common terminology of swine

1. POST GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF VETERINARY
EDUCATION & RESEARCH JAIPUR
Presented by
Ramesh kumar
Mvsc scholar
DEPARTMENT OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
MANAGEMENT

2. Common Terminology
 Species called as- Swine or sus (Sus scrofa domestica –
indigenous pig)
 Group of animals- Drove
 Adult male/a male pig over 6 months of age that can be used for
breeding - Boar
 Adult female/an adult female pig that has farrowed a litter of piglets.-
Sow
 Young male- Boarling
 Young female/young female pig, has not had a litter of pigs yet- Gilt
 Castrated male- Stag/Barrow
 The smallest/Last piglet in a litter –Crit/Cad/Runt

3.  a male pig that was castrated before reaching sexual maturity - Barrow
 a male pig that was castrated after reaching sexual maturity - Stag
 Act of parturition- Farrowing
 Act of mating- Coupling
 Sound produced : Grunting
 Shoat: a young pig (don’t say piglet)
 Feeder: weaned barrow or gilt between 40-80 pounds
 Grower: market pig between weaning and or sale to breeding herd
 Rooting – when pigs dig up the earth with their noses in search of food.
 Boar effect: The phenomenon of exposure to Gilt with mature male pigs
causing early puberty in female pigs.

4.  Non-productive sow days: Any period of time when a mature female pig is not
either carrying a litter or suckling piglets
 Periodic farrowing: The process of producing piglets on a smaller scale, usually
twice per year.
 Continuous farrowing: Producing litters of pigs on a continual basis so new
litters are constantly being produced
 Early segregated weaning: The removal of piglets from their mother between
the ages of 4 and 14 days, to help prevent the spread of disease
 Teat pattern:
 Porker: A pig reared to pork weight, normally about 60kg live weight, rather than
to bacon weight. Usually achieved between four and six months of age,
depending on breed.
 Baconer: A pig being reared for bacon rather than pork, and which will be
slaughtered at 80kg - 100kg live weight, at about 8 - 10 months of age.

5.  Blind Teat: An irregular teat that is sometimes removed to prevent piglets
from attempting to nurse on a useless teat
 Chitterlings: The small intestines of a pig. Can be prepared for
consumption.
 Creep Feed: creep feed is a starter ration for for piglets. It is high in
protein, usually from sugar and milk proteins for high energy.
 Creep area: area accessible to small pigs but not their dams, in which a
high protein supplement is provided.
 Guard Rail:
 Lard: lard is rendered pork fat.
 Meat of pig – pork
 House –Sty or Piggery
 Species-procine

6. Boar
A male of breeding age

7. Sow
A mature female that has produced young.

8. Barrow
A castrated male

9. Gilt
An immature female

10. Needle teeth
Set of 8 very sharp teeth in swine that are
usually removed from days old piglets to
prevent injury to other piglets and sow’s udder.

11.  Gestation period of pig : 114 days (3 month 3 week
3 days)
 Chromosome number : 38 (2N)
 Dentition of pig : 3/3, 1/1, 4/4, 3/3= 44
 Estrous cycle 21 days
 Heat period 2-3 days

12.  Total Pig Population in the country is 9.06 million during 2019.
 9.06 million(12% decreased)-
- Indiginous= 7.16 million
- Exotic =1.9 million
 Total Pig Population decreased by 12% over previous livestock
census(2012) due to outbreak of African Swine Fever disease, it ia
highly contagious viral disease affecting pigs mainly in three state of
northeast region(Mizoram, Sikkim, Assam).

13. Swine breeds
Hampshire
Characters
 Origin-Kentucky (southern Scotland and North England
 Ears- Erect
 Color- Black with a White
 Belt
 Misc.-The “Meat Breed”
 Excellent Carcass

14. Berkshire
 Origin- England
 Ears-Erect
 Color-Black with 6 White Points
 Misc.-Short Snout, Meat type hog

15. Yorkshire
 Origin- England
 Ears-Erect
 Color- White
 Misc.-The Mother Breed, Largest Litters

16. Landrace
 Origin- Denmark
 Ears-Droopy
 Color-White
 Misc.- Extremely Long Body

17. Tamworth
 Origin- Tamworth (U.K.)
 Ears-Erect
 Color-Red
 Bacon type breed
 Misc.-Not Very good

18. Chester White
 Origin- Pennsylvania
 Ears-Droopy
 Color-White with blue freckles
 Misc.-good mothers, large frame

19. Poland China
 Origin-Ohio
 Ears-Droopy
 Color- Black /6White points
 Misc.-Long body thick hams

20. Spots (Spotted Poland China)
 Origin- Ohio
 Ears- Droopy
 Color-no less than 20% or more than 80% White
 Misc.-Good mothers, fast gainers

21. Duroc
 Origin-New York/New Jersey
 Ears- Droopy
 Color- Cherry Red
 Misc.-Large Frame, Fast gainers, good mothers, Popular
breed

22. Indigenous breeds
 Total -13 registered breeds in India (NBAGR, Karnal)
 New registred breeds:-
Mali- Tripura
Purnea – Bihar and Jharkhand

23.  Traditionally known as “Gavthi Dukor”
 This breed found in Goa
 Mostly Black. Few animals have white patches on legs
and face
 These are small sized having short ears, short snout, pot
belly and are wild in nature with rough bristles
Agonda goan

24. Doom
 Indigenous pigs of Assam. Name derived from a community
locally known as ‘Doom’ rearing these pigs for generations
 Colour- Black
 These pigs have short concave snout. They are large; flat belly
type with short erect ears. Top line is straight with long bristles
extending up to thoraco-lumber area

25. Ghoongroo
 Pig found in West Bengal
 Colour- Black, Occasionally hooves are white
 Thick coarse and long hair coat, long tail, upwardly curved
snout, broad and flattened face with large and heart
shaped ears resembling those of elephant. Seven pairs of
Thoraco-abdominal teats
 More prolific breeds – litter size up to 17

26. Ghurrah
 These pigs are native to Bareilly division and adjoining pats of
Lucknow division of Uttar Pradesh.
 Produces peculiar sound (Ghur) and so named as Ghurrah
 Black. Few are greyish black or brownish
 Medium sized pigs with flat belly, angular body and long straight
snout. Legs below hock joint are white. Thick line of hairs is present
from neck to shoulders. Head is elongated with triangular face and
short leaf shaped vertically erected ears

27. Niang Megha
 This breeds found in Meghalaya and known as Khasi
 Black, star shaped white patches at forehead and sometimes
hock joint
 Snout-medium tapering partially white at nostril, Bristle-Long
on midline, uniformly other places
 Peculiarity - typical wild look, erect bristle in dorsal mid-line,
small erect ear extended vertically

28. Nicobari
 This breed found in Andaman & Nicobar known as Naut
 Nicobari pig rearing is considered as a symbol of pride and asset in a
family and pigs are linked with all socio-cultural activity/ ceremony of
Nicobari tribes
 Mostly Black and brown
 Short with long body. Medium to short snout and short erect ears.
Marked bristle crest (mane) on the back extending from mid
head/shoulder to base of the tail. Facial profile varied from flat to
concave. Neck is short with very large jowl. No curling is the
characteristic feature of the tail.

29. Tenyi Vo
This breed found in Nagaland
Mostly black
These are pot bellied animals with sagging back and
pendulous belly touching the ground in females, straight tail
ending with white switch reaching the hock joint, white
stocking, white markings on the forehead and ventral body.
Tenyi Vo pigs have strong and long tapering snout, small
erect ears and bright alert eyes.

30. Zovawk
 This breed found in Mizoram
 Black. White spot on the forehead (star), white patches on
belly (sometimes) and white boot
 Erect ears, concave snout, pot belly, concave top line and
long bristles on mid-line are characteristics of the Zovawk pig
 Zovawk are social animals, they never stay alone. they
search food together in groups and sleep together and sleep
under houses in head to tail system. They communicate with
one another by emitting a specific grunting sound indicating
food, warning to danger, calling the young ones, etc. In
danger, the leader emits a loud grunting sound and the group
huddles together forming a circle pointing their snout
outwards with the weaker and young pigs in the centre

32. Selection of sow
 Gilts should have at least 12 functional teats
 Gilt are selected from mother pigs having good mothering ability
as shown by large litter size and weight at weaning. first farrowing
at one year of age and farrowing interval of seven month.
 Selection of breeding gilts should be done 5-6 months of age.
 Select fast growing weaners.
 The selected gilts should have good body confirmation i.e. strong
legs, sound feet etc.
 Gilt should not select for breeding purpose having supernumerary
and inverted teats, and fat deposited at the base of the teats

33. Selection of boar
 Boar to have sound feet with good full hams, uniform curve at the
back and good length
 Boar to be selected from sows, which wean 8-10 or more piglets
per litter and are known to be good mothers
 Boar to be selected from the herd which is having normal sex
organs, active, healthy and strong
 Selection to be done before castration i.e at 4 weeks. Select
biggest from the litter
 Boar must be at least 8 months old at first service
 Boar should be healthy and free from any disease

34. Methods of breeding
1. Pure-breeding
 Mating purebred individuals of the same breed. The progeny has
the same genetic makeup.
 The major objective of pure-breeding is to identify and propagate
superior genes for use in commercial production primarily in
crossbreeding programs as well as to propagate and identify
superior females for maintaining valuable genetic material.

35. Selection and out-crossing
 This can be adopted in all pig-breeding farms and by farmers who
produce breeding stock.
 This is a common method of breeding and multiplying purebred
swine.
 The best procedure is intensive selection and out-crossing (mating
of unrelated individuals of the same breed).
 Generally the results are quite good as some vigour will be
obtained in the offspring with some gain in litter size, livability and
growth rate. Out crossing is also done frequently to introduce a
trait, which is lacking in a herd.

36. Out breeding
 Mating between individuals of the same breed but who are less
closely related than the average of the breed.
 There should not be a common ancestor for at least four generation
back in the pedigree of the boar and the females with which he is
mated.
 It is a useful mating system in purebred individuals.

37. In breeding
Mating between individuals of the same breed but
which are more closely related than the average of
the breed. This could be between as close
individuals as full sibs or sire – daughter, mother -
son.
Pure breeding is a special kind of in-breeding.
The effect of inbreeding is the concentration of
common genes in the offspring.

38.  This high frequency of homozygous gene pairs applies to both
desirable and undesirable traits. Many undesirable traits e.g.
hernia and cryptorchidism involve recessive genes thus
inbreeding perpetuates their expression phenotypically.
 In breeding causes decrease in litter size and increases mortality.
 Inbred sows are inferior in milking and mothering ability. It delays
sexual maturity in gilts and boars.
 Inbred boars have less sexual libido.
 Inbred gilts have fewer eggs during oestrus and farrow smaller
litters than those out bred.

39. Cross breeding
 Mating between two individuals from different breeds thus
introducing into the progeny a gene combination that is different
from that existing in either parent or in the breed of either parent.
 Cross breeding can involve two or more breeds, depending on the
desired result.
 The sole purpose of cross breeding is to take advantage of the
observed improvement in performance of the progeny above that
of either parent- hybrid vigour or heterosis

40. Single crossing and criss-crossing
 Single crossing is the mating of a boar and a sow of two
different breeds.
 The resulting crossbred pigs are all marketed and the cross is repeated
for the next crop of pigs.
 This system has one disadvantage in that the sows as well as boars
have to be purchased and brought into the herd, which can be a means
of spreading diseases.
 Criss-crossing is the alternating use of boars of two
breeds on the female stock produced in a herd.
 For instance, Yorkshire gilts are bred to a Land-race boar. The resulting
crossbred gilts are mated to a Yorkshire boar.
 The next cross is bred back to a Landrace boar, and so on.
 The gilts and sows, which are sired by a boar of one breed, are always
mated to the boar of the second breed. This system of crossbreeding
works well and is widely used.

41. SYSTEMS OF CROSS BREEDING
Two – Breed Rotational Cross
 This system is often called the back cross or crisscross method.
Boars of two different breeds are used in alternate generations.
 Crossbred gilts are retained and mated to boars from one of the
two-parent breeds.
 The two breeds should complement to each other eg. litter size,
growth, carcass characteristic etc.
Three – Breed Rotational Cross
 The three – breed rotational cross is most widely used system. It
increases the hybrid vigor by use of three breeds instead of two.
 A third breed can strengthen certain performance characteristic is
the crossbred offspring.

42. Grading Up
 The non-descript indigenous pig forms the bulk of the pig
population in the country.
 It would be advantageous to grade up this population by the
successive use of boars of either Yorkshire or Landrace breed,
depending on the suitability of the breed to be used in the area.
 This would bring about an improvement in the productive traits
of indigenous pigs in graded stages.
 This method is also suited to many areas when management and
feeding conditions do not justify the introduction of high-quality
purebred stock.

43. Breeding management in swine
 Age to breed gilts - 8 months
 Weight of breed gilts -100-120 kg
 Length of heat period -2-3 days
 Best time to breed in heat period Gilts – first day and Sows- Second
day
 Number of services per sow -2 services at an interval of 12-14
hours
 Period of oestrous cycle -18-24 days (Average 21 days)
 Occurrence of heat after weaning -2-10 days(3-5)
 Gestation period -114 days

44. Age of breeding stock
 Gilt should be bred to farrow when 12 to 14 months old..
 Gilts should weigh at least 100 kg before breeding.
 Ovulation rate increases during successive oestrous periods (up to
fifth) following puberty. Thus, it is advantageous to delay breeding of
gilts until the second or third oestrus.
 Litter size increases, on an average, in succeeding pregnancies up to
fifth or sixth litter.
 Atvantageous to cull the sow from a breeding herd or a commercial
herd after her fifth or sixth litter, as the litter size goes down
thereafter.

45. Boar effect
 Exposure of gilt to the sight, sound, touch, and smell of a
mature boar and gilt attend early puberty and decrease age of
puberty in gilt.

46. Heat detection
 Common signs of heat
1st stage: Early heat signs
 General restlessness
 Vulva turns red and swollen
 White mucus discharge

47. 2nd stage: Service period signs
 Real Estrus lasts for 40 - 60 hours
 Vulva becomes less red and swollen
 Slimy mucus discharge
 Tendency to mount and be mounted by others.
 The sow or gilt will stand still when pressure is applied to her back
(can accept a man's weight sitting on her. Thus the right stage to send
her to the boar).

48. 3rd stage: Post oestrus-period signs
 The sow/gilt will not stand still when pressure is applied to her back.
 The swelling of the vulva disappears.

49. Method of mating
A. Natural service
1. hand mating
2. Pen mating
B. Artificial Insemination

50. Care and management of breeding boar
 Testing of boar before introducing in herd
 boars should be fed at a level of energy that will prevent excessive
fat deposition.
 Boar should physical healthy and sexually active
 Boar should be provide sufficient open space for regular exercise
 Flushing- given extra concentration ration 2-3 week prior to
breeding season
 Regular vaccination and deworming
 Regular trimming of hoof

51.  Boar should be evaluated for reproductive soundness at least 7 ½
months of age.
 Boars should be evaluated:
1. Mating behavior - may be evaluated by bringing a gilt in
standing heat into the boar's pen and observing
libido- Observe aggressiveness and desire to mate
Mounting- the ability to mount correctly.
 Some boars may be interested in mounting but lameness,
arthritis, or injury may prevent success.

52. c. Mating- Observe ability to erect the penis and properly enter the
gilt.
 Examine penis for normal size and condition.
 Any abnormalities viz. (1) adhered or tied penis, (2) limp penis, (3)
infantile penis, and (4) coiling of the penis in the diverticulum.
 These conditions may be heritable, and boars exhibiting these
problems should not be used to produce breeding stock.

53. 2.Semen- check the semen quality of boar for several times at
weekly interval
 fail to produce sperm cells
 watery or bloody semen
 Sperm concentration
 Sperm motility