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 Pig management: for commercial production, self sufficiency or hobby
This course is relevant to whatever production system you use. Due to better breeding, stricter selection and scientific feeding the modern pig can produce good quality pork or bacon. The feeding system and age at slaughter will determine what the pig will produce. Learn about pig biology and production; covering such things as breeding and selection, feeding, diseases, boar management, managing the sow and litter, fattening pigs, record keeping and more.
Improve your knowledge and skills, learn about
- Pig health management
- Management of sow and litter
- Feeding of pigs
- Breeding and selection of pigs
Learn pig management: for commercial production, self sufficiency, or a hobby. This course is relevant to whatever production system you use. A sound foundation course, it develops a broad understanding of pig biology and production; covering such things as breeding and selection, feeding, diseases, boar management, managing the sow and litter, fattening pigs, record keeping and more.
Course Structure
There are 9 lessons in this course: 1. Introduction
- Background to pig raising
- Pig Farming
- Pig Husbandry terms
- Hybrids in pig farming
- Pig breeds
- Pig Production systems
- Building systems
- Environmental controls
- Building materials
- Floors
- Pig pens
- Waterers and feeders
- Fencing
- Waste water treatment using reed beds
- Water flow
- Anaerobic ponds
- Suitable plants
2. Breeding and Selection
- Heritability in pigs
- Testing pig performance
- Points for selection
- Pure breeding
- Cross breeding
- Crossbreeding systems
- Single cross
- Back crossing
- Rotational crossing
- Hybrid breeding
- Artificial insemination
- Animal selection
3. Feeding Pigs
- Types of rations
- Energy requirements
- Protein requirements
- Mineral requirements
- Vitamin requirements
- Digestive system
- Understanding feeding
- Feeding on pasture
4. Pig diseases
- General health problems
- Management practices
- Notifiable pig diseases
- Some major diseases affecting all pigs
- Diseases affecting sows
- Diseases of growing and fattening pigs
- Handling and restraining pigs
- Vices in pigs
- Summary of pig diseases
- Pre-weaning period
- Post-weaning period
- Breeder pigs
5. Managing the boar
- Selecting a boar
- Housing
- Feeding
- Health
- Breeding
6. Managing the sow and litter
- Selection of gilts
- Housing
- Feeding
- Weaning
- Ovulation
- During pregnancy
- Before farrowing
- Farrowing
- Lactation
- After farrowing
- Management of the suckling pig
- Marking Pigs and Ear Notching
- Points to consider at weaning
7. Management of Fattening pigs
- Feeding fatteners
- Housing
- Transporting to market
- Cuts of pig meat
8. Economics and Records
- Efficiency factors
- Gross output
- Records
- Pig Calender
- Pig Ration
- Pig Register
- Sow Record
9. Managing a Piggery
- Research innovative practices
- Evaluate the production performance of a specified piggery
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