Introduction swine

• Class: Mammalia (animals with mammary glands)
• • Fatteners/Finishers: Pigs about 5-6 months of age ready for market disposal
  • Grower pig: pigs about 2.5 months-4.5 months
  • Weanlings/Weaners: Pigs newly separated from their dam and about 21 days-50 days of age
  • Dam: Mother
  • Sire: Father
  • Piglets/Sucklings: young pigs still with their mother(dam) and dependent on milk as their source of nutrition
  • Breed: group of animals with distinct series of traits in common
  • Purebred: progeny of purebred parents of the same breed
  • Hybrids(Synthetic breeds): Animals produced by the combination of good traits among breeds
• • Culls: all unwanted animals removed from the herd
  • Colostrum: first secreted milk from the breast, occurring shortly after or sometimes before birth
• Terminologies:

  • Swine: omnivorous animal belonging to the family Suidae with a strong and long mobile snout and is cloven hoofed
  • Pig: swine used by Netherlands and other European countries
  • Hog: swine usually used by Americans
  • Boar: mature male pig for breeding purposes
  • Sow: matured female swine for breeding purposes
  • Gilt: young female swine, usually 6-8 months of age intended for breeding purposes and has not given birth
  • Barrow: male pig castrated while young or before development of secondary sexual characters
• • Hybrid Vigor/Heterosis: ability of crossbred animals to perform better than the average of their parents
  • Estrus period/Heat period: time when the animal (Sow or Gilt) is sexually receptive
  • Estrus Cycle: period from one estrus to the next estrus, usually 18-21 days
  • Puberty: animal life stage linking sexual immaturity to maturity, usually about 5-6 months of age
  • Ration: Feed allowance of an animal per day
  • Stag: castrated mature male pig/castrated boar
  • Runt: piglet of small size, malnourished, stunted growth
  • Weaning: act of separating piglets from their mother(sow)
• Summary of Pig Production Cycle:

  • Dry period: 3-7 days
  • Pregnancy period: 114 days
  • Lactation period: 28-42 days
  • Rearing period of weaners: 30-40 days
  • Growing and finishing of fatteners: 90-150 days
  • Rearing period of replacement stocks: 150-180 days
• Length of a Sow's Production Cycle:

  • From one farrowing to the next, a sow needs 145-163 days (add up: 1+2+3 of Summary), known as the farrowing interval
• Sub-class: Eutheria (animals with placenta)
• Order: Ungulata (Animals with hoofed)
• Sub-order: Artiodactyla (Animals with even-toed)
• Family: Suidae
• Genus: Sus
• Specie: domesticus
• Scientific Name: Sus domesticus