Swine

Health
and Care
PSE (Pale, Soft,
Exudative) Meat
 Characterized by its pale color,
lack of firmness, and fluid
(exudate) dripping from cut
surfaces
 Usually a result of stress, followed
by a rapid decline in pH
Methods of
Identification
 Ear notching
 Ear tags
 Ear tattooing
  Permanent identification
 Ear notched using special type of pliers that
Ear Notches leave a V-shape in their ear
 Ear notched around 1-3 days of age; easier to
handle
  Shows both litter and
individual number
Ear Notching  Litter number on right ear
 Pig number on left ear
Ear Tags
 Easily read identification
 Used once pigs you wish to keep have been
selected
 Available in different shapes
  Permanent form of
identification
Ear Tattooing  Thinner part of the lower ear is
most suitable for tattooing
Processing Piglets
 Process piglets 1-4 days after farrowing
 Steps:
 Clip needle teeth (done within 24-48 hours)
 Cut navel cord
 Iron injection (done within 24-48 hours)
 Dock tails
 Castrate males
 Ear notch
  Set of 8 very sharp teeth in
swine, usually removed from
days old piglets to prevent
injury to other piglets and
Needle Teeth sows
 4 incisors, 4 canine; both on
lower and upper jaws
  Cut to approximately 1 – 1 ½”
Cut Navel Cord in length and dip in iodine
solution
  Given to prevent anemia
Iron Injections  Anemia can result due to
low iron content in milk
Dock Tails
 Cut to about 1” with side cutters (sterilized)
 Prevents tail biting and cannibalism by pen mates and
possible infection of tail or spinal cord
  Performed on male market
hogs
Castration  Prevents undesirable boar
odor or taint associated with
cooked pork from intact males
  Identifies which litter pigs
came from and allows
Ear Notching producers to determine the
reproductive ability of sows
 Identifies individual pigs
  Sows moved into farrowing
crates or pens one week
before farrowing date
Farrowing  Piglets should be delivered in
15-20 minute intervals
 Piglets average 2.5 – 4 lbs.
  Clean, dry, and draft-free
 Temperatures of 65°F to 75°F,
with supplemental brooder
zone for piglets
Farrowing
 Guardrails ~6” from pen wall
Facilities to 8” up from floor to prevent
crushing piglets
 Crates restrict sow – 5’ wide, 7’
long
  Must balance cost and
nutrient requirements
 Feed according to the
requirements of the animal’s
stage of development
 Some factors affecting
Feeding nutrient requirements:
Program  Quality of the diet: energy,
by-products, molds, etc.…
 Breed, sex, and genetics of
pigs
 Stage of development of pig
 Amount of time to finish pig

 Self-feeders – eat at will

  Swine dysentery (scours): affects
gastrointestinal tract
 Caused by bacteria and affect 8-14
week old pigs
 Can be treated with antibiotics,
sanitation
 Symptoms: slows growth of pig;
loose, frequent, off-colored feces;
Diseases lethargy; dehydration

 Actinobacillus (Haemopilus
Pneumonia): affects respiratory system
 Caused by bacteria and affects
growing-finishing swine
 Treated with antibiotics and can
be prevented with vaccine
 Symptoms: abdominal breathing,
high fever, sudden death
  Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory
Syndrome: affects reproductive and respiratory
systems
 Caused by a virus and affects all ages of
swine
 Symptoms: birth of premature litters;
stillborns; increased preweaning illness in
piglets; respiratory disease in nursery
 Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS): affects the
nervous system
Diseases  Caused by genetic defect and can be
prevented only through culling animals
that carry the gene
 Treatment is ineffective
 Symptoms/signs: onset is sudden with
muscle tremors, twitching of the face and
rapid breathing, skin becomes red and
blotched
 Leads to poor pork quality and “dead or
downer” pigs in the show pig industry
 Meat becomes PSE and there’s increased
death loss
  Common parasites: Mange,
lice, roundworms,
threadworms, and nodular
worms
 Caused by lack of sanitation
 Treatment can be done by
Parasites spraying with insecticides
for mange and lice, and
using deworming agents on
worms
 Symptoms: presence of
parasite on hair or in feces,
loss of hair and scaling of
skin, reduced performance