All About Pigs

110 flashcards by MentisLibrary

Pig breeds, anatomy, nutrition, breeding and farrowing, disease, behavior, housing and pork production, for animal science students and anyone keeping pigs.

What is the scientific name for pigs?
The domestic pig is Sus scrofa domesticus, a subspecies of the Eurasian wild boar Sus scrofa.
How do pigs communicate with each other?
Mainly by sound and smell. Pigs use a large repertoire of grunts, barks and squeals, and read each other's scent for identity and reproductive state.
Why are pigs considered intelligent animals?
They learn quickly, remember locations and individuals for long periods, use mirrors to find hidden food, and can be trained to operate joystick controlled tasks.
What is the typical lifespan of a domestic pig?
A pig can live 15 to 20 years, but pigs raised for pork are marketed at around 5 to 6 months old.
What family and order do pigs belong to?
The family Suidae, within the order Artiodactyla, the even toed ungulates.
What is a sow?
An adult female pig that has produced at least one litter.
What is a gilt?
A young female pig that has not yet had her first litter.
What is a boar?
An intact adult male pig kept for breeding.
What is a barrow?
A male pig castrated before it reaches sexual maturity.
What does farrowing mean?
The act of a sow giving birth to a litter.
What is a weaner?
A piglet that has just been removed from the sow, typically between 3 and 4 weeks old.
What is a feeder pig?
A young pig, typically 20 to 30 kg, sold from a breeding unit to a separate operation that will grow it to market weight.
What is the difference between a pig and a hog?
In North American usage a hog is a pig weighing over about 55 kg; below that it is simply a pig.
How many toes does a pig have, and how does it walk?
Each foot has four toes, but the pig bears its weight on only the middle two, which end in hooves.
How many teeth does an adult pig have?
Forty four permanent teeth, more than most farm mammals, reflecting an omnivorous diet.
What are needle teeth?
The eight sharp deciduous canines and corner incisors a piglet is born with.
What is the rooting disc?
The flat, tough plate of cartilage and skin at the end of a pig's snout, stiffened by its own small bone.
Why can pigs not cool themselves by sweating?
They have very few functional sweat glands, so evaporative cooling from the skin is not available to them.
What is a pig's normal body temperature?
About 39 degrees C, or 102.5 degrees F, slightly warmer than a human.
Is a pig's digestive system like a cow's?
No. Pigs are monogastric, with a single simple stomach much like a human's, not a four compartment rumen.
How good is a pig's sense of smell?
Exceptional. Pigs carry one of the largest sets of working olfactory receptor genes of any mammal.
How good is a pig's eyesight?
Poor by farm animal standards. Pigs are dichromatic, see limited detail, and cannot easily judge sudden changes in floor brightness.
How many chromosomes does a domestic pig have?
Thirty eight, arranged as nineteen pairs.
How many teats does a sow have?
Usually twelve to fourteen, in six or seven pairs.
Why do mature boars grow tusks?
The canine teeth of an intact male keep growing throughout life and are honed against each other into weapons.
Why is pig tissue used in human medicine?
Pig anatomy and physiology are close enough to human that pig heart valves, skin dressings and insulin have all been used clinically.
Which is the most widely recorded pig breed in North America?
The Yorkshire, known in Britain as the Large White. White coat, erect ears, long body.
What is the Landrace pig known for?
A white breed of Danish origin with a long body, heavy drooping ears and outstanding maternal performance.
What is the Duroc known for?
A solid red breed with drooping ears, fast growth, hardiness, and more intramuscular fat than most breeds.
How do you recognize a Hampshire pig?
By the white belt that circles the body over the shoulders and both front legs, on an otherwise black pig with erect ears.