!
Ear notching is a fairly inexpensive process!
Click below to move on!
Next
Question
OOPS!
Oops! That is incorrect! Pigs are not necessarily concerned with their
overall attractiveness, and the ear notches do not really effect the overall
appearance of the pig. Think about what we talked about at the very
beginning of this lesson!
Try Again
OOPS!
Oops! That is incorrect! Remember that ear notching is an excellent
way to keep records for vaccinations, herd size, and individual pig
needs! Overall, ear notching is very efficient for recordkeeping.
Try Again
QUESTION 2
Recordkeeping, for purposes such as individual pig needs, overall herd
numbers, and vaccinations, is a primary reason for the necessary use of
the ear notching system.
FALSE
TRUE
Hint: Remember the question before
this one!!
GREAT JOB!
You are correct! It is very important that you understand how vital ear
notching is for recordkeeping in swine production systems. You did a
great job on these first two questions! Now let’s see how you do with ear
notch identification!
Next Question
OOPS!
Oops! Try Again! Remember the main topics we discussed at
the beginning of the lesson? Think of why it would be
important to recognize individual pigs.
Try Again
QUESTION 3
Which ear identifies the litter number?
Right
Left
Hint: If you are standing
behind the pig, you read
right to left. Which
number comes first?
CORRECT!
You use the pig’s right ear to determine the litter number.
This is the number that is mentioned first in an ear notch!
Great job!
Next Question
OOPS!
Remember that the left ear identifies the individual
pig in the litter, and this number is listed second.
Try Again
QUESTION 4
Which ear identifies the individual pig within
the litter?
Right
Left
GOOD WORK!
Great job! The left ear identifies the individual
pig in the litter. Remember, this is like the pig’s
first name!
Next
Question
OOPS!
Remember the right ear identifies the litter number
and this number is listed first in the ear notch.
Try Again
QUESTION 5
Which of these is not a possible combination of an ear notch?
A
4-9
B
120-120
C
120-10
YOU
GOT
THIS!!
CORRECT!
Great job! Remember the first number is the litter number
and the second number is the individual pig. Yes, it is highly
possible for the there to be 120 litters on the farm. However,
there will not be 120 pigs within one litter. Therefore, 120-120
is NOT a possible ear notch!
Next
Question
OOPS! TRY AGAIN
This is incorrect. 4-9 is highly possible. There are 4 litters,
and this pig is the 9th pig in that litter.
Try Again
OOPS! TRY AGAIN
This is incorrect. 120-10 is a possible ear notch. Large swine
production facilities can have even more than 120 litters, and
there can be ten pigs in a litter.
Try Again
QUESTION 6
Some areas may be notched twice close together. This
indicates that the farmer made a mistake and the notch should
ONLY be added once.
True
False
GREAT WORK!
The answer is False! The numbers are added for each
notch represented. If there are two number 3 notches,
then that part should equal 6. Keep going! You’re
almost done!
Next
Question!
OOPS! TRY AGAIN!
This is incorrect. Think about some of the things we talked
about during the instruction portions. Try again! Keep
working hard!
Try Again
QUESTION 7
Select the proper ear notch of this pig.
A
4-31
B
29-7
C
31-4
GOOD WORK!
First, add the right
ear:
27+3+1 = 31
27
27
3
3
1
1
Next
Question
Then, add the left
ear:
1+3 = 4
The correct ear
notch is 31-4!
Good work!
OOPS! TRY AGAIN!
Remember which number comes first. We read the litter
number and then the individual pig within the litter.
Try Again!
OOPS! TRY AGAIN!
Make sure you add up the proper numbers that are
associated with the given notches.
Try Again
QUESTION 8
Select the proper ear notch of this pig.
A
4-38
B
87-6
C
38-4
OOPS!
Remember which number is listed the first in the ear notch!
We always use the litter number as the first number!
Try Again
OOPS!
That is incorrect! Make sure you have the right
notches associated with the correct numbers and
check your addition!
Try Again
CORRECT!
Great Job! You correctly identified these ear notches.
The right ear adds up as: 27+9+1+1 = 38
The left ear adds up as: 1+3 = 4.
The correct ear notch is 38-4!
Move On
GREAT JOB!!!
You have successfully completed this activity!
You have now passed both quizzes and portions
of Pig-A-Palooza! I hope you learned
something throughout this experience! Be sure
to check out the Fun Facts page located on the
home page! Thanks for learning about the
swine industry!!
• Hogs have small eyes and poor eyesight.
• Hogs have a total of 34-44 teeth.
• Insulin and about 40 other medicines are made from pigs.
• Pigs are not dirty. They can't sweat, so they roll in the mud to keep cool.
• Pig heart valves have been used to replace damaged human heart valves.
• Pig fat can be used in weed killers, chalk, cosmetics, floor wax, crayons and
antifreeze.
• A pig can run a seven-minute mile.
Watch this brief video that explains the overall concept of exhibiting swine as a 4-H project! This
is a recreational side of the swine industry in comparison to the commercial side!
Pay attention to:
The Various Swine Breeds!