1. Sus scrofa

2. General Information
• Porcine
• Male = Boar
• Female = Sow
• Female < 1 yr = Gilt
• Male castrated before secondary sexual
characteristics develop = Barrow
• Male after secondary char. = Stag

3. • Young = Pig
• Newborn = Suckling pig
• Any pig over 200 pounds = hog

4. 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

5. Anatomy
• Poor eyesight • Needle teeth
• Acute sense of hearing • Heat intolerant
• Rooters • Omnivores
• Fast • Long intestines

6. 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

7. 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 handler
 Disadvantages: Increased cost & work

8. 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

9. 7. Identification – ear notching
Right ear indicates litter number
Left ear indicates individual pig number

10. Restraint
• Can’t herd or lead – must drive individually
into holding area:
 Pig panel
 Cane
 Bucket
 Snout snare
 Squeeze chute

11. Behavior
• Intelligent
• Curious
• Destructive
• Noisy
• Stubborn
• Startle easily

12. Housing
• Clean animal given choice
• Cement, metal or wood floors
• Fencing
• Bedding

13. • Cooling source in temperatures over 80 F
• Boars must be housed individually
• Quarantine area for new arrivals

14. 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

15. • 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

16. Health Concerns
Protection from:
 Sunburn
 Sunstroke
 Frostbite

17. 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

18. • Leptospirosis:
• Spread in urine
• Causes abortion, weak or stillborn pigs
• Zoonotic

19. • Erysipelas (diamond skin disease)
Symptoms raised red patches, sudden death
Possibly zoonotic
Long lived in soil
Survivors are carriers
Vaccine available

20. 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

21. Causes of Young Pig Mortality
• E. coli – three D’s – diarrhea, dehydration
and death!!
• Starvation
• Hypothermia
• Trauma