Farrow-to-finish operation –
a production system that contains all production phases,
from breeding to gestation to farrowing to nursery to
grow-finishing to market
Feed efficiency (or feed conversion
ratio) – the amount of feed a pig consumes to
gain one unit of body weight; the smaller the amount, the
more efficient the pig
Feeder pig – a young pig
weighing between about 30 and 90 pounds Feeder pig operation
– a production system where pigs are sold out of the nursery
phase to a finishing operation to grow them to market weight
Finish – to feed a pig until it reaches market
weight
Finisher pig – a pig
that is beyond the feeder stage
being raised for sale
Finishing operation – an
operation that purchases
feeder pigs and feeds them to market weight
Gestation – pregnancy;
112-114 days in length for
pigs
Gilt – young female that
has not farrowed her first
litter
Grower pig – a young pig
weighing between about
50 and 200 pounds
Ham – cured and smoked
meat from the hind leg of
pork, excluding the shank
Hand mating – an
individual female that is ready to
be bred is exposed to an individual boar in a small
pen for mating, under the supervision of the producer
Hoop structure – a
low-cost, uninsulated and naturally ventilated hoop-shaped
building used for production; the floor is mostly earthen
and typically
bedded with straw
Immunization – the
process of rendering a subject
immune or of becoming immune, either by conventional
vaccination or exposure to disease
Intact pigs – male pigs
that have not been castrated but have not been kept for
breeding purposes |
Lactating – period when
a sow is providing milk to her pigs
Lagoon – a biological
treatment system designed and
operated for biodegradation, or converting organic matter to
a more stable end product; lagoon may be anaerobic, aerobic
or facultative
Litter – the group of
pigs born to a sow during one farrowing; normally 8-12 pigs
per litter
Loin – wholesale cut of
pork that is comprised of the spine and associated muscles
between the shoulder and the ham
Market-weight pigs –
pigs that have reached 240 to 280 pounds
Mating – breeding an
estrous gilt or sow
Meat breeds – breeds
used in boar lines in crossbreeding schemes; include
Hampshire, Duroc,
Poland China, and Pietrain
Mother breeds – used in
maternal lines in crossbreeding
schemes; include Yorkshire, English Large White, Landrace,
and Chester White
Non-productive sow days –
days a sow is neither lactating or gestating
Niche pork production –
supplying unique pork and pork products in a way that
specific customer segments prefer or value; does not use
traditional commodity market channels and does not
necessarily mean “small”
Nursery pig – the growth
phase from weaning until pigs enter the feeder phase
Nursing pig – any pig
not yet weaned |
