AGRICULTURE 2

PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION By: Engr. Evelyn C. Avila

What is Animal Production?

The technology applied to the keeping of

animals for profit. Includes feeding, breeding, housing and marketing. Of great importance is the making of the financial arrangements necessary to the successful carrying out of each enterprise in the light of the market conditions for the sale of the end products.

Importance of Farm Animals

They can be raised in areas where

crops cannot be grown and harvested. They are grown for their wool, down feathers, meat, milk, and manure, and are a very helpful and low-cost means of keeping the grass down and (in the case of farm fowl) keeping the grasshoppers and other insects in check.

SWINE INDUSTRY

BREEDS

1. YORKSHIRE OR LARGE WHITE Yorkshire are entirely white with medium, erect

ears. Sows have superior mothering ability, farrow and wean large litters and are excellent milkers. That adapt well to confinement but not to rugged conditions. Slaughter animals yield a high dressing percentage, produce fine quality meat and compare favorably with other breeds in growth and economy of gains.

YORKSHIRE OR LARGEWHITE

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BREEDS
2. LANDRACE
Landrace are white, have short legs and medium to

large drooping ears. The sows are noted for their excellence in mothering ability and litter size. They are heavy milkers and produce pigs with superior rate of growth and efficiency in feed utilization. When crossed with other breeds, they produce pigs of highly acceptable carcass quality. They are however, weak on the feet and legs and have problems adapting to rugged conditions. Such defects should be corrected by proper selection and breeding.

LANDRACE

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BREEDS
3. DUROC
The Duroc color is of varying shades of

red. The sows are prolific and are good mothers. They produce pigs that are superior in growth rate, feed conversion, and their performance under rugged conditions is better than any of the white breeds.

DUROC

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BREEDS

4. HAMPSHIRE
Hampshires are black with a white belt around

the shoulder and body. They are generally short legged and lack body thickness. The sows have a reputation of weaning a high percentage of the pigs farrowed and are able to adapt to very rugged conditions. The growth rate, however has generally been average or below.

HAMPSHIRE

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BREEDS

5. BERKSHIRE
Berkshires are black with six white points four

white feet, some white in the face and tail. The ears are erect and inclined forward as the animal grows older. They are known for their style, meatiness and good adaptability to rugged conditions. They have desirable length, depth and balance of body but lack good growth and efficiency in converting feed to weigh gain. The sows are not as prolific as the other breeds.

BERKSHIRE

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BREED

6. PIETRAIN
The Pietrain is a very meaty type of pig with

spotted black and white color. It has well-shaped hams, loin and shoulders. Ears are erect. The carcass has a high lean meat percentage, but it has a poor body constitution. Feed efficiency is not really good and they are a little bit slow grower. This breed is also highly susceptible to stress. Thus, Pietrain is only worthwhile in crosses but not as purebreeds.

PIETRAIN

PARTS OF A PIG
Major Parts: Head The pig's head contains ears, eyes and neck. Their nose is called a snout. Below the snout is the jowl. The chin bone is part of the neck bone located between the shoulder blades. Meat Parts

Major Parts
Legs

The forearm is part of the front leg above the knee. The leg also has a knee, toes and pastern. The pastern is above the toes. The joint in the back leg that bends is called a hock. Front The shoulder is the top of the back above the legs. The elbow pocket is above the forearm behind the shoulder.

Major Parts
Middle

Pigs have a back, sides and belly. The top of the back is the loin. Fore flank or fore rib is the belly area behind the front legs.
Back

The top area above the back legs is called the rump, which has a tail behind it. Below the rump is ham. Behind the ribs approaching the back legs is called the rear flank. Behind the rear flank directly before the back leg is the stifle joint and muscle.

Major Parts
Meat Cuts

Pig diagram for meat parts.Behind the head on the top front part of body is the blade shoulder. Below the blade shoulder is the arm shoulder. The top part of the pig's torso is called the loin. Under the loin in front are the spare ribs. The belly section behind the ribs is called the side. The back leg area is the ham.

Meat parts

Pork Cuts

SWINE INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Swine is believed to be the earliest animal to

be domesticated, proven by paintings and carvings of pigs that date back to 25,000 years have been found. Swine is one of agricultures best sources of income and a very good source of protein. The Philippine swine industry is dominated by backyard hog farming, which claims 76% of total swine stocks while 24% come from commercial farms. The swine industry contributed to 80% of the total Philippine livestock output in 2004.

SWINE INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Outbreaks in animal disease and the like caused a

slight decline in hog production in 2004, producing only 1,722.44 metric tons as compared to 1,733.09 metric tons in 2003. But as swine prices continued to rise, the swine industrys value continuously increased from Php 74.73 billion in 1999 to 118.70 billion pesos in 2004. Retail prices steadily rose from Php 108.47 in 1999 to Php 135.66 in 2004 and live weight output significantly increased from 65.06 (1999) to 81.62 (2004), indicating increased interest in the improvement of swine farming. Thus giving hog farmers the incentive to increase production and more farmers continue to join the enterprise.

SWINE INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

It is however imperative that swine-producers

consider significant factors and techniques before venturing into hog farming to maximize profit on production. Swine breeds in the Philippines Several imported breeds of meat-type swine are presently available in the Philippine market. It is important to consider farming experience, finance and purpose before choosing the best breed suitable to raise in local conditions.

SWINE BREEDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. The Berkshire breed is one of the

oldest improved breeds of swine. Berkshires originated in the county of Berkshire in South Central England. This breed has short black skin and is more resilient to disease than white breeds, but may not be as prolific as the other breeds. Berkshires are popular for their meatiness and good adaptability to rugged conditions.

SWINE INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

2. Duroc pigs have a good constitution and are resistant to stress, with ears that are 2/3 erect and 1/3 hanging. Duroc sows are also good mothers. This breed originated in the 18oos in the Northeastern United States and are characterized by their large size and noted for their hardiness and prolificacy. The Duroc breeds skeletal structure stands up in all kinds of environment, and it also has anatural leanness. These factors contribute to the Durocs ability for rapid growth and pro4uct that is agreeable to both packer and consumer. As such, the Duroc will inevitably continue to be a vital element in pork production.

SWINE BREEDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

3. The Hampshire breed originated in Southern England. 4. A variety of Landrace strains originated from the famous Danish Landrace hogs that were developed in Denmark in 1895. The Landrace is characterized by its long body length, short legs, and medium to large drooping ears. Landrace swine is meaty on the foot, especially on the rail. Their hams are plump but trim. Their sides are long and uniform in depth.

SWINE BREEDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

5. Pietrain originated in Pietrain, a village in

Belgium from which this breed is named. Pietrains are also susceptible to stress. Pietrain boars are often bred with Landrace sows, as Pietrain sows lack in mothering abilities and in milk production.

SWINE BREEDSIN THE PHILIPPINES

6. Yorkshires, otherwise known as the Largewhites, are entirely white with medium and erect ears. Yorkshire sows have excellent mothering ability, farrow and wean large litters. The Yorkshire or Large White originated in Yorkshire County, England. Yorkshires are known for their ability to cross with and improve other breeds. They are noted to be an active and lean breed. The Large Whites extra height or length of leg enables them to remain active and have long useful lives in the breeding pen.