Hog Raising

BREEDS OF SWINE

There are many imported breeds in the country today and its sometimes difficult to determine the best breed most suited to our conditions. Here is a guide to help you select the breed to raise depending on your purpose, money and experience.

Yorkshire or Largewhite

Yorkshires are entirely white with medium, erect ears. Sows have superior mothering ability, farrow and wean large litters and are excellent milkers. They adapt well to confinement but not to rugged conditions. Slaughter animals yield a high dressing percentage, produce fine quality meat and compare favorably with other breeds in growth and economy of gains.

Landrace

Landrace are white, have short legs and medium to large drooping ears. The sows are noted for their excellence in mothering ability and litter size. They are heavy milkers and produce pigs with superior rate of growth and efficiency in feed utilization. When crossed with other breeds, they produce pigs of highly acceptable carcass quality. They are however, weak on the feet and legs and have problems adapting to rugged conditions. Such defects should be corrected by proper selection and breeding.

Duroc

The Duroc color is of varying shades of red. The sows are prolific and are good mothers. They produce pigs that are superior in growth rate, feed conversion, and "their performance under rugged conditions is better than any of the white breeds.

Hampshire

Hampshires are black with a white belt around the shoulder and body. They are generally short legged and lack body thickness. The sows have a reputation of weaning a high percentage of the pigs farrowed and are able to adapt to very rugged conditions. The growth rate, however has generally been average or below.

Berkshire

Berkshires are black with six white points -four white feet, some white in the face and tail. The ears are erect and inclined forward as the animal grows older. They are known for their style, meatiness and good adaptability to rugged conditions. They have desirable length, depth and balance ofbody but lack good growth and efficiency in converting feed to weigh gain. The sows are not as prolific as the other breeds.

Pietrain

The Pietrain is a very meaty type of pig with spotted black and white color. It has well-shaped hams, loin and shoulders. Ears are erect, The carcass has a high lean meat percentage, but it has a poor body constitution. Feed efficiency is not really good and they are a little bit slow grower. This breed is also highly susceptible to stress. Thus, Pietrain is only worthwhile in crosses but not as purebreeds.

SELECTION CRITERIA

• When selecting breeder sows on the basis of physical appearance, consider the following:
  The gilt should have well-developed udder with a minimum of six pairs of properly spaced function teats. A sow with poor udder development is likely to have poor milking capacit
  
• Choose those which do not have inverted teats for such teats are inherited and do not secrete milk.
  
• A long body is more desirably in sows because it provides more space for udder development.
  
• The body should have uniform width from front to rear.
  
• Good development of the ham, loin and shoulder is required of a breeding animal.
  
• Must have sound and well-placed feet and legs. Animals with medium short feet and short upright pasterns are preferable.
  
• Make it a point to select the biggest animals within a litter.
  
• Female breeders should come from a litter of eight or more good-sized piglets with high survivability.
  
• Do not keep gilts that come from sows in which agalactia (failure to secrete milk) have been observed.
  
• Select vigorous and hardy pigs from a healthy litter in a herd raised under good swine sanitation. Do not keep gilts or boars nor breed from litters that have physical abnormalities. These may be inherited.

Most of the factors discussed in connection with a selection of gilt or sow also apply in the selection of a boar. However, the followjng pointers should also be considered:

• Masculinity, both in appearance and action, should predominate in the make-up of any boar.
  
• The primary sex organs should be clearly visible and be well-developed. Select only those boars whose testicles are of equal size.
  
• Select However, the best is to select a boar which has been proven and tested for boars with traits that can overcome the defects of the herd. Minor defects in the boar may be ignored provided that they are not present among the sows.

GENERAL PRICE TRENDS

Wholesale Price Trend

Wholesale nominal price of hogs increased from around P29 per kilogram in 1989 to about P65 per kilogram in 2003. Prices however, increased gradually from 2001 to 2003. The annual trend of wholesale price of hogs (live), Metro Manila, 1989-2003 shows the wholesale price seasonality of hogs in 2003. Normally, wholesale price gradually increases from January to June, then decreases from June to October. As the fourth quarter of the year starts, wholesale prices significantly increase reaching its maximum level in December.

Retail Price Trend

In terms of average retail price of pork in Metro Manila, a general constant increase was observed from 1986 to 1992. In 1986, average retail price was pegged at around P41 per kilogram. It streamed as high as P71 per kilogram in 1992. It steadily increased from 1992 to 2000 and stabilizes from 2000 to 2003 at approximately P108 per kilogram). Retail prices of pork exhibited a cyclical trend in 2003 from January to December. It was observed that on a monthly basis, pork price is lowest in January and surges up in May, then gradually decreasing from May to October. From October, average retail price increases dramatically and reaches its peak in December.

Retail prices of pork exhibited a cyclical trend in 2003 from January to December. It was observed that on a monthly basis, pork price is lowest in January and surges up in May, then gradually decreasing from May to October. From October, average retail price increases dramatically and reaches its peak in December.

HEALTH MANAGEMENT

• Keep buildings, run-ways, pens and equipment clean always. Sanitize and disinfect them regularly.
  
• Quarantine or isolate animals recently brought from other sources.
  
• When buying breeder stocks for replacement, make certain that the animals have been immunized against prevalent diseases in the area such as hog cholera and swine plague.
  
• Always seek the advice/services of the nearest veterinarian and/or government technician or the office of the Bureau of Animal Industry.

MARKETING OF HOGS

Marketing is the last job done on growing-finishing pigs. Hogs are marketed when they reach at least 80 kg.

Marketable hogs may be sold to middlemen who usually act as buying or selling agents, direct to meat processors without the intervention of a middleman, or in auction markets where animals are sold to the buyers who offers the highest accept- able price per kilo liveweight or per head.

When a large number of hogs are to be marketed, the producer must observe proper shipment and transport handling to minimize losses due to shrinkage, bruises, injuries and possible deaths.

Here are some tips:

• When transporting hogs, separate the large animals from small pigs by a partition.
  
• Provide loading facilities for easier and proper loading of pigs.
  
• If necessary provide beddings of sand or saw dust. When the weather is hot, wet down the beddings before loading to keep the pigs cool and comfortable.
  
• Do not overload nor underload the truck.
  
• Do not excite or over-heat hogs. Give the hogs enough rest and leave them undisturbed until they are butchered.
  
• Do not overfeed hogs before transport to avoid suffocation or vomiting.

FEEDING MANAGEMENT

• If the milk supply of the sow is inadequate to feed her piglets, supplement her with a good creep ration. Use a milk replacer. Choose many available brands.
  
• Begin feeding a commercial good pre-starter ration when the pigs are about one week of age.
  
• The ration of the pigs should be changed at different stages of growth but the shift from one ration to another should be done gradually in order not to upset the normal feeding behavior of the pigs. Always allow a transition period of at least one week before making changes.
  
• A starter ration is given to pigs from weaning until two months of age and weighing about 10 to 25 kilograms.
  
• The grower ration is next given to pigs when they are 30 to 35 kgs. or two months old until they are about 15 to 20 weeks old.
  
• When pigs reach 60 kg. or are about 20 weeks old, a finisher ration is given.
  
• In formulating a simplified ration, keep in mind that it should always contain sufficient energy, protein as well as adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals.
  
• Cassava, camote, corn, and corn by-products and discards from slaughterhouses, which are abundant in some parts of the country may be used provided they are properly cooked and dried.
  
• Dry feeding is practiced in commercial operations for reasons of economy in labor and in feeding equipment. Wet feeding is mostly practiced by backyard producers.
  
• Provide clean drinking water at all times.

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF GROWING-FINISHING PIGS

• Management requirements are less demanding, nevertheless they must be provided with ample protection against pests and diseases and fed in accordance with their requirements.
  
• Deworm pigs one or two weeks after weaning.
  
• Vaccinate pigs one or two weeks after weaning or one week after deworming.
  
• Sell or butcher pigs when they reach profitable market size of at least 80 kilogram. Slow-growing pigs despite good feeding and management should be disposed immediately. Keeping them longer is uneconomical.
  
• It is important to know information on the prevailing market prices of pork. It E is also important to know the exact weights of the live animals and sell the pigs on weight basis.

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF PIGMENTS AT FARROWING TIME

• Prepare farrowing materials and equipment before farrowing dates.
  
• Using a clean dry cloth, wipe the mucous membrane and other birth material from the mouth and nose of new born pigs. Assist the piglet in breathing by swinging its head down or slapping it for a few seconds.
  
• Tie string around umbilical cord two inches from the base and cut with a sharp pair of surgical scissors~ Do not pull the cord away from the body while cutting so as not to cause hernia. Dip injured tip of cord into bottle of tincture of iodine.
  
• Place piglets in piglet box underneath a heater. Whenever necessary, a 100- watt bulb is enough to provide the desired temperature. This can be changed to a 50-watt bulb after 14 days of brooding.
  
• Cut the needle teeth. This is done by holding the pig firmly by one hand with three fingers supporting the jaw and the thumb pressing against the back of the neck. Insert the forefinger to one side of the mouth just behind the needle teeth reaching for the tip of the tongue. With a side-cutting nipper or ordinary nail cutter cut close to the gum level. Do not make a slanted cut or leave jagged edges for these are likely to cause injuries to the gums and tongue of the piglet and teats of the mother. Clean and disinfect nipper before working with another piglet.
  
• Let the piglets suck the first milk (colostrum). Colostrum contains antibodies needed by the baby pigs to fight against diseases during the early life.
  
• Iron reserves in the body of a newborn piglet is consumed in a week's time. Injection of commercial iron dextran is necessary to prevent piglet or new- born anemia. Repeat administration 14 days after birth or as soon as symptoms are detected.
  
• Wean piglets at four to six weeks of age. When weaning is done earlier than 56 days, a sow can farrow from four to five times in two years since sows usually come in heat from three to seven days after weaning. The proper procedure in weaning is to remove the sow, leaving the piglets in familiar surroundings.
  
• It is also important that all other routinary management practices like deworming, castration, a1 / ear notching or tattooing are carried out before weaning.

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SOW

• Regulate the feed intake of gilts or sows immediately after breeding to pre- vent them from becoming too fat. Obesity of pregnant sows may result to a fewer number of pigs farrowed. Also, they may suffer from farrowing complications.
• Keep the pregnant sow in an environment ideal for better conception. Sprinkle water on the sows when the weather is too hot or whenever necessary.
• To avoid constipation, provide healthy but a laxative ration. Provide plenty of water and newly harvested green feeds such as camote vines, kangkong, Paragrass and water lily.
• Deworm sows and gilts against internal parasites and treat external parasites 14 days before expected date of farrowing.
• In commercial operations, the sow should be transferred to the farrowing house one week before farrowing to provide her time to adjust to new environment.
• On the average, a sow will farrow in 114 days after a successful mating. The usual range is 109-119 days. Watch out for the following signs: the abdomen swells, the sow becomes restless and nervous, the vulva is swollen with possible mucus discharge and milk is present in the teats if pressed
• Attend to the sow during birth because this is the most crucial time in the life of the new born piglets.
• Full-feed the sow or gilt with a high energy ration for about two weeks before mating to ensure maximum ovulation rate.
• Observe proper time of mating to ensure maximum litter size. A sow is in heat if she exhibits one or more of the following symptoms: swelling and reddening of the vulva, mucous discharge from the vulva, restlessness and grunts frequently, mounting other pigs, frequent urination and cocks her ears frequently
• Mate each gilt or sow twice to the same boar in one heat period with an interval of 12 to 25 hours.
• A boar-to-sow ration of I :25 -30 is generally recommended.

HOUSING

Generally, boars should be four to six months old at the time of selection. ft whatever systems of operation, hog houses must be constructed properly to ensure maximum performance of the pigs. A good hog house may not improve the health conditions of the animals but a poor one will certainly increase disease problem easily.

• For a small or backyard operations, cheap and locally available materials may be used such as bamboo and nipa.
  
• Hog houses should be constructed on a slightly sloping and well-drained area so that it will not become too muddy and convenient to work in.
  
• Permanent hog houses should have concrete floors for easy cleaning and to minimize the occurrence of parasites and diseases. Concrete floors must not be too rough to cause foot and leg problems nor too smooth to be slippery when wet.

Source:http://www.gov.ph/cat_agriculture/swine.doc