Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
only will keeping your pigs clean make life better for the pigs, but it will lead to better meat
and a better overall experience for you.
Anatomy and Physiology
Pigs have a cardiovascular system with a heart and lungs located in approximately the same
places as a human's heart and lungs. They have a gastrointestinal tract that is similar to hu-
man's as well. As farm animals go, they are not the most efficient grazers because they have
only one stomach, unlike the cow that has four stomachs.
Pigs have a long snout they can use like a digging tool when they “root.” Rooting allows them
to dig and turn over soil to find food or anything edible beneath the topsoil. As you might
imagine, the pig also has a remarkable sense of smell that they use to sniff out anything to eat.
Between their hooves and their active snouts, pigs can keep the ground dug up effectively.
The mulefoot pig, a rare old breed, has a single hoof on each foot, like a mule. They are the
only pig with this trait, although this trait is sometimes passed along when these pigs are
crossbred.
Many people are unaware that pigs have hair. Their hair can range from a light, soft fluff to a
harsh bristle, depending on the breed and sex of the pig. The color also varies a great deal.
Pigs can be black, white,
piebald
— black with white bands or spots and points (feet and
ears) — red, sandy, spotted, striped, gray, and mixes of these colors. Many people believe that
pigs are pink but “pink” pigs are actually white breeds. Their pink skin shows through,
however.
Some breeds of pigs also have wattles.
Wattles
are long pieces of flesh that hang from their
cheeks. They are not jowls, but hang behind the jowls, under the ears. There is no real pur-
pose for wattles. They are simply a feature on some breeds.
Pigs can have either erect or flop ears. Flop ears, also called lop ears, are drooping ears. Some
ears are so long that they can cover the pig's eyes. In many cases, this is a good way to identi-
fy a breed if all other characteristics are the same.
So-called “Hogzillas” that have been in the news in recent years in the United States have
been found in Georgia and other Southern states. They are likely domestic pigs that have gone
feral, according to DNA testing. Other specimens have been the offspring of a wild hog and a
domestic pig. Pigs can revert naturally to a feral state rapidly because of a lack of interaction
