1. Swine Management

2. Characteristics of swine
Pigs are Homeotherms
Maintain a constant body temperature
Pigs are Monogastrics
Pigs have very few sweat glands

3. Housing Types of houses Outside pen A- frame houses
Open front buildings
Environmentally regulated buildings

4. Housing

5. Housing

6. Reproduction Natural AI
Heat period averages 2 days and occurs every days
Can synchronize gilts by putting them together and in a pen next to a boar
Lock up when in heat (Lordosis)

7. Reproduction

8. Reproduction Boar penis is corkscrewed
AI rod has to be corkscrewed as well
Boar semen cannot be frozen
Shipped fresh overnight
2 doses of semen are administered
24 hours after 1st incidence of standing heat
12 hours later
Done because pigs are superovulaters

9. Farrowing Farrowing – the act of parturition
Gestation period- 114 days (3X3X3)
Put into farrowing crates few days before expected parturition
Sow’s can have any number of babies
Wean at 21 days
Pigs are very susceptible to disease
Many farms are total confinment

10. Farrowing Crates
Used to protect the baby pigs from being crushed by the sow
Sow is confined in the middle so that she can’t turn around
Equipped with feeder and watering device
Space on both sides of the sow for babies
Use a heat lamp to keep babies warm

11. Farrowing Crates

12. Navel Cord Care After birth excess navel cord is removed
Leave about 1 inch
Treat navel cord with iodine
Why?
Prevent infection

13. Navel Cord Care

14. Clipping needle teeth Born with only eight teeth
Fairly long and sharp
Can irritate the sow while nursing
Can remove these teeth to make more comfortable for the sow
We don’t clip

15. Clipping needle teeth

16. Tail Docking Pigs are normally in a confined space
Chew on others tail
Done out of boredom
To prevent tail biting and the possibility of infection, tails are docked
Dock were tail can barely touch the pigs back

17. Tail Docking

18. Injections 3 types of injections Two sites to give an injection
Subcutaneous
Intramuscular
Intravenous
Two sites to give an injection
Neck
Ham

19. Injections

20. Injections

21. Injections

22. Injections Iron is administered about 24 hours after birth
1 cc of iron
Since pigs are in a create and don’t have access to soil, iron- deficiency anemia can occur
Some people give a small dose of antibiotic
Give the sow penicillin

23. Ear Notching Most used identification method for baby pigs
Removing a portion of the ear
The notches grow as the pig grows
Permanent identification
Litter # and Pig #
Litter # - the pigs right ear
Pig # - the pigs left eat

24. Ear Notching Litter # Pig # Number of litter for the whole farm
Not for individual sow
Pig #
Individual number for the baby pig
Has nothing to do with the rest of the farm

25. Ear Notching

26. Ear Notching

27. Ear Notching

28. Castration Removal of the testicles
Pigs are castrated if meant for slaughter
Meat from boars may have an odor when cooking
Takes testosterone out of the system, which makes meat tough

29. Castration Best time for castration is between 1 and 14 days
Pigs are easier to restrain
Bleed less from the surgery
One person holds the pig by the back legs and the other person does the castrating
Make small incisions
Make sure to use some type of antiseptic spray

30. Castration

31. Castration

32. Castration

33. Castration

34. Parasites
Coccidia
Affects nursing pigs between days 5 and 15
Develop a yellowish, very fluid diarrhea
Infected pigs do not respond well to antibiotic treatment
Mortality rates will be moderate to high

35. Parasites Worms Doesn’t occur much in baby pigs Roundworms
Nodular worms
Whipworms
Threadworms
Stomach worms
Lungworms
Kidney worms
Doesn’t occur much in baby pigs

36. Weaning Baby pigs are weaned at 21 days
Put in a nursery for a few weeks
Until pigs are 40 – 45 lbs
Moved to other pens for growing and finishing