Swine Sense Study Guide By: Korona Skipper 2012-2013
10 Swine Breeds Breed Identification Origin of Breed Breed Characteristics/Traits
Berkshire This breed comes from the county of Berkshire in England. The ears are short and erect. It is black with white feet, tail and usually as a splash of white on the face.
Chester White This is an American breed, developed in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Swine breeders crossed imported White English hogs with smaller local hogs and called the results Chester County Whites. The members of this breed are large and pure white, known for being good mothers and have medium sized ears that droop down over the eyes.
Duroc This is another American Breed. It came from a cross between red hogs bred in New York and red hogs bred in New Jersey. The Duroc part of the name came from a famous stallion kept on the farm of one of the red hog breeders in New York at that time. Since then, the name Jersey has been dropped and the breed is simply called Duroc. Durocs are solid red, but they may range from dark to light shades. They have droopy ears and grow quickly and efficiently.
Hampshire England is the place of origin of this breed, which comes from the County of Hampshire. It is easily recognized by its white belt encircling a black body. The standard of this breed states that the width of the belt must not exceed two thirds of the body length. This white belt covers both forelegs. Hind feet and legs may be white, as long as the white does not extend above the hocks. Hampshire s have erect ears and are noted for being heavy muscled.
Hereford To be registered, Hereford hogs must have a white face, the body must be at least 2/3 (light or dark) red and have at lease 2 white feet. White also must be showing not less than one-inch above the hoof. This breed is from Missouri, USA.
Landrace This is one of the newer breeds in the United States. American Landrace are descendants of Danish Landrace hogs. The American Landrace is all white and very long in body. In color it resembles the Chester White and the Yorkshire. The Yorkshire has erect ears, while both the Chester White and Landrace ears want to point forward and down. The Landrace has especially large, floppy ears and is know for begin a good mother. Scandinavia in origin.
Poland China This breed did not come from Poland or China, but from Butler and Warren counties in Ohio. The color is generally black, with six white points. The six points are the four legs, tail and nose. Many have white spots on certain areas of the body. They have droopy ears and are known for being lean and heavy muscled.
Spot This breed was called Spotted Poland China for many years. It looks somewhat like the Poland China, but has much more white on its body. The Spot breed was established in 1961 and origin is Gloucester, England. It has droopy ears, gains weight well, and is known for being an aggressive breeder.
Tamworth England is also the origin of this breed. Tamworths are all red (shades golden to dark). Their ear carriage is erect with a long narrow face and snot.
Yorkshire These hogs came from England where two distinct types were produced the Large and the Middle Whites. Yorkshires used in the United States generally came from the Large Whites. Members of this breed are long bodied, white hogs. The ears are erect. The hair or bristles are white; usually the body is white, but sometimes there may be some black pigmentation on the skin. This pigmentation is discouraged, but not condemned. Yorkshires produce large litters and are known as the mother breed.
Know the definitions Piglet a very young pig Hog Swine over a 120 pounds Gilt Female that hasn t given birth Shoat Just weaned pig Barrow A castrated Hog Boar Intact male used for breeding Stag Older male sold for slaughter Farrow Act of giving birth Market Hog Swine weighing 220-260 lbs. ready for sale Feeder Pig 40-70 lbs. pig 8-12 weeks of age Sow Female that has given birth PQA Pork Quality Assurance LMA Loin Muscle Area
PROCESSING THE LITTER New piglets are born. Within the first 24 hours they must have their tails docked so that the tails don t get bitten and get infection during fights. Remove wolf teeth from mouth (very sharp, better for mom tits), ear notch them (for Identification), navel cord care with iodine to prevent infection, castrate the males that won t be kept for boar pigs, give iron shot (mom s milk doesn t have any iron in it, iron deficiency can develop within first 7 days of birth especially if on concrete, the iron shots are usually combined with antibiotic shots to prevent infections). This is all called processing the litter.
Identification Knotching is permanent Tattooing is permanent Tags are not permanent
Sow & Piglets Gestation length of a sow is 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days The average number of pigs in a litter is 8-10. Piglets are taken away from the sow for processing to void stress. Processing is best done within 24 hours of birth. Processing a litter a pigs means: recording, weighing, navel cord care, clipping needle teeth, tail docking, iron injections, castration of males and ear notching.
Facts In the early 1950 s U.S. pork producers concentrated their efforts on developing a leaner type hog that would meet increasing consumer demands for leaner meat products that were relatively low in cholesterol and fat. Weight, Fat Depth, Muscle Mass is used to determine the lean content of a pig. These 3 important factors are measured and placed in a mathematical equation to estimate the pounds of lean in the pig. Most commonly measured muscle in a pig is the Loin area. The average loin muscle area in swine is between 5.75 and 6.5 square inches. Average Daily gain is the average number of pounds a pig will gain in one day. Des Moines, Iowa is the where the National Pork Board is located and Iowa is the state that produces the most hogs per year.
Ear Notching System
Pork Products Leg = Ham Loin = chops, roast, tenderloin, Canadian-style bacon Shoulder = Blade Roast, ground pork, sausage, blade steaks, picnic roast, smoked hocks Side/Belly = spareribs, bacon
Pork Cuts Wholesale are the ham, loin belly and shoulder (Boston, Butt, Picnic) Retail cuts are taken from the wholesale cuts and are the pork chops, bacon, roasts etc. that are sold a the grocery stores.
Feed Identification Breed Feed Identify Characteristics
Dehydrated alfalfa meal pellets green, smooth, tubular shaped particles that may be of varying lengths because of breakage of the pellets. Dicalcium phosphate gray, granular, looks like small rocks of uniform size
Dried Whey light brown, powdery, smells sweet like milk replacer; by-product from making cheese Fish meal brown, powdery, smells like fish; look for tiny bone chips; by-product from fisheries or removal of oil from fish
Ground limestone light gray, granular, looks like small rocks of various sizes. Whole kernel corn yellow, smooth, most common cereal grain in Ohio
Complete Pelleted Feed Light brown with yellow spots, smooth, tubular shaped particles that may be of varying lengths because of breakage of the pellets Soybean oil meal light brown, granular to flaky, byproduct after removing oil from oilseeds; 44% crude protein (CP) soybean meal = soybean meal plus soybean hulls; 48% CP=soybean meal without hulls
Steam Rolled Barley brown, flaky, whole barley that has been steamed and rolled; look for creases in the kernel caused by the roller; darker color and shorter in length than rolled oats Trace Mineralized Salt bronze, granular, grainy, looks like tiny, uniform crystals
Wheat Middlings (bran) brown with white spots, flaky, by-product from removing starch from wheat; looks like crumbled bran cereal White Salt white, granular, grainy, looks like tiny, uniform crystals
Whole grain oats brown color, slightly rough with irregular edges, common cereal grain fed for its fiber Whole grain wheat brown, smooth with round edges, look for crease along the middle of one side
Classifying Feed Ingredients Into Nutrient Groups Energy (Carbohydrates and Fats) Whole Grain Barley Whole Grain Oats Wheat Wheat Middlings Corn Milo Beet Pulp Hay and hay Cubes Molasses Whole Grain Rye Whole Cottonseed Buckwheat Soybean Hulls Dried Whey Water Proteins Cottonseed Meal Soybean Meal Linseed Meal Corn Gluten Meal Corn Gluten Feed Distillers Grain Brewers Grain Blood Meal Fish Meal Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal Pellets Minerals Bone Meal Dicalcium Phosphate White Salt Trace Mineral Salt Ground Limeston
Nutrition Knowledge Amino acids are called the building blocks of protein. Carbohydrates and fats are the principle providers of dietary energy. An animal can live much longer without feed than it can without water. Soybean meal is the most common protein feedstuff. Vitamins are nutrients needed in small amounts to help the body use other nutrients. Macro-minerals help build strong bones. The first limiting amino acid in a swine diet is lysine. Calcium and phosphorus are minerals. The carbohydrate in sow s milk is lactose. Too much salt is bad for human health, but the pig requires it in its diet to grow well.
Parts of the pig
Gauge Syringe
Ear Hole Punch
Ear Notching Tool
Side Cutters Navel Cord Needle teen Tail Castration
Good Luck