Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
should be given intramuscularly (in the muscle) in the ham (rear) or neck muscle. Clean the
injection site well with an alcohol swab before giving the shot to avoid infection.
Health-Related Procedures
Several procedures can be done while pigs are small. These procedures should be done when
the pigs are young because the younger the animal is, the less pain the pig feels during the
procedure.
It cannot be stressed enough that processes such as these only should be performed by a quali-
fied person. Use sterile equipment in good working order. Always remove the pigs from the
immediate vicinity of the sow to avoid stressing her. Instinct will make her protective of her
offspring.
There is no way to completely avoid stressing the pig when completing any of the procedures,
but initiating them within the first 12 to 24 hours of life works best. Doing as many as pos-
sible in one session will help reduce the overall stress. Whether it is due to an immature
nervous system or other factors, younger piglets seem less reactive to pain. This does not
mean they do not feel pain; it means they react less to it and recuperate faster.
Many surgical procedures performed on older pigs, no matter how slight, are met with great
resistance. The larger the pig, the harder they are to control. It can turn a one- or two-person
activity into a multi-person challenge. It is much easier to perform these common procedures
on young pigs when they are small, easy to control, and they can quickly recover.
Castration
Castration takes away the ability to produce sperm, so male pigs that are raised for breeding
are naturally bypassed for this procedure. Barrows , or males raised for meat and show pur-
poses, must be castrated in order to remove boar taint , or the foul taste of testosterone from
the meat. Castrating young male pigs makes it much easier to raise them in a group until they
are old enough to go to market.
Castration should always be done while the male pig is young to ensure minimal hormone
output into the system. Too much hormone released into the pig's body affects both the taste
and smell of the meat. It provides a pungent odor that is not well tolerated on the market. The
prices for non-castrated males versus castrated are noticeably less at sale date. Older boars are
sent to market later in life, but they bring much lower prices per pound.
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