Pigs Flashcards
(47 cards)
1
Q
pigs and selective breeding
A
- used to increase 1/4 to 3/4 head to body ratio ( in order to produce more meet and less head)
- domestication through breeding for the characteristics which are favourable
2
Q
pigs and nutrition
A
- intensively farmed where 2/3rds of cost is feed
- nutrition is important as it can create profit margins
3
Q
breed: large white
A
- Large white, landrice crosses:
- Good for indoor intensive farm, not good for organic outdoor free rang farming
- This is why they mix with other breeds like tandworths (10-5% over years)
4
Q
the pig industry in aus
A
- ours is realtively small compared to rest of world
- concentrated pig industry (less producers more production, multinational corportations)
- issues because biorisk can cause large scale disease
5
Q
where are pig farms located?
A
- NSW, VIC, SA, WA
- around Murray River, often where feed is grown/ close to a local supply as the most cost-effective
- mostly import pig products
6
Q
why don’t we import new big species?
A
- We have a closed herd
- benefit because we don’t bring in disease
- stuck with genotype
7
Q
conventional production
A
- pens of animals indoor
- intensive or deep litter system’
- feed hoppers
- 87%
8
Q
deep litter systems
A
kept in groups and bedding don’t clean out the pen everyday, every week you put in more hay so urine and poo sinks to bottom can use it as a fertiliser
9
Q
outdoor production
A
- more ethical production of animals
- lots of issues with outdoor environment (predation, climate)
- they tend to plough under the field so you need quality soil
- clay soil will get waterlogged and cause disease
10
Q
lifecycle of pig
A
- Suckling piglet: mother provides all nutrition
- You then wean the pig, diet changes from milk to solid food
2. Weaner
3. Growing pigs:
4. Finishing pig: going off to market
5. Breeding gilt: replacement stock for breeding (sometimes you buy in breeding stock from breeding farms)
6. Lactating Sow: has had at least more than one litter, feeds piglets
- You then wean the pig, diet changes from milk to solid food
Gilt is a female pig that hasn’t had her first litter
Becomes a sow after this
11
Q
weight of big at birth
A
1.4kg
12
Q
weight of pig in lactation
A
6-10kg (21-28 days old)
13
Q
growing pig
A
up to 40kg
14
Q
finishing pig wegiht
A
up to 90kg (about 5 months)
15
Q
breeding guilts
A
120-150 kg oestrus behaviour
16
Q
lactating sow
A
300kg
- 2-3 years then enter market for cheap pork products as their performance is declining and its not economicallu smart
17
Q
pig farm structure
A
- separate building designed for each particular stage of animal - also good to keep pigs safe from aggression
Gilt shed: need lots of nutrition and care
Dry sow shed: get pregnant
Fowing houses: to have piglets
Weiners:
Grower pigs:
Animals require different sizes (makes management efficient)- Can control biosecurity
18
Q
dry sow management
A
(should be pregnant not productive otherwise)
- AI allows for genetic diversity
- need to mix boar with correct sow size
19
Q
nutrition for sow
A
- nutritional flushing (when trying to get pregnant)
- involves giving as much food as possible
- once pregnant doesn’t need as much food (drop food 1 week before farrowing)
20
Q
difference in amount of feed given
A
dry sows get fed less than lactating sow
21
Q
farrowing sows accommodation
A
- need good biosecurity (seperate piglets and adult pigs because disease can spread)
- between 10-25 creates per house depending on herd size
- all round access to pens
- temperature is important or pig may not eat (sow needs colder temp vs piglets like warm heat lamps)
- farrowing pen stops mother from crushing piglets as she can’t stand up
22
Q
farrowing crates
A
- designed to prevent crushing deaths
- welfare issues for sows
- conventional vs freedom vs open systems
- economic issue of converting to other system
23
Q
what occurs prior to farrowing
A
- pig moved into crate 1 week prior
- exhibit nesting behaviour (in intensive system sham nesting)
- colostrum secretion
- can induce farrowing through injection
24
Q
process of farrowing
A
- takes 2.5 hours
- random process (intervals between piglets can vary)
- piglets born from front or back
25
gilts vs sows
- gilts have less animals born alive
- want more sows as they are more expereicned and bigger
26
farrowing issues
interventions
- 30 min between piglets
- Hygiene
- Antibiotic use after
- Free range system hard
Still born
- Dead at birth (anoxia
- in utero) suffocate
- Mummies (piglets lost early in the gestation)
Retention of placental material
- Pen designs may make it hard to check
Signs of infection post farrowing (checking temp and antibiotics)
27
piglets to market management steps
1. weaning
2. castration
3. nutrtion
28
piglet behaviour after birth
- suckle immediately after birth
- colostrum is important for immunity and energy
- if a piglet isn't suckling they will die as they don;t have much fat storage
29
piglet mortality
overlain: get crushed
small or weak, malnourished (may stay close to udder and get crushed)
infection
30
teat order
- piglets behave aggresively to compete for a good positioned teat (front of udder as more milk is produced)
-
31
management of piglet tasks
- teeth clipping
- tail docking
- vaccinations
- castration
- cross fostering (enabled through batch farroing)
- ear notching (identify pigs)
- can artificially feed runts but is not cost effective
- prepare piglets for weaning (Nutritional change)
32
piglet weaning
- abrupt removal of piglets from sow
- vaccinations
- very labour intensive
- wean early to get sow pregnant more quickly
- but the longer you wait to wean the higher dail gain average and higher survivial weight (sooner go to market)
33
mixing piglet litters
- generally avoid as it creates aggression as they are socially hierarchical
34
creep feeding
help get ready for weaning diet
- supply extra nutrition as piglet demands exceed sow milk supply
35
nutrition of weaner pig
expensive, easily digestable (Mimic milk)
36
nutrition of early grower
barely and wheat
37
immuncastration why
- castration effects the growth rate of animal
- we do it because of boart taint
38
what is boart taint
- hormones realeased after sexually active (skatole and androsterone) contaminate the whole carcass and can make meat taste bad
39
vices of pigs
- tail biting, flanking, rubbing
40
market pig- transport
- stress and fear due to handling, loading and conditions and novelty of transport
- how the animals are mustered, handled and loaded effect quality of meat
41
during transport challenges (hydration)
- plasma volume (thicker blood gets dehydrated)
- thermal comfort and physical integrity (not air conditioned)
- stocking density: need enough room to not have a high bruise score
42
lairage
- this is storage pre slaughter
- allows pigs to recover from stress and transportation
- issues: noise, unfamiliarity, other naimals, tiredness, lack of feed, poor handling
43
slaughtering techniques- stunning
- render animal instantly and humanely insensible until it is rendered irreversibly unconscious through slaughtering
44
slaughter techniques
- bolt gun (physically), brain tissue is destroyed quickly (however to labour intensive to do in slaughter house)
- elctrical (distrupts all brain acitivty)
- gas
45
meat quality: PSE
pale, soft, exudative (lots of seepage into blotting paper) ph 6.2
- driven by post mortem ph changes
influenced by
- genetics, halothane gene
- handling pre slaughter
- pre slaughter body temp and chilling methods post slaughter
46
meat quality- dfd
- dark, firm, reddish
ph 5.2
- genetics, handling pre slaughter
- depletion of glycogen stores in muscle by stress
47
selective breeding and meat quality
- selectively bred, measure carcass confirmation only want to use sows whcih give birth to pigs with good genetic meat
- can use ultrasound to measure pigs fat
