HOW TO SELECT BREEDING PIGS?

By PENJANI NZIMA

MANY pig farmers find it very difficult when it comes to selecting or rather choosing the female or male pig (s) for the purposes of breeding at their farms.

They think (pig farmers) it’s just a matter of getting any female or male pig that can be selected for breeding and yet that’s not how it is done.

There specific factors that are suppose to be put into considerationwhen selecting a female pig or soar for breeding in order to have a good numberof piglets delivered.

According to Yolam the Zed/goat farmer, he discloses that when it comes to selecting the breeding pigs for production most pig farmers make a mistake of just getting any female pig thinking that it will give them the good number of piglets when it delivers.

He emphasizes that most pig farmers are disappointed when their female pigs deliver because the number of piglets is less than what they anticipated.

Yolam notes that the reason why most of the pig farmers get disappointed is because they don’t use the technique of counting the teats when selecting the female pig for breeding.    

“What we basically do is we count the number of teats on both sides. For instance, if the female pig has seven teats on the left side and seven on the right side then the number of teats altogether is fourteen. This means that this female pig is good for production,” explains the Zed/pig farmer.

He notes that the female pig meant for breeding purposes must have a lot of teats on both sides in order to satisfy the piglets when it comes to feeding them.  

“It is also believed that a pig with large number of teats delivers more pig lets it also applies to the males the males you have to go with the number of teats are good let’s say eight this side or nine don’t slaughter that one that one you keep it for your flock,” he advises the pig farmers.

Mr. Yolam clearly instructs the pig farmers that they should make sure that they count the teats properly when selecting the female pig for the purposes of breeding.  

“When you’re selecting a pig for production purposes you have to take note and make sure that the number of teats is what are counted so when you count the number of teats the larger the number the better.

“So, in most cases you find that they mostly range in between ten to sixteen so you find that they’re seven this side or maybe eight so the bigger the number the better why when the pig delivers the piglets will have enough teats to feed from,” he indicates.

Mr. Yolam said when a pig is being purchased for production it is usually expensive than the one which is bought for the purposes of slaughtering for meat.

According to Greg Roese and Graeme Taylor in the article Basic Pig husbandry — Gilts and sows points out that teat inspection is perhaps the obvious character on which to base gilt selection but, unfortunately, the number, size, shape and placement of teats receives little attention.

“They should start well forward and be in a straight line. Often the last three to four teat

pairs tend to splay out, and when this occurs, they tend to be hidden under the sows flank when she lies down, thus out of reach of the piglets,” the article said.  

In the article farmers are advised to avoid selecting gilts with blind teats. This is an inherited defect and means that the particular mammary gland cannot supply milk to the piglet. An equally serious problem is physical damage to the teats.

The article further discloses that when establishing their teat order and when young piglets suckle, there is vigorous activity prior to milk let-down. Young piglets can damage their front teats, especially if the floor surface is rough and abrasive. Inverted teats are also a cause for concern. Small, inverted teats often recover but the long-inverted teats rarely become functional. If a tall in doubt, cull the gilt.

“Short, thick teats are less desirable than longer thinner teats. Piglets have difficulty suckling short teats and as the sow matures the teats increase in size and the problem is magnified. Gilts should be physically examined for these disorders. This means actually restraining her while an examination can take place,” the article adds.

The farmers must seriously put this skill into consideration next time they embark on the mission to select or buy a female pig for the purposes of production at their farm.

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