4-H 1064 Your 4-H Hog Market Projectnorthampton.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/66/4-H Market Hog...

4-H 1064

4-H Youth Development • Michigan State University Extension

Your4-HMarket Hog Project

The publication was designed andillustrated by Marian M. Reiter. 4-HGraphic Artist. It was edited byRebecca McKee. 4-H PublicationsEditor.

The material on grooming pigs forshow on page 18 was adapted inpart from the Nebraska 4-H SwineManual 14-H 89). It is a publicationof the Cooperative Extension Ser-vice. University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Institute of Agricul-ture and Natural Resources. Themanual was revised by DoyleWolverton.

IThis publication was written byAssistant Extension Swine Specialist

Introduction I Feeding Your Pigs 13 Lee Johnston and Extension Live-What You Can Learn J Nutrient Requirements 13 stock Youth Specialist KennethProject and Member Objectives .. I Suggested Diets 13 Geuns. both of the Department ofRecords to Keep 2 Amount of Feed 14 Animal Science. Michigan Stateselecting Pigs Common Diseases-Their University. The original guide wasfor Your ProJect. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3 Prevention and Control 15 prepared by Graydon Blank.Sources of Feeder Pigs. . . . . . . .. 3 Infectious Diseases 15 Professor Emeritus; E. C. Miller. Pro-Feeder Pig Prices. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3 External Parasites of Swine 16 fessor Emeritus; and MaynardWhere to Get the Money. . . . . .. 3 Internal Parasites of Swine 16 Hogberg. Chairperson. DepartmentPig Identification. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4 exhibiting Your Hogs 18 ofAnimal Science. Michigan StateProper of Feeder Pigs ... 4 Grooming Your Pigs for Show 18 University.Evaluating Feeder Pigs. . . . . . . .. 5 In the Show Ring 19Breed 6 Suggested Guidelines for FittingEarly care and and Showing Swine 19Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7 Marketing 21Stress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7 Determining Hog Ouality 21Trucking Your Pigs Home. . . . . .. 7 Selling Your Pigs 22General Health 7 Pork Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 23Facilities and EqUipment . . . .. 8 Pork for Good Nutrition . . . . . .. 24Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 Other Activities. . . . . . . . . . . .. 25Feeders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 Demonstrations andWaterers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 Illustrated Talks 25List of Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 Public Speaking. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 25Feed Nutrients 10 JUdging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 25Water 10 Fitting and Showing. . . . . . . . .. 25Proteins 10 4-H Camp 25Carbohydrates 10 4-H Trips and Tours. . . . . . . . . .. 26Fats 10 Animal Science . . . . . . . .. 26Minerals 10 Careers in Animal Science. . . .. 26Vitamins 10 References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 27Feeds for Swine ............." U.S. Swine BreedEnergy Feeds or Concentrates. .. II Associations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 27Protein Supplements 12 Glossary 28Antibiotics 12

The figure entitled "Estimation ofbody composition" on page 6 wasadapted from the University ofWisconsin Swine SelectionProcedures (A2931). It is a publica-1-------------.:..-----------...;1 tion of the University ofWisconsin-Cooperative ExtensionService. The manual was written byDr. Carl Hirschinger and Dr. RobertGrummer.

Introduction

Feeding one or more pigs to sell as The market hog project consists ofProject and Membermarket animals is probably the feeding pigs to a market weight of

most common 4-H swine project. It Objectives approximately 200 to 240 pounds.doesn't require a large amount of The objective of the 4-H market This same procedure is carried onmoney or expensive buildings and hog project is to encourage integ- regUlarly by adult swine raisers. Youequipment and it can be com- rity, sportsmanship, cooperation will learn much of the same basicpleted during the summer months. and an ability to communicate information adults engaged in

through activities such as demon- swine production use.The words "swine," "hogs" and strations, talks, judging events,"pigs" refer to animals of the tours and exhibits. Don't expect to make a big profitporcine or pig family In this bul- on your project. Your profit or lossletin, swine will be used in refer- Knowing correct procedures for will depend on the cost of the pigsring to the pig family in a general running and participating in a busi- when you start the project, the costway, and "pig" will be used in refer- ness meeting will be important to of the feed used, other costs (suchring to young animals. "Hog" will you all of your life. Your 4-H swine as veterinarian and equipmentgenerally refer to animals at or club is an excellent place to learn bills). and the price you receive fornearing market weight or finished and practice these skills. your hogs when you sell them.for market. The term "barrow"means a castrated male, and "gilt" Here are some objectives you If you market your hogs at yourmeans a young female. should keep in mind for your county or area fair or show, gener-

market hog project: ous people in your community mayo To acquire information about and pay more for your animals than

What You Can Learn an understanding of scientific pro- their true market value. This

In this 4-H market hog project you duction and management practices increases your chance for a profit.

can learn how to: through keeping records and own- However, it is important that you

o Select feeder pigs for your project. ing and caring for livestock. know the difference between the

o Select proper feeds for your pigs. o To acquire skills in executing pro- regular livestock market price or

o Combine these feeds into a bal- duction and management value of your hogs and the price

anced diet. decisions. you receive at your fair or show

o Figure costs and returns from o To provide business experience sale. Your 4-H leader can help you

your project. and develop knowledge of the get this information.

o Tell when your pigs are sick. values and principles of purchas-If your hogs bring more than the

o Tell when your pigs are healthy. ing, marketing, record-keeping ando Prepare your pigs for exhibition. securing credit. regUlar market price, you should

o Handle your pigs in a show ring. o To learn and use efficient proce- realize that this difference is a

o Determine if your pigs will be dures and methods in marketing reward for your having participated

acceptable to the packer. livestock and their products. in the project and for having car-o To develop an understanding and ried out the practices you learned.

These are only a few of the many appreciation of the livestock/meatthings you can learn. Working with industry and its role in the agricul-your leader, you may want to make tural and commercial economy ofyour own list of the things you the country.want to learn from this project. o To explore the livestock industry

as a career.

14-H 1064 Your 4-H Market Hog Project • 4-H Youth Development • Michigan State University Extension

Records to KeepThe reasons for keeping records onyour market hog projects are to:• Help you learn more aboutanimals. their rate of growth. thefeed they require and their habits.• Help you plan future projects.• Determine if you made or lostmoney and how much.• Improve your managementpractices.• Give you a record of your projectactivities.

The following information aboutyour market hog project will behelpful and interesting. Use the4-H Market Livestock RecordBook (4-H 1177) to record it.• The weight of each pig at thestart of the project. Weights can beobtained by holding the pig andstanding on a bathroom scale. andthen subtracting the weight of theperson holding the pig from thetotal. You will learn more about

pigs if you weigh yours every 30days during the project.• The weight of each hog at thetime it is marketed.• The total cost or value of the pigsat the start of the project.• The money received from the saleof the hogs.• The amount of feed used.• The total cost of medicine andveterinary fees.• Anything interesting or unusualthat happened to your pigs duringthe project.

From the above jnformation youcan:• Make a chart or graph showinghow fast each pig grew.• Figure your hogs' average dailygain.• Figure the feed cost perunit-of-gain.• Figure the total cost per pound ofhogs sold (cost of pigs + cost offeed + other expenses 7 by weightof hogs sold).


Selecting Pigsfor Your Project

Sources of Feeder PigsHowever, do not pay a high price If you need to borrow money tofor a pig with the idea that this bUy the feed for a project pig, you

You can obtain feeder pigs from alone will assure you of winning a need to know how much feed yourseveral sources, including: grand championship. It takes good pig will eat. If your 40-pound• Your own or your parents' herd feeding and a lot of hard work, feeder pig will be sold at 230• A neighbor's or friend's purebred along with the right kind of pigs pounds, it will need to gain 190or commercial herd and good showmanship, to have a pounds. You can estimate that it• Special feeder pig sales grand champion. will take 3.5 pounds of feed per• Regular feeder pig sales at weekly pound of gain. Therefore, your pigauctions will probably need to eat about

Whereto Get 665 pounds of feed.Feeder pigs are generally sold by the Moneythe head, rather than by the pound. Your money problems are the same

If your feed costs 9 cents perTherefore, it is necessary to have a pound, you will need to borrowgood idea of how much the feeder as those of any other swine pro- $5985 (665 X $.09) for feed, pluspigs you are considering weigh ducer: "Where will I get the money whatever you expect to pay forbefore buying them. An acceptable to bUy and raise my feeder pigs?" your feeder pig.weight-for-age standard for a and "How much money will I

feeder pig is 40 pounds at 8 to 10 need?" You will pay interest on the moneyweeks of age. If they weigh less There are probably three sources of

you borrow from the bank. If youthan that, they may be stunted and borrow $130 per pig to finance yourfail to perform satisfactorily. money available to you: project, you will need the money

• Your savings account for about five months Ifor example,If you feed home-raised pigs, • Borrowing from your parents from April to August). If the bankweigh them when they start on • Borrowing from your bank charges 12 percent annual interest,feed and figure their value using If you borrow the money from your

you will pay a 5 percent interestcurrent market price. You will need charge for the period of time youthis information to complete your parents, pay them interest as if you have the money 112 percent annuallivestock record book. were borrowing from a bank. Keep rate: one percent per month X five

the transaction on a businesslike months = 5 percent interestbasis. charge). At this interest rate, you

Feeder Pig Prices Borrowing from your local bankwill pay $6.50 1$130 X .05) in inter-est. So, when you repay the bank,

Feeder pig prices depend a great will give you good business train- you will need to pay them $136.50deal on the price of market hogs ing. Have your parents go with (the original $130 you borrowedwhen you bUy your feeder pigs. A you. Your banker will need to know piUS $6.50 in interest).general rule is that the price per three things:pound of feeder pigs will average • How much money will you Paying off your loan when it is duetwo times the price of market hogs. need? will help your reputation as a bor-When you have the privilege of • How long will you need the rower. This is called your credit rat-selecting the top pigs from a large money? ing. Whether you obtain the moneygroup, you should expect to pay • How will you repay your loan if from your parents or borrow it fromsome premium in price. your pigs die or your project loses a bank, it is important to pay your

money? debts by their due dates. Honesty


Figure 1. Universal ear notching system.

Left

9

l' 3

9+3+1+1=14

Healthy feeder pigs will gain from1.5 to 1.8 pounds per day if fedproperly. Many times, 4-H projectpigs will gain over 2 pounds perday because they are raised insmall groups and receive tenderloving care.

If your hogs are to be marketed atyour county fair or show, you mayneed to consider the date of thisevent in selecting your feeder pigs.For example, if you have 106 daysto feed your pigs, you will need tostart your project with feeder pigsthat weigh at least 50 pounds (106X 1.6 pounds per day = 170 poundsgain; 50 pounds + 170 pounds gain= 220-pound market hogllf thepigs gain).7 pounds per day, their

Feeder pigs that weigh about 50pounds at the start of the projectusually make the best 4-H markethogs.

3

Example:Pig number 14 from litter number 41would be notched like this,

Right

9

27 + 9 + 3 + I + I = 41

4.There should never be more thantwo notches in any particular areaof a pig's ear.

81

the very tip is assigned a value of81 (see fig. )I.

3.The value of each notch in the rightear added together represents thepig's litter number; likewise, thevalues of all notches in the left earare added to determine the pig'sindividual number.

Proper Weightof Feeder PigsSelect pigs that will have theproper amount of finish (fat cover)when they weigh 200 to 240pounds. This is the most desirablemarket weight.

and integrity are important to youas a 4-H'er and as a citizen.

Knowing a few basic rules willmake understanding the universalear notching system much easier.

Pig IdentificationVery often pigs won't have anyeasily recognizable markings ortraits that allow you to identifythem. Consequently, swine pro-ducers use other methods to iden-tify their pigs. Ear tags can be used,but they are often lost and may bedifficult to read. Many producersdepend on ear notching because itis a permanent method of pig iden-tification. As a swine producer, youshould learn and use the ear notch-ing system.

1.Notches in the pig's right earrepresent its litter number. Notchesin the pig's left ear are its individualnumber. Under this system, everypig in a litter has the samenotch(es) in the right ear, while notwo pigs from the same littershould have the same notchles) inthe left ear.

2.For ear notching, the pig's ear isdivided into two halves-the tiphalf and the base half. By using thetop and bottom edge of each halfof the ear, four areas are availablefor notching. A notch in the loweredge of the base half is assigned avalue of one, while a notch in thelower edge of the tip half is three.A notch in the upper edge of thetip half indicates a 9, and eachnotch in the upper edge of thebase half is valued at 27. A notch in


finished weights will be 230pounds. Both fall in the desiredrange of market weights.

Figure 2. Parts of a hog.

i23

+I24I---

345

14

,I

I 10" 13 :-- .... ---)f

,-- I '18 I... 8 I .. J 1_- - -

6Using the above example, you candecide when you should select orbUy your feeder pigs to be at theirbest when you sell them. If youselect a heavier pig or ifyoubelieve your pigs will gain morerapidly, fewer days will be required.Under those conditions, you canselect your pigs or start your projectlater. Keeping accurate records thefirst year will help you plan yournext project more accurately.

Evaluating Feeder PigsWhen evaluating live pigs, twomajor areas must be considered:body composition and structuralsoundness. In order to properly dis-cuss the evaluation of live pigs, youshould learn the parts of the livehog Isee fig. 2). Knowing theseparts will help you recognize qual-ity feeder pigs and market hogs.

I, Ham2, Stifle region of ham3, Rump4, loin5, Shoulders6, Poll7, Face8, Jowl9, Neck

10. Shoulder". Heartglrth12. Length of side13. Depth of side

14. KneeIS. Elbow16. Underline17. Sheath18. Rear flank19. Hock20. Dewclaw21. Pastern22. Tall setting23. seam or crotch24. Depth of seam or crotch25. Width of stifle26. Turn over loin edge

Body CompositionConsumers demand pork that ismeaty with a minimum amount offat. Therefore, it should be yourgoal to raise lean, meaty hogs.When selecting feeder pigs it's hardto predict which pigs will be leanand meaty at market weight.Nonetheless, knowing the desir-able market hog body compositiontraits will help you pick desirablefeeder pigs.

There are only two things evalu-ated when determining body com-position: degree of muscling andfinish. When viewed from behind,the muscles of the ham regionshould be long and thick, with the

thickest point through the stifle.There should be a good deal ofspread or width between the hindlegs, indicating ham muscling. Theloin should have natural thicknessand expression of muscling [musclethicknessl when viewed from thefront or rear.

When evaluating the degree of fin-ish on a live hog, only the fat a pigdeposits over its muscles can beseen. Consequently, it is importantto determine whether the thicknessyou see is due to muscle or fat.

A lean hog will be trim in the jowland elbow pocket with little fatdeposited in its crotch or seam. It

will exhibit a desirable turn overthe loin. On the other hand, theloin of a fat hog will appear flatand square due to fat accumulationalong the loin edge. In addition, afat hog may exhibit a heavyJOWl,wasty elbow pocket, countersunktailsetting and no shoulder blademovement [see fig. 3).

Structural SoundnessWhen evaluating structural sound-ness, you should look primarily atthe pig's feet and legs, body cavityand topline. The pig's shoulder andfront leg structures are very closelyassociated. Sloping shoulders givethe front legs plenty of flex and


cushion, which will properly dis-tribute the pig's weight over theentire sole of its foot. A verystraight shoulder will cause the pigto be "over on its knees" and forceit to stand on its toes. Similarly, therear legs should show flexibilityand freedom of movement allow-ing the pig to take long strideseasily.

Side view

cB

Top view

A

Figure 3. Estimation of body composition.

The body cavity should be rela-tively deep, long and wide, givingthe pig plenty of body capacity.When the pig is viewed from theside, body capacity can be de-scribed as the depth of rib andflank. When the pig is seen fromthe front body capacity is thewidth of the chest floor. Whenviewed from above, body capacityis characterized by width betweenthe shoulder blades and over theloin. Remember, a fat pig willappear to have a great deal ofbody capacity. However, the pigactually has a small body coveredby a thick layer of fat. Finally thepig's topline should be level.Generally, a level-topped pig willbe free moving and structurallysound (see figs. 4 and 5).

C

B

C

Front view

A BC

cpI

B

A Ideal meat type hogB Lard typeC Lacks muscling

Rear view

Figure 4. Hog witha desirable skeletalstructure.

Figure 5. SkeletallyIncorrect hogthat Is high-topped,steep-rumped andstraight-shouldered.

BreedNo one breed of swine is superiorto all others for 4-H market hogprojects. Therefore, you must selecteach project pig based on its physi-cal attributes and the performancerecords of its relatives.

Good quality feeder pigs shouldappear thrifty, healthy, vigorousand alert. Male pigs should be cas-trated and healed.


Early Careand Management

StressThough stress is hard to define, it isimportant that you understand theconcept so that you can give yourpigs proper care early in their feed-ing period. Stress is a pig's physicalor psychological reaction to circum-stances that frighten, irritate,endanger or excite it. Any time apig gets scared, it has beenstressed.

Hauling, vaccinating, introducing itto strange surroundings andstrange pigs, and many otherthings can scare or stress the pig.When a pig is stressed, it will bemore susceptible to sickness. It mayeat less feed and grow slower. It isimportant to minimize stressthroughout the feeding period, butespecially when you first get yourpigs home.

Trucking YourPigs HomeHandle your pigs quietly duringloading to avoid getting them tooexcited. Before you leave the pro-ducer who raised your pigs, try tofind out as much as possible aboutyour pigs. Ask about their breedand age, how long they have beenweaned, and whether they've beentreated for internal and externalparasites. It would also be veryhelpful to find out what feeds ordiet they have been fed previously.If possible, bUy a sack of this feedand start your pigs on it in theirnew home.

Use care in getting your pigs home.To avoid chilling your pigs, alwayshaul them in a covered truck. Incold weather, bedding the truckwith dry straw will keep your pigswarm. In hot weather, sand orsawdust makes good truck bed-ding. Don't park your truck in directsunlight during hot weather.

Upon arriving at the pigs' newhome, have a clean pen ready forthem with feeder and waterer inplace. Provide a clean, dry, draft-free sleeping area under a roof.During cold weather, bed thesleeping area with straw.Remember, you want to minimizestress on your pigs during this partof the feeding period.

Try to familiarize your pigs withtheir new home so that they knowwhere the feed, water and shelterare located. It may be necessary tolet the waterer drip slowly and tofasten the feeder lids open untilyour pigs learn to operate thesedevices.

General HealthIt's important to maintain thehealth of your newly acquired pigs.The first 2 or 3 weeks are critical, soyou should check your pigs severaltimes each day during this period.Frequent observation allows you todetect any small problems beforethey grow into big ones. Strongappetites, body temperatures of102.5 of, sleek haircoats and tightlycurled tails are all signs of healthy

pigs. Healthy pigs are active andalert with bright looks in their eyes.

A pig will give you many clueswhen it isn't feeling well. Some ofthe clues are poor appetite, gaunt-ness, rough hair coat, a dull look inthe eyes, excessive coughing, diar-rhea, inactivity and lameness.

If you think a pig is sick, take itsrectal temperature. If it is 2 degreesor more above normal, call a veteri-narian immediately. Quick diagno-sis and treatment will pay big divi-dends. Always handle sick animalswith care.

Contact your local veterinarian forinformation on recommendedswine vaccinations in your area.


Facilitiesand Equipment

HousingMany farms have barns or build-ings that can be converted veryinexpensively into pens for raisingmarket hogs. You need to considerthree things when designing hous-ing for your pigs. First, pigs need aclean, dry, draft-free area undera roof to sleep. Pen floors shouldbe concrete so that pigs can bekept clean and dry

Second, pigs have specific spacerequirements that vary according totheir weight If pigs are crowded,they will be stressed, resulting indecreased growth rates. The spacerequirements of growing and fin-ishing pigs are presented in table I."Growing pigs" weigh 40 to 125pounds. "Finishing pigs" weighfrom 125 pounds to market weight(about 230 pounds).

Finally pigs, like people, have anideal temperature at which they aremost comfortable. This is called thethermoneutral zone. The idealtemperatures for growing and fin-ishing swine of various weights arepresented in table 2.

If the temperature falls below thisideal zone, some type of bedding,

such as wood shavings or oat orwheat straw, should be supplied inthe sleeping area to keep the pigswarm. When the temperature riseswell above the thermoneutralzone, misters will help cool yourpigs by continuously spraying afine mist of water on them. Leavingmisters on all night can chill yourpigs and result in very sick animals,so turn the misters off in the earlyevening.

FeedersThe feeder is one of the mostimportant pieces of equipment inyour swine enterprise. When prop-erly maintained it will supply theproper amount of feed to your pigsaround the clock. Feeder bafflesshould be set to provide aboutone-half to three-quarters of aninch space (fig. 6). Baffles adjustedtoo low will prevent feed fromflowing into the trough, while ahigh adjustment will result inwasted feed. Check feeder holesdaily to make sure your pigs aregetting all the feed they can eat

When selecting feeder size, allowfour to five pigs per feeder hole.Only put enough feed in the feederto last 3 to 4 days. This keeps the

feed from getting stale as it sits inthe feeder Pigs prefer fresh feed.

WaterersThe ideal way to supply fresh,clean water to your pigs is througha nipple drinker or a water cup.Unfortunately, these are expensiveto install. Water barrels are lessexpensive and work very well.Water cups and water barrelsshould be cleaned periodically toensure that your pigs always havefresh, clean water available.

List of EquipmentThe 4-H market hog project doesn'trequire a great deal of expensiveequipment As a beginner youwon't need all of these itemsimmediately; you can bUy them asneeded. You can purchase equip-ment from livestock supply com-panies. Your county 4-H Youthagent should be able to help youlocate equipment Below is a list ofequipment you will need.• Small, covered sleeping area• Two- or three-hole hog feeder• Water barrel or nipple waterer• Hog panels to fence in pen• Syringe and hypodermic needle

Table 1. Space Requirements ofGrowing and Finishing SwinePig weight Space requirements/pig30-60 pounds 3-4 square feet60-125 pounds 6 square feet125 pounds-market weight 8 square feet

8

Table 2. Ideal Temperature forGrowing and Finishing SwinePig weight Temperature30-60 pounds 70-75 OF60-125 pounds 65-70 OF125 pounds-market weight 60 OF


Figure 6. Proper feeder adjustment.

Below is a list of equipment youwill need for fitting and showingswine:• Garden hose• Rubber boots• Hand-held hurdle• Rice root brush• Scrub brush• Small brush that fits in a pantspocket• Mild soap (such as castile orOrvus)• Clippers• Cane or whip• Rags• Water bucket and feed pan• Show box

Same

JIij. .... ,_.-.. - .__ ". I'


FeedNutrients

To properly feed your project pigs, essential amino acids, and they at a slower rate than carbohydrates.you need to know what the var- must be included in the pig's diet. Most swine diets contain enoughious feed nutrients are and how fat. so fat doesn't need to be addedthey contribute to the growth and If you feed more dietary protein to to the diet.health of your pigs. your pigs than they need, the extra

protein is used for energy. Grains Mineralssuch as corn supply part of the

Water pig's protein lamino acid} needs. A Minerals build bones and teeth and

Water is the most important part of commercial protein supplement or support other life processes in pigs.

a pig's diet. Strictly speaking, water soybean meal is used to balance Calcium, phosphorus, sodium and

is not a nutrient. However, without the protein (amino acidl content of chlorine are called macrominerals

it many of your pig's important the diet. because they make up the largest

body functions can't happen. Orie- percentage of the minerals in your

half to two-thirds of a pig's body is Carbohydrates pig's body.

made up of water. Therefore, pigsCarbohydrates are to a pig what Minerals that are needed in veryshould be supplied with as much

clean, fresh water as they will drink. gasoline is to an automobile. They small amounts are called tracesupply the energy or fuel the pig minerals or microminerals. Some

The pig needs water to properly needs to walk, breathe, stand and examples of trace--minerals are

digest its feed and carry nutrients grow. Carbohydrates also produce copper, iron, zinc and iodine. Min-

to the body cells. Water carries heat to keep the body warm. erals can be added separately to

away waste products, lubricates Energy nutrients not used right swine diets or they can be supplied

joints and is a built-in cooling sys- away are stored as fat until the in a commercial protein

tem. A pig can live longer without body needs them. supplement.

feed than without water.Sugars and starches are carbohy- Vitaminsdrates. Grains such as corn and

Proteins wheat contain much sugar and Vitamins are just as important asstarch. Cellulose is one of the more other feed nutrients, but they are

The protein a pig eats as part of its complex carbohydrates. Grasses needed in smaller amounts.feed is called dietary protein. It is and hays are high in cellulose. Vitamin A is needed for the healthbroken down by the pig's body Since pigs can't readily use cellu- of the eyes, nasal passages andinto amino acids. These amino lose for energy, swine diets lungs. Vitamin 0 is necessary foracids are then used by the pig to shouldn't contain hays or grasses strong bones, and vitamin K forbuild body proteins, which make as major energy sources. blood clotting. Pigs need otherup muscles, internal organs, bones vitamins to aid other body func-and blood. Body proteins are also tions. Most of the grains fed topart of hair, hooves, skin and many Fats swine contain all or part of theother body parts. necessary vitamins. One vitamin,

Fats also provide energy for move- vitamin 0, can be manufactured byThere are two kinds of amino acids: ment and heat. They produce pigs that are exposed to sunlight. Ifthose the pig's body can manufac- about 2'/, times as much energy as a swine diet made from grains con-ture, and those the pig's body can't carbohydrates. Fats are also needed tains only part of the neededmake on its own. The second to help digest certain vitamins. Fats vitamins, extra vitamins must begroup of amino acids is called digest easily in the pig's body but added to the diet.


Feed will represent from 70 to 75percent of the cost of your markethog project. This fact. along withthe rather specific requirements ofgrowing pigs for certain essentialnutrients, makes it very importantfor you to understand a few basicrules for selecting the proper feedsin the right proportions for yourpigs.

It's a good idea to learn and useproper terminology when referringto swine feeding programs. Your4-H market hog project is a goodplace to begin. Often, the termsdiet and ration are used to refer tothe same thing, but there is a dif-ference between the two. A swinediet is a nutritionally-balanced mix-ture of feed ingredients. A ration isthe amount of feed a pig isallowed to eat in a 24-hour period.

Pigs are nonruminant animals. Theyhave a single stomach in contrastto ruminants such as cattle andsheep, which have stomachs thatare divided into four compart-ments. To grow rapidly and effi-ciently, swine need a high energy,concentrated grain diet that is lowin fiber Icellulosel and is supple-mented with adequate protein.Cattle and sheep on the otherhand, can digest large quantities offibrous feeds such as hay andpasture.

Energy Feedsor ConcentratesFarm grains are the most commonand the best source of energy feeds

for swine. The following tells howfarm grains can be used and howthey compare as feeds for swine.

Corn is an excellent energy feedfor all classes of swine. It is an idealfinishing feed because it is high indigestible carbohydrates, low infiber, and is a very palatable, safefeed. Corn can be fed shelled,ground, mixed or free-choice, oreven as ear corn. It may be dry orhigh moisture. It makes little differ-ence to the pig; pigs like corn anyway it is offered.

In spite of its virtues, corn alonewon't keep pigs growing andhealthy. Corn contains 7 to 9 per-cent protein, but the protein is defi-cient in practically all of the essen-tial amino acids required by thepig. It is also so deficient in calciumand other minerals, and so inade-quate in vitamin content, that pigswill perform very poorly if they arelimited to a diet containing onlycorn.

Corn must be supplemented with aprotein that makes up its aminoacid deficiencies. It is equally impor-tant to supply the needed mineralsand vitamins. When corn is prop-erly supplemented, it is an excellentfeed for all classes of swine.

Feedsfor Swine

Barley is an excellent energy feedwhen corn is not available. Butbecause of its higher fiber content,barley has more bulk and is slightlylower in energy than corn. It con-tains more protein than corn, butthe amino acid balance isn't gOOd.In feeding value, it is worth about90 percent of corn.

Barley should be rolled or groundto a medium degree of fineness forswine. When fed in this manner, itcan replace all or part of the corn ina swine diet. It is somewhat lesspalatable to pigs than corn, so it isbest to mix the ground barley witha protein supplement.

Oats are not a good energy feedfor pigs because of their high fibercontent. This bulk makes oats a bet-ter feed for breeding animals thanfor young pigs or finishing hogswhere high energy diets areneeded for fast gains.

The feed value of oats ranges from70 to 80 percent that of corn. Finegrinding or removal of the hullimproves the feed efficiency. Whenground oats comprise no morethan 20 percent of the total diet.the growth rate of growing pigswill not be reduced.


necessary to supplement the grains

used in swine diets with protein-rich feeds. Usually, 4-H memberswill find it more convenient andcheaper to purchase a commercialprotein/vitamin/mineral supple-ment prepared especially for swine.

Wheat, for all practical purposes,is equivalent to corn as an energysource and is slightly superior tocorn in the quality and quantity ofits protein. Wheat can be used as apound-for-pound substitute forcorn; but because of its relativelyhigh cost, it is not widely used as aswine feed. Low quality wheat notsuitable for milling and damagedwheat can be profitably utilized byswine.

Wheat should be coarsely groundor rolled for hogs. When groundtoo fine, it has a tendency to form apasty mass in the pig's mouth andbecomes less palatable.

Grain sorghums Imilol havemany of the same virtues and defi-ciencies as corn and can replacecorn in all swine diets. The kernel ishard and small and should beground before mixing with otheringredients. The feeding value ofgrain sorghums is approximately 95percent that of corn.

Protein SupplementsAfter reading about the commonfarm grains fed to pigs, you shouldrecognize that all are deficient inboth the quantity and quality ofprotein they provide. Therefore it is

12

The commercial supplementshould contain all the requiredminerals and vitamins along withthe protein (amino acidsj missing inthe grain ingredients.

AntibioticsAntibiotics aid in efficient swineproduction because they are veryeffective in improving weight gainand the general health of pigs.Some people believe antibiotics areeffective because they suppress thegrowth of harmful bacteria in thepig's body.

Other people believe long-termantibiotic feeding is a potentialthreat to human health. They pointout that continuous feeding ofantibiotics may result in bacteriathat can't be killed by antibiotics.Antibiotics would have limited use-fulness in curing disease ifantibiotic-resistant bacteria infectedpeople.

Because of the potential threat tohuman health, the safety of feed-ing antibiotics to livestock has beenquestioned. The effect of futureregulations concerning the use ofantibiotics in livestock feeds isuncertain at this writing.

If you decide to use antibiotics inyour swine diets, be sure to readand follow all label directions.Observing the recommendedwithdrawal time is especially

important. Withdrawal time is theamount of time before slaughterthat the pig cannot eat feed con-taining antibiotics. Contact yourcounty Cooperative ExtensionService office for the latest regula-tions and recommendations con-cerning antibiotics in swine diets.

Antibiotics such as Aureomycin orTerramycin can be added to swinediets at low levels (10 to 20 gramsper ton of complete feed).Remember, antibiotics can't takethe place of good managementand sound nutrition.


FeedingYour Pigs

Nutrient RequirementsThe nutrient requirements of grow-ing and finishing swine are pre-sented in table 3. Pigs weighing 40to 125 pounds are referred to asgrowing pigs. From 125 pounds tomarket weight (about 230 pounds'pigs are called finishing hogs.

plans IA and B) have been provided based on the crude proteincontent of the supplement youbuy. Use the diets in Plan A if yoursupplement contains 40 percentcrude protein. The diets under PlanB are designed for diets containinga 34 percent crude proteinsupplement.

In Michigan, corn is the mostpopular source of energy for pigsbecause it is readily available andrelatively inexpensive. The supple-ment provides protein, mineralsand vitamins. The ground corn andsupplement should be mixed thor-oughlyand fed in meal form. The

As a pig grows, the total amount ofdietary protein it needs each dayalso increases Since smaller pigsdon't eat as much feed each day asheavier pigs, the percentage of pro-tein in grower diets must be higherso that the growing pigs receivetheir daily protein requirement.

Grower diets are often referred toas nutrient dense diets. Older pigseat more feed so they can meettheir daily requirements with a lessnutrient dense diet. Remember,muscles and internal organs con-tain quite a bit of protein. Duringthe finishing phase, the pig'sweight increase is due to increasedfat deposits throughout the body.Fat tissue contains very littleprotein.

Lysine is the essential amino acidmost likely to be deficient in corn-soybean meal diets for swine. Con-sequently, you must be sure tomeet your pig's lysine requirementswhen formulating diets.

Suggested DietsCorn-supplement diets for bothgrowing and finishing pigs arepresented in table 4. Two dietary

Table 3. Nutrient Requirements of Growing andFinishing Swine

Nutrient 40- 1251bs-lin percentagesl 1251bs Market weight

Protein 1600 14.00

Lysine 75 .62

Calcium 75 .60

Phosphorus .65 .50

Table 4. Suggested Diets for Growing and FinishingSwine

PLANA' PLANS'Ingredientlin Ibsl Grower Finisher Grower Finisher

Corn 77 83 72 80

Supplement 23 17 28 20

Total 100 100 100 100

'40% crude protein supplement. 2.63% lysine. 3.93% calcium, 2.02% phosphorus.

'34% crude protein supplement. 2.20% lysine. 3.10% calcium. 1.65% phosphorus.


calculated nutrient composition ofthe suggested diets is presented intable 5. Compare the calculatednutrient composition of these dietsto the nutrient requirements ofgrowing and finishing swine.

Amount of FeedPigs should be self-fed (given allthe feed they will eat) throughoutthe feeding period. Self-feedingallows a pig to grow as fast as pos-sible. The daily feed intake of pigsof different weights is presented intable 6. This information will helpyou calculate the approximateamount of feed that will be neededduring the pig's feeding period.Remember, pigs should beswitched from the grower to thefinisher diet when they weighabout 125 pounds.

14

Table 5. Calculated Nutrient Composition of Sug-gested Growing and Finishing Swine Diets

PLANA PLANSNutrientlin percentages) Grower FInisher Grower FInisher

ProteIn 16.00 1400 1600 14.00

Lysine .78 .64 .79 63

calcium .91 .67 .87 .63

Phosphorus .66 .55 .64 .53

Table 6. Normal Dally Feed Intake of Growing andFinishing Swine

PIg weIght Feed Intake Intake as a percentIn pounds In pounds of body weIght

40 27 6.67

60 3.8 6.30

80 4.7 5.83

100 5.6 5.55

120 6.3 5.37

140 6.8 4.84

160 7.4 4.66

180 7.8 4.27

200 8.3 4.18


Common Diseases-Their Prevention & Control

Maintaining the health of your Treatment-Antibiotics such asPseudorabies (Mad Itch,newly purchased pigs is critical. penicillin are good treatment for an

The first 2 to 3 weeks following acute attack of erysipelas. Aujeszky's Disease)their arrival at your farm are very Signs-Pseudorabies is a veryimportant. New pigs require a serious, highly contagious diseasegreat deal of care and attention. By Pneumonia caused by a virus. The disease cancareful observation, you will learn Signs-Pneumonia is a lung be spread from pig to pig in drink-to distinguish a normal, healthy pig inflammation or irritation. Pneumo- ing water, in bedding or on thefrom a sick one. Early diagnosis nia can be caused by bacteria, shoes and clothes of people.and treatment of any illness will viruses or mycoplasma organisms.pay big dividends. Ease the dis- Internal parasites living in the pig's In groWing swine, fever is a majorcomfort of the pig during its illness lungs and the pig breathing exces- sign of pseudorabies, followed byby giving it good feed, plenty of sive amounts of dust can also loss of appetite, labored breathing,water, a clean pen protected from cause pneumonia. Stress is often vomiting and trembling. Affecteddampness and drafts, and plenty of an important factor in respiratory pigs have difficulty controlling theirrest. diseases such as pneumonia hind legs, and may rub their noses

because stress lowers the pig's excessively, sneeze and cough.defenses against pneumonia- Only 5 percent of infected pigs die;

Infectious Diseases causing organisms. however, pigs which recover usu-ally take longer to reach market

Erysipelas Some common signs of pneumonia weight.are abnormal nasal discharge, per-

Signs-This disease is caused by a sistent cough and labored Prevention-Buy your pigs from abacterium which can affect swine breathing-sometimes called qualified pseudorabies-free herd.of all ages. High fever (104 to thumping. Pigs may also display Once you have your pigs, the best106 OF). poor appetite and stiffness decreased appetites, gauntness and prevention is to restrict human andare characteristic of the acute form dull appearances of the eyes and animal traffic around them. Vacci-of this disease. Affected pigs may haircoat. nating market hogs is not recom-stand with their feet well under mended because vaccinated pigstheir body, giving their backs an Prevention-Because so many are indistinguishable from pigs thatarched appearance. They may also factors can cause swine pneumo- have had pseudorabies. Identifica-constantly shift their weight in an nia, it is difficult to guard against tion of pseudorabies carriers (pigseffort to relieve the pain. Diamond- any particular cause of the disease. that have had the disease) is impor-shaped skin lesions may appear Providing a well-ventilated, draft- tant in order to control its spread.during an acute attack. free environment with a minimum

amount of stress will go far toward Treatment-If your pigs catchPrevention-Vaccinations are par- preventing pneumonia. pseudorabies, they must be placedticularly effective against this dis- under strict quarantine to preventease. Pigs should be vaccinated Treatment-Due to the wide the spread of the disease. Contactagainst erysipelas at 8 to 10 weeks range of pneumonia-causing organ- your veterinarian for advice andof age. Erysipelas vaccinations are isms in swine, no treatment will be proper treatment procedures.usually given at the beginning of effective in all cases. If you suspectthe feeding period. that your pig has pneumonia, ask

your veterinarian about treatment.


Atrophic RhinitisSigns-Atrophic rhinitis results froma bacterial infection of the turbinatebones of the pig's snout. The turbi-nates are small scroll-like bones ineach nostril that warm, moistenand filter the air a pig breathes. Thisdisease is not fatal, but infectedpigs have slower growth ratesand are more susceptible topneumonia.

The most common signs ofatrophic rhinitis are sneezing,snifning, snorting and coughing.The pig may have moist areasbelow its eyes due to excessive tearproduction. In severe cases, twist-ing and/or shortening and thicken-ing of the nose is common.

Prevention-Vaccines are avail-able for use in the prevention ofatrophic rhinitis. These vaccinesshould only be used if rhinitis is aproblem in your facility. Ask yourveterinarian about the need for andthe best time to vaccinate.

Treatment-Sulfonamide drugsmixed in the feed during the earlypart of the feeding period are use-ful in the treatment of atrophicrhinitis. Do not forget to observethe proper withdrawal period.

Swine DysenteryIBloody Scours)Signs-This disease is caused by abacterium which affects the pig'slarge intestine. Typically, affectedpigs have diarrhea with mucus andblood in it.

Swine dysentery causes reducedrates of gain and poor feed effi-ciencies. In severe cases, pigs may

16

die. People wearing contaminatedclothes, dogs, birds and flies canspread this disease, so keep petsout of the pig pen and controlpedestrian traffic.

Prevention-No vaccine has beendeveloped against swine dysen-tery. The best preventive measureagainst the disease is to keephuman and pet traffic around thehog pen to a minimum. You shouldisolate pigs with swine dysenteryfrom other pigs.

Treatment-Vqrious drugs can bemixed in the feed to treat swinedysentery. Your veterinarian cangive you advice on which drug ismost effective.

External Parasitesof Swine

Lice and Mange MitesThese are common external para-sites frequently found on pigs. Liceare small insects that suck bloodfrom the pig. On a white pig, licelook like small specks of dirt. Theyare very difficult to see on a blackpig. Mange mites, on the otherhand, can't be seen because theyburrow under the skin.

Both lice and mange mites irritatethe pig's skin, causing it to scratchconstantly. Irritation caused bythese parasites makes pigs restlessand may decrease their feed intakeand growth rate.

Since lice and mange mites are dif-ficult to see, you must constantlybe alert for them. Check your pigsfrequently. Lindane, Malathion andProlate are all chemicals used tocontrol these pests. For effectivecontrol of lice and mange, severalapplications of one of these chemi-cals {lO to 14 days apart! may benecessary.

Insecticides are strong chemicals. Itis important for you to follow themanufacturer's directions on thelabel. Most insecticides are avail-able in sprays, wettable powders ordust preparations. Some are ap-plied directly while others aremixed with water before applica-tion. Be certain to mark containersclearly and store these chemicalssafely. Avoid accidental poisoning.

Internal Parasitesof SwineSwine are hosts to a wide variety ofinternal parasites. Different parasitespecies affect different swineorgans. Several of the internal para-sites found in swine and their loca-tions are presented in table 7.

The primary internal parasite ofeconomic importance in swineproduction is the roundworm orascarid. High infestations of ascar-ids will reduce growth and keeppigs from gaining efficiently. Thepig eats roundworm eggs found insoil or manure which then hatch inthe pig's intestine.

During its life cycle Isee fig. 71. theimmature roundworm passes fromthe pig's intestine into its liver.While in the liver, the roundwormcauses scar tissue to form which


will result in liver condemnation atslaughter. Condemned livers can'tbe sold for human consumption, sothe packer loses money on thathog's liver. If a producer has a his-tory of selling hogs whose liversare condemned, buyers mayeven-tually hesitate to bUy that pro-ducer's animals.

From the liver, the ascarid travels tothe lungs where it causes irritation.This irritation causes the pig tocough up the worm and swallowit. Once in the intestine, the ascaridmatures and lays eggs which willpass out of the pig in its manure.These eggs can then reinfect thesame pig or infect penmates

Table 7. Internal Parasites of SwineParasite nameAscarid [large roundworms)WhipwormNodular wormStomach wormKidney wormLungworm

Figure 7. Life cycle of the ascarid.

AdultKidney

Usual locationSmall intestineLarge intestineLarge intestineStomachKidneysLungs

Wormers such as Dichlorvos orLevamisole can be mixed in thepig's feed to kill the adult wormsliving in its intestine. Anotherwormer, Piperazine, can be mixedinto the pig's water. Pigs should bewormed once with one wormerand then again 30 days later with adifferent wormer The secondtreatment is needed to kill the adultworms that were larvae at the timeof the first treatment. Banminth is awormer that can be added to thepig's diet throughout the feedingperiod. When Banminth is used, noother roundworm treatment isneeded.

Whipworms, nodular worms,stomach worms, kidney wormsand lungworms are not usually amajor problem in market hogs.Many of the wormers used forascarid treatment will kill severalspecies of parasites. Your veterinar-ian can aid you in the diagnosisand control of these other internalparasites.

Heart

,/Infective_'I ,larvae W "¥}JJ .---..- 99


ExhibitingYour Hogs

You and other members of your its hide well with a stiff brush.club may want to exhibit your Grooming Your Pigs Don't forget to scrub its underline,market hogs at your county or area for Show head and feet. These parts arefair or show. This is often a Grooming is just as important as often neglected.requirement if you are to sell your training when getting pigs readyhogs there. Exhibiting your hogs for show. Proper grooming If the lather from the first wash isshould be a pleasant experience for improves the general appearance dirty, rinse it off and start over. Ayou; however, it is only one part of of a pig. bar of castile or Orvus soap is goodyour project. for washing pigs. If you use a mild,

Your pig's general appearance is liquid detergent. mix it with aIt is perfectly normal for you to the first thing a jUdge notices about bucket of warm water and apply itwant to win and to feel badly if it. This first impression is important with a brush. Don't ever use ayou don't. The important thing to because it has some bearing on strong soap or detergent because itremember is not to let the results of where the pig is placed in its class. will harm the pig's skin.the show spoil what would haveotherwise been an enjoyable expe-

WashingWhen you have finished scrubbing,

rience in your 4-H project. rinse the pig with cold water untilThe most helpful thing you can do all the soap is gone. Give special

In order to exhibit your hogs prop- in grooming a pig is to wash it. attention to your pig's underlineerly and to enjoy your experience in Wash your pigs twice-once about and the area between its legs.the show ring, you must begin a week before fair time and again Keep the pig on a clean surfacepreparing for the show when you the day before your show. More after leaving the wash rack. Takestart your project. Your pigs must frequent washings are not neces- your pig to a holding pen and dry itbe healthy and free from internal sary if the pigs are kept clean and as much as possible with a terryand external parasites. They must well-bedded. Spend your extra time cloth towel. Continue to dry thebe fed at the proper rate so that putting the finishing touches on pig by brushing it with a dry brush.they will show the proper weight training. Brush the hair in the direction thatfor their age. it will lie naturally until it is dry, or it

Before washing your pig, rinse it will curl up on the sides when yourNext. you must begin training them with clean water. A bucket of pig lies down.several weeks before the show. It water can be used, but a hose willmay surprise you to learn that hogs do a better job. Rinsing will remove

Clippingcan be trained to respond to your loose dirt and wet the skin and hairactions. You must train them to before soap is applied. Hold the Clipping the hair from the belly, tailmove easily at a walk. Have your pig's ears closed when you rinse its and ears of your market hog isleader or parent act as ajUdge head so you won't get water in optional. Some national showswhile you are training your pigs. them-this is especially important now discriminate against a pig thatThis will help both you and your at the fair. A pig with water in its has been clipped. Check with thepigs know what to expect when ears can be difficult to handle in local fair authority on specific rulesthe actual judging takes place at the show ring. concerning the Clipping of pigs. Ifyour fair or show. you plan to Clip your pigs, use

After the pig has been rinsed, apply either a hand clipper or electricenough soap or mild detergent to barber's clippers, and clip them thework up a good lather. Then scrub day before leaving for the fair.


Suggested Guidelines for Fitting and Showing Swine

In 4-H market hog showmanship classes, the exhibitor is being evalu-ated. This evaluation includes indications of the care, attention, trainingand preparation given the animal, and the appearance of the exhibitor

Clip the tail from a paint 2 to 3inches above the switch to the tailsetting. Blend the hair carefully intothe rump at the tail setting. Clip theinside and outside of the ears. Clipto the base of the ear where itattaches to the head, but don't Clipthe head.

Blend the clipped areas with theunclipped areas. Clipping thesheath of a barrow tends to makehim appear trimmer in the middle.Clipping the underlines of markethogs makes them appear trimmerin the belly region.

Dressing the HairAfter the pig has been washed and .clipped, it will be ready for show,except for dressing its hair. Howthe hair is dressed will depend onthe color of the pig. If you decideto use powder or oil on your pigsbe sure to use the followingguidelines.

White hogs-Use white talcumpowder or cornstarch. Sprinkle thepowder on very lightly then brushto spread the powder evenly andto get rid of any excess.

Appearance of the Exhibitor• The exhibitor should be neat and clean He/sheshould be appropriately dressed for the occasion.Leather boots or shoes should be worn forprotection.

Appearance of the Pig• The pig should be thoroughly washed, includingits ears and feet. Animals should be healthy andfree from external parasites,

• If long hair is clipped, the clipped areas shouldenhance the appearance of the pig.

Show Ring Procedures• The exhibitor should enter the show ring promptlywith the pig under control at all times, Showingthe pig to its best advantage takes precedenceover all other things.

• When driving the pig, exhibitors should have acane or Whip in one hand, a small brush in onepocket and one hand free to open gates.

• Exhibitors should never do anything that willdistract attention from another exhibitor's pig.

• Exhibitors should be courteous to the jUdge andtry to do as he/she asks.

Perfect Score10

40

50

I 100-----------'Black. red and spottedhogs-Use a light oil (severalcommercial preparations are good;lightweight mineral oil is good,tool. Another good rnixture is twoparts IO-weight oil and one partkerosene. Apply oil lightly andevenly with a fly sprayer, pressuresprayer or a wool rag. Make sure tooil the pig completely. Don't applyan excessive amount of oil to yourpig, and don't use powder on thebelt of a Hampshire.

If you accidentally apply too muchoil, rub your pig with a dry towel to

remove the excess. All oil orpowder should be washed off yourpigs immediately after showingthem to prevent any damage to theskin.

It is better to use water thanpowder or oil to dress your pig'shair Apply the waterjust beforeyou enter the show ring. Thismakes the pig appear fresh andhelps keep it from overheating inwarm weather.

In the Show RingThe following are generallyaccepted procedures in exhibitingyour hogs.

Your Personal AppearanceYou should be neat, clean andappropriately dressed for the occa-sion. Neutral slacks would be suit-able for showing light-colored pigsand dark slacks for exhibiting a red


or black pig. A white shirt or blouseis suitable; dresses and shorts arenot. Leather boots or shoes shouldbe worn for protection. Expensiveor elaborate clothing is not pre-ferred over neat. clean, more con-servative apparel. Don't forget tosecurely fasten your exhibitornumber to the back of your shirt.

Your Pig's AppearancePigs should show proper size forage, indicating an acceptablegrowth rate. Evidence of goodhealth as indicated by a youthfulhaircoat is necessary. A youthfulhaircoat can be recognized by itsrelatively short, sleek and shinyhair. Animals should be healthyand free from internal and externalparasites. Your pig should be pre-pared for the show ring followingthe steps outlined in the sections ofthis manual on grooming, wash-ing, clipping and dressing the hair.

-20

Show Ring ProceduresEnter the show ring promptly whenyour class is called with the pigunder control at all times. Showingyour pig to its best advantage is thefirst requirement of you as a goodexhibitor. You must know wherethe pig and the jUdge are at alltimes.

When driving your pig, have acane or whip in one hand, a smallbrush in your pocket and one handfree to open gates. The small brushcan be used to remove sawdustand dirt that may get on your pigduring the show.

If you use a cane, hold the straightend in your hand and guide the pigwith the curved end. This givesyou more surface to guide the pigwith and you can use the hook topull your pig from a fight. Neveruse the hook except to separatepigs that are fighting.

If you use a whip, make sure it islightweight and not more than 3feet long with a small switch onthe end. Drive your pig by gentlytapping it on the shoulder or neck.Tap the pig gently behind the frontflank or on the side to move itforward.

Never hit the pig on the back, rumpor snout. Never place your hand orcane around the pig's tail or hindlegs. Never shove your pig or useyour knee to make it move.

Keep the pig between you and thejUdge. Never get between the pigand the jUdge or between a fellowexhibitors pig and the jUdge. Try tokeep your pig in the jUdge's viewand not too close or too far away.Generally speaking, the pig shouldbe kept 10 to 15 feet away from thejUdge.

When showing your pig, stay outof bunches or large groups. Try tokeep your pig in an open areawhere the jUdge can see it. Try toanticipate every movement of thejUdge and have your pig where thejUdge is looking and will be look-ing. Keep your pig at a slow walk.Pigs look better walking thanstanding still.

Be courteous to the jUdge and tryto do as he/she asks. After the pigshave been placed give the jUdge aquiet "thank you." It's all right todisagree with the jUdge since notwo people see things exactly alike,but keep your disagreement toyourself. Always congratulate thewinner. A loser who can smile aftera loss may be a bigger, strongerperson than the person who cansmile only after winning.


Marketing

Swine producers, like other busi-ness operators, are working to pro-duce and sell a top quality product.The goal of the swine industry is toraise lean, heavily-muscled hogswhich will yield a maximumamount of edible meat. In order toproperly market your hogs anddecide on a fair price for them, youmust be able to determine theirquality.

Carcass traits are measured afterthe hog has been slaughtered andis in carcass form. Some commonlymeasured carcass traits are backfatdepth, loineye area, carcass lengthand percent muscle in the carcass.Many times producers and buyerstry to predict carcass quality beforethe animal is killed by estimatingthese carcass traits. This is notalways very accurate, but it can bea useful selection tool.

for days to 230 indicate a fast-grOWing pig.

Feed efficiency value-Thismeasures the amount of feed a pigrequires to gain I pound. A feedefficiency value Isometimes calledfeed-to-gain ratio} of 3.6 meansthat a pig had to eat 3,6 pounds offeed to increase its body weight byJ pound. A low feed efficiencyvalue is more desirable.

DeterminingHog QualityWhen assessing the quality ofhogs, two major areas must beconsidered: production traits andcarcass traits. Production traits, suchas average daily gain, days requiredto reach market weight and feedefficiency, are important to theswine producer. These traits areways to measure how fast and effi-cientlya pig grew. Production traitsare measured on the live hog.

It is important that you know thesemeasures of performance and car-cass quality and understand whatthey mean. The normal ranges andaverage values for several of thesetraits are shown in table 8.

Production TraitsGrowth rate-Average daily gainIADG) and days required to reach230 pounds Idays to 230) are bothmeasures of growth rate. A greatervalue for ADG and a smaller value

Carcass TraitsMany times, 4-H'ers don't receivecarcass information on their projectpigs. This is unfortunate, becauseseeing how your live pigs look incarcass form can be very educa-tional. Evaluating the carcasses ofthe pigs you raise this year mightmake selecting your feeder pigseasier next year. This section de-scribes the physical measurementsand characteristics of swine that arecalled carcass traits.

Table 8. Normal Ranges and Average Valuesfor Various Production and Carcass 'n'alls

Dressing percentage-Dressingpercentage represents the amount(percentage) of the hog's liveweight that is present in carcassform. To calculate dressing percent-age, divide the chilled carcassweight by the live weight and mul-tiply by 100.

The amount of fat and the amountof fill (stomach and intestine con-tents) are the two factors that infiu-ence dressing percentage. Fat hogswill dress higher than lean hogs,while hogs that are full of feed andwater will dress lower than shrunk

.60

1.61803.5

230721.34.530.551

.47-.83

190-26568-77.7-2.23.0-7.028-3445-65

1.4-2.1165-2003.2-3.8

Trait Normal Range AverageProductionAverage daily gain (pounds per day)Days to 230 poundsFeed efficiency

carcassLive market weight (pounds)Dressing percent8ackfat depth (inches)Loineye (square inches)Carcass length (inches)Percent muscle

Combined traitsAverage daily lean gain (pounds per day)


Figure 8. Sites for measuring average backfat depthon a live hog.

in the carcass. When calculatingpercent muscle, the loineye area,backfat depth and carcass weightare all considered.

Figure 9. Measuringcarcass length.

A1tch bone

22

hogs (those held off feed for 12 to24 hours).

Backfat depth-Backfat depth ismeasured at three points on thehog's topline-opposite the firstrib, last rib and last lumbar verte-bra. The average of these threemeasurements is the average back-fat depth (see fig. 8).

Lolneye area-This is a mea-surement of the size of the majormuscle that is found in the loin.Loineye area is determined by cut-ting the loin crosswise at the 10thrib and measuring the area of themuscle face. Loineye area is a goodindicator of the total amount ordegree of muscling in an animal.

Carcass length-This is simply ameasure of the live pig's bodylength, but this measurement istaken from the carcass. Carcasslength is measured from the aitchbone to the first rib (see fig. 9).

Percent musde-While loineyearea is used as an indicator of mus-cling, percent muscle describes thetotal amount of lean meat present

Average dally lean gain-Aver-age daily gain measures only therate of absolute increase in a pig'sbody weight. That increase inweight is due to increases in leanand/or fat tissue. On the otherhand, when the various carcasstraits are measured, only theamounts of lean and fat tissue inthe end product (the market hog)are evaluated. Carcass traits saynothing about the hog's growthrate up to slaughter time.

Because evaluating just productiontraits or just carcass traits hasserious limitations, hog producersmeasure average daily lean gain(ADLG). Growth rate, leanness andmuscling are all looked at whenmeasuring ADLG. For ADLG formu-las see A Guide for Exhibitingand Evaluating 4-H SwineProjects for 4-H Swine Leadersand Judges (4-H 1183).

Average daily lean gain representsthe amount of lean tissue growthper day. Average daily gain valuesare higher than ADLG valuesbecause ADG measures lean andfat tissue growth while ADLG mea-sures only lean tissue growth.

Selling Your PigsMost 4-H members market theirhogs at their county fair or showsale. If you sell your hogs by thismethod, you should check withyour 4-H leader regarding themarket price farmers are receivingfor hogs of similar weight andquality. If you receive more than


Figure 10. Wholesale or primal cuts ofpork.

{ Boston Loin 1shoulder\--t---t Ham

this amount, it is due to the gener-osity of the person who boughtyour hogs. You should consider it areward for your efforts and not thetrue value of the animals.

Many 4-H clubs find it advanta-geous to promote their county fairsale. You can promote your sale byvisiting or sending letters to localbusinesses asking them to bid onyour market hogs. You can promoteyour auction by holding a buyerappreciation banquet after the saleas a special way of thanking yourbuyers. You, your fellow clubmembers and club leader probablycan think of additional ways toincrease community support foryour livestock auction.

" Picnic Side or belly (shoulder------...WJ--r-----\,--\ /--

"Based on a 240-pound pig which dresses 72 percent.

Table 9. Wholesale Pork Cuts as a Percentage ofCarcass Weight and Total Carcass Value

4-H Youth agent or program assist-ant for all their help during theyear.

Pork ProductsThe only reason for breeding,selecting, raising and selling swineis to produce pork. The final step inpork production is the processingof hog carcasses to yield a lean,

meaty product for human con-sumption. After the hog has beenslaughtered, carcasses are cut intofive primal or wholesale cuts.

The five primal cuts are the ham,loin, Boston shoulder, picnicshoulder, and side or belly (see fig.iO and table 9). Of the five primalcuts, four are called lean cutsbecause they contain more musclethan fat. The four lean cuts are the

Percent of Percent of Totalcarcass Weight· carcass Value·

21 2819 298 89 857 7316 1573 8827 12100 100

CutHamLoinBoston shoulderPicnic shoulderTotal lean cutsSide or bellyTotal primal cutsOtherTotal

If you don't market your hogs atyour county fair sale, there arelivestock auctions and buying sta-tions throughout the state that willbUy your pigs. Desirable markethogs are always in demand. Your4-H leader can help you select oneof these markets.

Send a thank-you letter to thebuyer of your 4-H hog as soon asyou get home from the show. Thislets the buyer know his/her effortsare appreciated and encourageshim/her to support future sales. It isalso a good idea to thank yourshow and sale officials for theirefforts in organizing a good showand sale for you. Also remember tothank your 4-H leader, parents and

Regardless of where you sell yourhogs, you should always havethem looking as attractive as possi-ble. Avoid filling them with extrafeed and water. Buyers don't wantto pay for this feed. They base theirprice on the pounds of meat yourhogs will produce.


ham, loin, Boston shoulder andpicnic shoulder. The side or belly isknown as a fat cut.

Each wholesale cut is trimmed ofexcess fat and separated into retailcuts. Retail cuts of pork are themeat that is sold in grocery storesand restaurants (see fig. "). It isimportant that you know all thewholesale and some of the mostpopular retail cuts of pork. This willgive you a greater appreciation forthe need to produce lean, meatyhogs. Lean, meaty hogs result inwholesale and retail cuts of porkwith a larger proportion of leanthan fat.

Pork forGood NutritionRecent research proves that mod-ern pork is lean, low in calories and

high in protein, iron and thiamine.Many people aren't aware of thenutritional quality of pork. Theydon't realize that improved nutri-tion and genetics have produced ahog that is 50 percent leaner than asimilar hog of 25 years ago. As aswine producer, you must under-stand and promote the nutritionalquality of pork to the pUblic.

Pork is often thought of as high incholesterol. Actually, pork containsless cholesterol than veal or darkturkey meat and about the sameamount as beef or dark roastchicken without the skin.

Years ago, swine producers fed rawgarbage and table scraps to theirpigs. This practice led to a high rateof trichina infections in pigs. Ifundercooked meat from these pigswas eaten, people contracted

trichinosis. Trichinosis is a muscleinfestation by a small parasite. Toavoid trichinosis, people had tocook pork thoroughly before theyate it.

In the modern swine industry, feed-ing pigs raw garbage and tablescraps is relatively rare. Conse-quently, trichinosis has become amedical rarity in the United States.All chance of contracting trichinosisis eliminated if pork is cooked to140 OF. Pork's good taste, tender-ness and juiciness is preservedwhen it is cooked to an internaltemperature of 170 OF.

Another myth about pork is that itis hard to digest. Modern pork prod-ucts are about 98 percent digest-ible. This is one more reason whypork is a valuable source ofnutrients.

Figure II. Major retail cuts of pork.

Boston loInshoulder

Blade steak

'"Smoked pIcnIc

Center cut chops

Back\: \ renir/Ofn

SIde or belly_ Fresh ham

""- Smoked ham

Sliced bacon


Demonstrations andIllustrated TalksGiving a demonstration or illus-trated talk literally means gettingup in front of a group and demon-strating or illustrating somethingfrom your project. You learn fromthe preparation and practice, andyour audience learns from yourpresentation. It teaches you tospeak and express yourself in frontof a group.

You can give demonstrations andillustrated talks to your local club, atthe county or state fair, or in anational contest. You might alsogive one at a community meetingor on television. Some topics foryour demonstration or talkmight be:• How to select a modern feederpig• The parts of a pig• The nutritional requirements ofswine• How to prepare a diet for swine• How to control parasites in swine• How to read ear notches• Cuts of pork

You and your 4-H leader can thinkof many other topics.

Public SpeakingGiving a speech on some phase ofswine production will help youlearn to express yourself and willgive you a chance to learn moreabout swine. You may want to picka topic you don't know much

about to increase your knowledge.Some topics for your speech mightbe:• The swine industry in Michigan• The importance of swine to theAmerican people• The nutritive value of pork• By-products of pork production• Breeds of swine• Why I chose a market swineproject

JudgingLivestock jUdging will help youlearn to observe, evaluate andmake decisions, and will give you achance to see good livestock andto meet other 4-H members. Deliv-ering oral reasons will help youlearn to express yourself.

OtherActivities

Fitting and ShowingFitting and showing teaches you toprepare and show an animal andyourself. It teaches you to be agood exhibitor in and out of thering, and it encourages goodsportsmanship.

4-H CampParticipating in a variety of 4-Hactivities will make you a well-rounded 4-H member. One suchactivity is 4-H camp, which is funand provides an opportunity foryou to meet other 4-H members inyour county.


26

store. Emphasis should be placedon the carcass desirability of theanimals being slaughtered. Haveone of the officials explain theimportance of a good carcass.• A visit to a large livestock showor sale. Observe any new devel-opments that are being used, suchas furnishing jUdges with perform-ance data and measuring ADG andcarcass traits.

Animal Science WeekAttend Animal Science week atMichigan State University. Thisevent gives you an opportunity totest your abilities in many Iivestock-related areas such as livestock eval-uation and jUdging, quiz bowl andlivestock photography. It also givesyou a chance to meet 4-H'ersinvolved in livestock projects from

Careers inAnimal ScienceUse your 4-H swine project as away of exploring careers in animalscience. Many careers, such as farmmanager, hog buyer and veterinar-ian, involve working directly withanimals. Other careers such as foodscientist. meat cutter or meatinspector, allow you to work withanimal products.

With the help of your 4-H leader,make a list of all the careers relatedto animal science. Choose three orfour careers from your list andinvestigate them. You may want topresent your findings at your 4-Hclub meeting so others can benefitfrom your research.

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References• Material on pork and other meats 4-H 1177 4-H Market Livestock • Michigan State University pro-can be obtained from the National Record Book duces numerous publications andLive Stock and Meat Board, 444 4-H 1277 Feed Record Card supplies audiovisual materials deal-North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 4H0869 Swine Management ing with various phases of swineIL 60611. Game (computer production. Contact your county• The USDA publishes a number of program) Cooperative Extension Servicebulletins about swine which can office for this information.be obtained from your county • The Michigan Pork ProducersCooperative Extension Service Association, 3775 Forrest Road,office. It is listed in your telephone Suite 2, Lansing, MI 48910 and thedirectory under your county name. Michigan Swine Breeders Associa-• 4-H publications which can be tion, 324 Barnhart Road,obtained at your county Coldwater, MI 49036, provide infor-Cooperative Extension Service mation and educational materialsoffice: about the swine industry.

• Other books dealing with swineand livestock in general may befound in your library.

Following is a list of swine breedassociations where you can getinformation about the major swinebreeds. Most of them have excel-lent youth books that will help youin your project. Most of the pUbIica-tions are free if you ask for them.• American Berkshire Association,P.O. Box 2436,1769 U.S.-52 North,West Lafayette, IN 47906.• Chester White Swine RecordAssociation, P.O. Box 228,Rochester, IN 46975.• United Duroc Swine Registry, 1803\!Vest Detweiller Drive, Peoria, IL61615.

u.s. SwineBreed Associations

• Hampshire Swine Registry, 1111Main Street. Peoria, IL 61606.• American Landrace Association,P.O. Box 2340, 1769 U.S.-52 North,\!Vest Lafayette, IN 47906.• Poland China Record Association,P.O. Box 2537, 1769 U.S.-52 North,West Lafayette, IN 47906.• National Spotted Swine RecordOffice, P.O. Box 2807, WestLafayette, IN 47906.• American Yorkshire Club, Inc.,P.O. Box 2417, \!Vest Lafayette, IN47906.


Glossary

Altch bone-the exposed bone in the Countersunk tallsettlng-a small Gilt-female pig that has never givenham region of a pork carcass; used as depression or dimple where the pig's birtha reference point to determine carcass tail attaches to its body; characteristic Growing pigs-swine of either sexlength (see fig. 9 on page 221 of extremely fat pigs weighing between 40 and 125 poundsAmino acids-smail compounds that Days to 230-measures the pig's Growth rate-rate of weight gainare the building blocks of proteins growth rate by recording the numberAscarlds-an intestinal parasite of of days it takes the pig to reach 230 Hog-usually refers to swine weighingswine, commonly called large pounds more than 125 pounds; may refer toroundworms Diet-nutritionally balanced mixture of any class of swine

Atrophic rhlnltls-a contagious dis- feed ingredients Kidney worms-an internal parasiteease caused by a bacterium which Dietary proteins-proteins in feed that lives in the pig's kidneysmakes the turbinate bones of a pig's ingredients that are used by pigs as a Lean cuts-wholesale cuts of porknose stop growing and eventually source of amino acids that contain much more lean than fatdeteriorate Dressing percentage-the portion tissueAverage dally gain IADG)-a of live weight that is represented as Liver condemnation-pig liversmeasure of the pig's daily growth rate; carcass weight; calculated by dividing judged by federal meat inspectors tocalculated by dividing the pig's total live weight into carcass weight and be unfit for humans to eat; usuallyweight gain by the number of days multiplying the result by 100 caused by ascarid infestationrequired to achieve that gain Ear notchlng-a method of perma- Lolneye area-area of the majorAverage dally lean gain IADLG)- nently identifying pigs by notching muscle in the loin; determined by cut-measures the amount of lean tissue their ears ting the loin of a pork carcass cross-growth per day Eryslpelas-a bacterial disease char-

wise and measuring the area of theBackfat depth-a measure of the acterized by poor appetite, high fever, exposed musclethickness of the fat layer covering a stiffness and diamond-shaped skin Lungworms-an internal parasite thatpig's back lesions lives in the pig's lungsBarrow-a castrated male pig Essential amino acids-amino acids Lysine-the essential amino acid thatBloody scours-bloody diarrhea; a that must be present in the diet is most likely to be deficient in a stan-sign of a very contagious disease because pigs can't make them in their dard swine dietcalled swine dysentery bodies Macromlnerals-minerals requiredBody proteins-amino acids linked Fats-a dietary compound that sup- by the pig in relatively large amountstogether to form protein molecules plies energy for the pig and aids in because they make up the largest per-which make up muscles, skin, internal digestion of certain vitamins centage of minerals in the pig's bodyorgans, bones, blood, hair and hooves Fat cut-a wholesale cut of pork that Market price-the amount of moneyCalclum-a macromineral pigs need contains much more fat than lean being paid for pigs on any given dayto build bones and teeth and to sup- tissue Mlcromlnerals-sometimes calledport other life processes Feed efficiency value-a measure trace minerals because they areCarcass length-the distance from of how many pounds of feed are required in very small amounts bythe first rib to the aitch bone of a required for the pig to gain J pound; the pighanging pork carcass (see fig. 9 on calculated by dividing the weight gain Minerals-elements required by thepage 221 of a pig into the pounds of feed it eats pig to build bones and teeth and toCarcass traits-characteristics of pigs Finishing hogs-swine of either sex support other life processessuch as muscling, leanness and length. weighing between 125 and 250 Nodular worms-an internal parasitewhich can be estimated on live ani- pounds that lives in the adult pig's largemals but accurately measured only on Free-cholce-a feeding system that intestinepork carcasses offers feed ingredients cafeteria-style

to the pig


Nutrient dense dlet-a feed thatcontains high concentrations of therequired nutrients, such as aminoacids, minerals and vitaminsPercent muscle-the proportion ofthe pig's body that is made up of leantissuePig-usually refers to swine of eithersex weighing less than 125 poundsPhosphorus-a macromineralrequired by the pig to build bones andteeth and to support other lifeprocessesPneumonla-innammation of thelungs that results in breathingdifficultiesPrimal cuts-the five parts of a porkcarcass that are further divided intoretail cuts; often called wholesale cuts(see fig. 10 on page 231Production traits-characteristics ofswine measured by swine producersdealing with growth rate, feed effi-ciency and soundnessProteln-a dietary nutrient that sup-plies amino acids to the pigProtein supplement-an ingredientof swine diets that supplies protein,vitamins and minerals to the pigPseudorables-a highly contagiousswine disease caused by a virus; feveris a major sign of this disease, followedby loss of appetite, labored breathing,vomiting and tremblingRation-the amount of feed con-sumed by a pig in one dayStomach worms-an internal parasitethat lives in the pig's stomachSwine-refers to the porcine or pigfamily in generalSwine dysentery-a contagious dis-ease caused by a bacterium; bloodyscours is the major sign of this diseaseThumping-the labored breathing ofa pig with pneumoniaTrace minerals-minerals required bypigs in very small or trace amounts;often called micromineralsTurbinate bones-small, curledbones in the pig's snout that warmand help remove dust from inhaled air

Turn over the loin-the shape of theloin edge as it blends into the pig'ssideVitamins-dietary nutrients needed invery small amounts for the health ofeyes, nasal passages and lungs, forstrong bones, for blood clotting andfor other body functionsWhlpworms-an internal parasite thatresembles a buggy whip and lives inthe pig's large intestineYouthful hair coat-relatively short,sleek and shiny hair


MICHIGAN STATEf R SIT Y

EXTENSION

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extensionprograms and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender,gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, mari-tal status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts ofMay 8 and June 30. 1914. in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G.

Coon, Director. MSU Extension, East lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference tocommercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not men-tioned. The name "4-H" and the emblem consisting of a four...jeaf dover with stem and the "H" on each leaflet are pro-tected under Title 18 U.S.C. 707.Printed on recycled paper. 2R-7P-1 M·5:01-MSUPS-PM

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