LESSON 1

SELECT AND TRAIN BOARS

WHAT IS THIS LESSON ABOUT?

This lesson deals with the factors to consider in selecting the

foundation stock and focus also on the different breeds of swine
and their characteristics.

IN THIS LESSON YOU ARE EXPECTED TO:

1. enumerate the factors to consider in selecting breed to raise;

2. differentiate meat/bacon and lard type of hogs;

3. explain the meaning of breeds and type;

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1.1 SELECT SUITABLE BREED BASED ON SUPERIORITY OF
PEDIGREE OR PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE

Selection is the process of choosing and getting the best in a

group. Selecting good quality stocks is just like insuring a

business in an insurance company. Foundation stocks are initial

animals in the project. They are the parent animals that will

reproduce stocks for future reproduction.

Factors to consider in selecting breeds of swine

There is no best breed of pigs to raise. Each breed has its

own strength and weakness. Therefore, there is an ideal breed for

a certain purpose. Selecting a breed to raise is one of the

managerial activities of the swine raiser. Good breeds, when fed

with nutritious feeds and managed well, ensure maximum

productivity.

Here are some guidelines for beginners in selecting the breed(s)

to raise.

1. Availability of breeding stocks. Whenever a raiser selects a

breed to raise, availability of the breed is the limiting

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 factor. Even if a breed is excellence or superior, if there are

no available breeding stocks in the locality or in nearby

places, the choice breed is discontinued. Hence, the raiser

should choose other breeds which are available in the

locality.

2. Prolificacy. This refers to the ability of the animal to

reproduce. A good or superior sow must be able to

produce an average of 10 to 12 piglets per farrowing.

Proficiency also includes the ability of the sow to

produce a large litter size at birth and care for it up to

weaning time. A sow is said to be prolific if she will farrow

10 to 12 piglets which are healthy, vigorous, and uniform in

size at weaning time.

3. Growth ability of feed efficiency. This refers to the ability

of the animal to convert feeds to attain the market weight

of 90 kg. at the earliest possible time. The feed efficiency

of a superior breed is 2.6. This means that for every 2.6 kg.

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 of feed consumed, a pig should produce a kilogram of

pork. The average daily gain in weight should be 0.8 kg.

4. Temperament and disposition. A good sow is one that is

quiet, motherly, and produces enough milk for her piglets.

She does not bite piglets or the caretaker, although it is

instinctive for a sow to protect her young against

predators. She is docile and ready to nurse her piglets any

time. A sow with poor temperament and disposition is one

who bites her piglets, is noisy, is lazy to nurse her piglets,

and have uneven sizes and weights of piglets at weaning

time. Mortality of piglets is high as a result of crushing by

the nervous sow.

5. Carcass quality and market demand. Carcass refers to the

whole meat of the animal when slaughtered. When

selecting a breed, consider the demand in the market. If

the demand is more for fatty meat, select breeds under the

lard type. But if consumers prefer fleshy meat, select

breeds of the bacon type.

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 6. Nicking ability. This refers to the ability of the animal to

eat all the feeds inside a feeding trough or feeds scattered

on the floor. Breeds of this type are economical to raise

because food spoilage is eliminated.

7. Resistance to diseases. Select a breed that is resistant to

diseases and parasites. Resistant breeds require less

attention. When given proper care and management,

resistant breeds grow faster compared to breeds that

require complicated housing and feeding.

8. Feeds available. Consider also the availability of feeds in

the market. If the supply of quality feeds in the market is

continuous, exotic or improved breeds are more profitable

to raise. Old breeds thrive well under local feeds that are

readily available.

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 9. Personal preference. This refers to likes and dislikes of an

individual.

Different Breeds of Swine and their characteristics

Swine experts in the country keep on improving breeds.

This is done primarily to increase the production of hogs for a

shorter period of time and at less cost.

Here are the characteristics of some common breeds of swine

found in the country.

1. Yorkshire. The local name of this breed is Large White. It

is one of the most superior breeds in litter size and

mothering ability. It performs well under confinement

system of housing and reproduce well in cross breeding.

Growth rate is excellent. This pig has white hair coat and

skin. However, this breed has excess back fat and pale, soft

muscles.

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 2. Landrace. This breed is excellent in litter size and

mothering ability and performs well in confinement. It is

pure white in color, with a long body and an almost flat

back. It has a long head and clear jowl, the ears sometime,

is covering the eyes.

The breed experiences difficulty in leanness when it is exposed to

full feeding of high energy diets. The breed is also prone to feed

trouble.

3. Duroc.This breed is superior in growth rate and feed

efficiency. It excels in muscle quality and is probably

the breed most resistant to stress or unfavorable local

conditions. The breed has considerable variation in color

but acceptable colors may range from a very light golden

almost yellow color to a very dark red approaching the

color of mahogany. The Duroc has slightly dished face

with the ears drooping and set wide apart. It has a firm

jowl and the neck bends well with the shoulder. It has a

medium length body, arched back, full loin, and a long,

well-rounded rump with the tail set high.

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 4. Hampshire. This breed is the leanest found in the

country.

Feed efficiency is excellent. The hog has a black hair coat with a

white belt around the forequarters. The breed has a trim and firm

jowl, a long straight face, and ears carried erect.

5. Berkshire. The dominant ability of the breed to transmit

its color characteristics to its offspring, is one of the good

characteristics of the Berkshire. If the breed is cross-bred

with white breeds, the resulting color of the litter will be

prevalently black. The breed is distinctly black in color

with six white points, one on the face, four in the feet, and

at the tip of the tail. It has dished broad face, short snout,

and prominent jowl.

Berkshire hog is known for its meatiness and good adaptability to

rugged conditions. It has a desirable length, depth, and balanced

body. The sow is not prolific but produces well in crosses mated

with of the common breeds.

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 6. Poland China. This breed has the same color that is

characteristic of the Berkshire except for the white point

at the tip of the nose. Its color makes it different from

Berkshire.

7. Hypor sow has excellent fertility, outstanding mothering

ability, and high milking qualities. It produces healthy pigs

with outstanding body conformation, well- muscled back,

well-developed ham, and high carcass quality.

You already have the necessary information on how to select a

breed and the characteristics of the common breed of swine

found in the country. You can now wisely select a breed to raise

for your project.

The choices of a breed are very subjective and relative to

the individuals who will engage in the project.

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 Feeder pigs are raised for fattening purposes. Buy pigs which

are healthy, vigorous, and show promise of being good gainers or

rapid growers.

Here are some of the observable characteristics of healthy and

sickly pigs.

Characteristics Healthy Pigs Sickly Pigs

Hair coat
Fine and smooth Dull and rough
with shine and hair coat
luster
Dirty, crusted or
scaly Inactive,
Skin Activity often sleeping or
Clean and Shiny lying down inthe
Alert and active pen

Voracious during Poor appetite or

feeding time does not eat at
Appetite all Stays away
Seeks the from its pen
Movement company of mates
other pigs in the
pen

1.2 TRAIN BOARS TO MOUNT SOWS/DUMMY

Management of the Boar

a. Feeding. Feed your boars with the same ration used for

pregnant gilts or sows. Avoid sudden changes in the kind

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 and amount of ration, feeding materials, and ingredients

just before or during a heavy breeding schedule. Such

changes may cause digestive upset seriour enough to

throw the boar “off-feed.” Also avoid overfeeding your

boar. Overfeeding is not only wasteful of feed but will even

cause over-fatness and sluggishness.

Feed your boars just enough to maintain the desired condition

prior to or during the breeding season. A daily feed allowance of

2.5 kilos of a balanced ration is sufficient for you boars (110 to 150

kg live weight) and 2 kilos for adult boars (150 to 250 kg live

weight) with minimum breeding load. But remember to increase

their feed allowance by 30 to 50 percent during periods of heavy

breeding work.

b. Blood test. Regardless of prior history or origin, a boar

before is introduced in a farm should be tested for

brucellosis and leptospirosis by a competent veterinarian.

Both diseases which are chiefly spread by the boar are

commonly associated with abortion and the production of

weak or dead pigs born if not aborted. If a boar is found

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 positive to any or both of the tests, he must not be used as

sire of the herd.

c. Breeding load. Some boar reach the age of maturity at 110

to 147 days or about 5 months but they are still too young

to serve as sire of the herd. A boar below 8 months is

frequently low in quantity and quality of semen. For this

reason use him sparingly or only in cases when you want

to check his breeding performance.

Breeding load of a boar must be regulated properly to cope with

his physiological capacity to produce adequate supply of highly

viable sperm cells. Excessive use will lead to partial sterility or

complete lack of fertility due to insufficient number of fully-aged

sperm cells. Likewise, too little breeding work is also dangerous

because of the build-up of stale semen which inhibits production

of fresh semen and results into a very low fertility level.

It is difficult to establish a normal breeding load for boars

because of the large variation in the condition, aggressiveness

and capacity of individual boars. But generally, young boars must

be given lighter breeding load than older ones.

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 d. Assisting the boar. The first service is a very crucial point

in a young boar’s life. It is important that the first mating

should be with a suitable female. A quiet, cooperative and

strongly in heat sow is preferred. A young boar when

mated to a female who already knows the rudiments of

mating will have little or no difficulty to mount. If the boar

had difficulty to mount as in the case with a female who is

nervous, shaky and elusive, the service will likely be a

failure. When the first service is a failure, the boar usually

becomes frustrate and depressed. Remember that a

successful first service will give him satisfaction and self-

confidence.

Table 1. Recommended breeding load of boars at different ages.

Age No. of
(months) services per
7 or less none
7 to 9 2
9 to 12 5-7
12 to 18 7-8
18 and over 8-10

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Close supervision, especially of the first service is necessary.

Always guide the boar in his first attempts because if he is unable

to penetrate correctly he becomes excitable, then exhausted and

finally upset.

e. Boar to sow ratio. The number of boars needed in a herd

depends on the number of productive sows including

replacement gilts, age of the boar, size of females and on

the frequency of mating in a single heat period. With

multiple farrowing program, the following number of boar

is recommended.

1. two services per sow per head

15 sows or less - one boar if boar is 15 months or older 15-25 sows

- two boars

2. one service per heat period

20 sows or less - one boar if young boar and all gilts

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30 sows or less - one boar if boar is 15 months old or older

1.3 SELECT BOARS BASED ON BREEDING OBJECTIVE AND

SELECTION CRITERIA

Judging is a systematic and careful way of estimating the

value of an animal according to the different body parts of the

animal to be selected. The good points as well as the weak points

of the animal can be evaluated. Judging is used for improving the

whole herd because you learn to eliminate unproductive animals

and raise only the productive ones.

There are two methods of judging farm animals: Score card

judging and Judging by comparison. The former is a good method

for beginners, since it helps one know what to look for in the

different parts of animal. This is an ideal and useful method of

follow.

A score card contains a systematic, logical, brief, and ideal

description of the different parts of an animal and their

numerical values. The total numerical point is always 100.

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 In this process, animals are judged one at a time. The parts of

an animal are carefully examined and compared one by one

against the standard description. The total score corresponds to

the rating of the animal as given in judging. Because of this

procedure, this method of judging is often termed scoring.

Enumerated below are the steps in Score Card Judging.

1. Identify the animal to be judged or scored and examine its

parts thoroughly following the order and sequence of parts

in the score card. Approach the animal for a better

inspection and closer examination. Use your hands to feel

and examine the parts to be judged.

2. Write your score next to the criteria in the score card

following its order and sequence. Two methods may be

used in scoring. One is by deducting from the perfect

score the deficiency the judge may find in the specific

parts of the animal. The other is by giving a rating to the

parts of the animal according to its merits. The former is

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 more commonly used because it is practical and easier

especially in handling small figures.

In deductions involving fractions, one-fourth, one-half, and

three-fourth are closed and accurate enough. Only one method

should be used throughout the judging for uniformity and

convenience in correction. Deductions should not always be

greater than one-half of the perfect value of any part.

3. Add the total score. This will be the final rate or score of

the animal.

Judging by comparison is the placing of two or more animals for

evaluation and ranking them according to their merits by direct

comparison. For example, if two or more animals of the same

kind and class are judged by comparison, all parts of the animal,

particularly the most important features that need to be

considered are examined and compared. The values are weighted,

the points summarized, and a decision is made. The animal

having the highest number of good points or the minimum

number of faults is ranked first.

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 For selecting and judging individual pigs for breeding, contests,

and other purposes, you can use the following score card.

Score Card for Boar

Parts Description Perfe Stude

ct nt
1. Size Score according to condition and 10
Width between the eyes; face
2. Head moderately dished, medium in 4
length, strong and masculine
3. Eyes Large, prominent, and clear 2
3. Ears Medium size, strong knuckles not 2
coarse; typical of the breed
4. Neck Full, slightly arched, short, strong, 2
and free from creases, bending
smoothly with the shoulders
5. Jowl Full, firm, smooth, and neat; not 2
course or wrinkled
6. Shoulder Compact, smooth, and deep; 7
blending smoothly with the back
and sides; well covered
7. Chest or Deep, full, and large girth 13
heart-
8. Back and Strong, evenly arched; high, 8
loin sprung ribs; fairly wide, uniform
width; mellow covering

9. Sides Long, deep, straight with shoulders 8

and hams; smooth, free from
creases or wrinkles

11.Belly and Belly broad, full, and neat; teats 8

flanks prominent, numerous, and
symmetrically placed, flanks low
and full
12.Rump Rump wide, same width as back 12

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ham loin; long, full, rounding, and
sloping gradually from loin to tall;
hams deep, wide, thick, firm,
muscular, and smooth; stifles well
covered; junction of hams low and
full
11. Legs, Legs of medium length, straight 3
pasterns, set squarely; bone large, clean cut;
feet pasterns nearly upright, strong,
together, short, and placed
Easy to handle, gentle, active,
13.Tail Medium in size and length, nicely 1
curled, and indicative of size and
quality
14.Coat Fine, straight, thick, smooth and 3
glossy, lying closely to the body,

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 evenly distributed, free from swirls;
color typical of the breed
15.Skin Healthy, soft, smooth, and free 2
from excessive scurf
16.Action Action free and easy, legs carried 3
straight forward, attractive
and carriage Easy to handle, gentle, 3
style active, and lively
19.Dispositio Refers to the relationship of the 4
n different parts of the body

20.Symmet
ry and Total 100
Balance of

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1.4 EVALUATE BOAR’S SEMEN FOR FERTILITY BASED ON
QUALITY STANDARDS OF BAI

Fertility check. Always check the fertility of a new boar before

using him on your breeding sows. Do this by examining the color,

concentration, motility and volume of the semen. Unless a boar

can produce degenerate volume of semen with desirable sperm

concentration, motility, and morphology, his fertility is subject to

question.

Knowing the quality of semen alone is not sufficient to predict

the fertility of the boar with complete accuracy. A boar’s actual

breeding performance is better measure of his fertility and

breeding efficiency. You can obtain this by allowing the boar to

serve 4 to 6 sows due for slaughter but with excellent

reproductive performance record. If one or more of the sows

return to heat within 21 days on the average after mating, the

fertility of the boar is questionable. Also examine thoroughly the

anatomy and development of the reproductive organs of the boar

and observe the ability to produce normal erection and

protrusion of the penis. It is also important to check his offspring

for deformities, unsoundness, meat-type and productivity in

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terms of growth rate and efficiency in feed utilization. A desirable

boar is one with excellent fertility and good transmitting ability.

Sexual maturity or puberty is a gradual process. Some boars

reach sexual maturity as early as four months of age but they are

not ready for service. It is recommended that boars be seven to

eight months old before they are first used in breeding herd.

A fertility check should be made at least 30 days before the boar

is expected to be used in the breeding herd. A common practice

is to mate the young boar to several market gilts and check to see

if they settle. While the boar is being test-mated to market gilts

he should be carefully observed to determine his libido or sex

drive and his ability to perform a satisfactory service.

The boar should be given a physical examination prior to

the breeding season. The following points should be checked:

1. General appearance. The boar should be active,

alert, and aggressive for his feed.

2. Temperature. Low-level infections can cause an

increase in body temperature that may reduce the

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 number of normal sperm produced. A

temperature much in excess of 102.5 degrees

Fahrenheit. Should justify additional treatment by a

veterinarian.

3. Soundness of feet and legs. The boar must be sound

on his feet and legs if he is to be an effective

breeder. Check for lameness and soreness in the

joints.

4. Condition. Check to see if the boar is too fat or too

thin.

5. Testicles. Check to see if there is an enlargement,

inflammation, or soreness in either testicle.

1.5 TEST BOARS FOR LEPTOSPIROSIS AND BRUCELLOSIS

Feed your boars with the same ration used for pregnant gilts

or sows. Avoid sudden changes in the kind and amount of ration,

feeding materials, and ingredients just before or during a heavy

breeding schedule. Such changes may cause digestive upset

serious enough to throw the boar “off-feed.” Also avoid over

54| S E L E C T A N D T R A I N B O A R S
feeding your boar. Overfeeding is not only wasteful of feed but

will even cause over-fatness and sluggishness.

Feed your boars just enough to maintain the desired

condition prior to or during the breeding season. A daily feed

allowance of 2.5 kilos of a balanced ration is sufficient for you

boars (110 to 150 kg live weight) and 2 kilos for adult boars (150 to

250 kg live weight) with minimum breeding load. But remember

to increase their feed allowance by 30 to 50 percent during

periods of heavy breeding work.

Blood test. Regardless of prior history or origin, a boar before

is introduced in a farm should be tested for brucellosis and

leptospirosis by a competent veterinarian. Both diseases which

are chiefly spread by the boar are commonly associated with

abortion and the production of weak or dead pigs born if not

aborted. If a boar is found positive to any or both of the tests, he

must not be used as sire of the herd.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 LET US REMEMBER
Selecting good quality stocks is just like insuring a business in
an insurance company. Foundation stocks are just like the initial
animals in the project. A breed is a good guide in deciding the purpose
of raising the animal. The importance of selecting the type and
breed(s) to raise should not be neglected.

There is no best breed of pigs to raise. Each breed has its own
strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, there is an ideal breed for a
certain purpose. Selecting a breed to raise is one of the managerial
activities of the swine raiser. Good breeds, when fed with nutritious
feeds and managed well, ensure maximum productivity.

LET US APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

What you have learned in this lesson is useful in swine

raising. Use them as your guide in selecting breed(s) to raise.

Suggested activities

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 Listed below are common breed of swine in the country.

Get the total population of each breed by surveying swine

raisers in your locality. Answer the question below. Copy and

submit this form to your teacher for checking and recoding.

Breed
Ber Hy
Name of Farmers
Yorks Landr Du Hamps ks p
hire ace roc hire hir o
e r
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Total

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