Sus scrofa

General Information

• Porcine

• Male = Boar

• Female = Sow

• Female < 1 yr = Gilt

• Male castrated before secondary sexual characteristics develop = Barrow

• Male after secondary char. = Stag

• Young = Pig

• Newborn = Suckling pig

• Any pig over 200 pounds = hog

Statistics

• Body Temperature 101.7 to 103.3

• Heart rate 70 – 80 bpm

• Respiration 8 – 18

• Injection sites:

IV – ear vein, cranial vena cava

IM – muscles of ham (buttocks) or neck

SQ – Loose tissue behind ears

Anatomy

• Poor eyesight

• Acute sense of hearing

• Rooters

• Fast

• Needle teeth

• Heat intolerant

• Omnivores

• Long intestines

Breeding

• Polyestrus (decreased fertility in summer)

• Gestation - 114 days (3mo, 3 wk, 3 days)

• Average litter size – 6 to 15

• Breeding life span 5 plus years

• Weaning at about 5 weeks

• Puberty 5 to 8 months

Farrowing Crates

• Act of giving birth is farrowing

• Place sow in crate several days before due Advantages: Reduces loss from chilling

and squashing.

Simplifies feeding and medicating

Safer for handlerDisadvantages: Increased cost & work

Processing Suckling Pigs

• Procedures done in first few days of life

1. Dip navel in disinfectant

2. Iron dextran injection

3. Tail docking

4. Clip needle teeth

5. Castrate

6. Vaccinate

7. Identification – ear notching

Right ear indicates litter number

Left ear indicates individual pig number

Restraint

• Can’t herd or lead – must drive individually into holding area:

Pig panelCaneBucketSnout snareSqueeze chute

Behavior

• Intelligent

• Curious

• Destructive

• Noisy

• Stubborn

• Startle easily

Housing

• Clean animal given choice

• Cement, metal or wood floors

• Fencing

• Bedding

• Cooling source in temperatures over 80 F

• Boars must be housed individually

• Quarantine area for new arrivals

Nutrition

• Omnivores – utilize energy from both plant and animal sources

• Birth weight average – 3 pounds, doubles in one week to 220 pound average at 6 months

• Mature sow ration 3 ½ to 5# balanced ration

• Lactating sow 10 to 18# per day

• Breeding boars – 3 ½ to 5 #, but increase by 2 to 3 # for increased activity

• Growing pigs – ad lib on balanced rations

• Fresh water at all times.

• Competition

Health Concerns

Protection from:SunburnSunstrokeFrostbite

Bacterial Diseases

• Atrophic Rhinitis

Highly infectious – infects and attacks fine network of bones within snout

Symptoms, sneezing, rubbing face, advanced stages – twisted snout

Prevention – good sanitation and ventilation Vaccine available

• Leptospirosis:

• Spread in urine

• Causes abortion, weak or stillborn pigs

• Zoonotic

• Erysipelas (diamond skin disease)

Symptoms raised red patches, sudden death

Possibly zoonotic

Long lived in soil

Survivors are carriers

Vaccine available

Viral Diseases

• Virus Pneumonia Common – Symptoms, cough, diarrhea,

fever. Prevention – good parasite control• Hog Cholera – rare in US but reportable Control – diagnose and slaughter• TGE – Transmissible gastroenteritis Corona virus, highly contagious, short

incubation period, vaccine available

Causes of Young Pig Mortality

• E. coli – three D’s – diarrhea, dehydration and death!!

• Starvation

• Hypothermia

• Trauma