Doc's Blog

When it comes to raising a show pig for a 4-H project or competition, selection is very important. Here is some general guidance for selecting and purchasing a pig as described in the book Doc Sanders Goes Whole Hog.

Raising a pig for show is about more than winning trophies. The real reward is the experience of developing and displaying quality swine. It’s all about progress and growth, and those are two things that have to be measured.

Whoever came up with the phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” wasn’t referring to swine. The outer shape and structure of a pig are very important when it comes to the selection process.

For those raising show pigs, your pig’s structure will play a large part in its placing at the show.

And for those who are breeding pigs, your pig’s physical traits are often passed down to its piglets.

If you’re raising swine, it’s important to understand that there are diseases at every turn waiting to infect your livestock. Once one pig becomes sick, things can quickly escalate from bad to worse.

With proper biosecurity, as well as pre-purchase health checks on any swine you purchase, you can maintain a healthy living environment for your pigs, whether you have 2 or 200.

But you still need to be ready for what’s out there, should it arise. Arguably a prominent skin disease among pigs is greasy pig disease.

If you’ve raised a pig for show or the market, you might think you know a thing or two about how to choose a pig for breeding. After all, a healthy pig is a healthy pig, right?

Well, not exactly.

There are some distinct features you’ll want to focus on when it comes to choosing a superior breeding pig.

Identification is an important part of raising animals. While not as advanced as social security numbers, IDs, and licenses, tags and markings let people know a bit more about where a specific animal comes from.

When it comes to pigs, permanent identification is mandatory for exhibition. For general farming and breeding, it’s also beneficial for keeping track of your swine.

You have a few options available to you for marking a pig. Here are the most common methods.

Over the past two decades, the popularity of artificial insemination in swine breeding has grown exponentially. While artificial insemination or “AI” has been more popular in larger farms for genetics and quality control purposes, it’s gained traction in smaller setups for economical reasons.

With AI, you don’t need to keep boars on hand, saving you space and feed costs.

In order for swine artificial insemination to be a success, proper preparation is needed. Before conception can happen, your gilts or sows need to come into heat, which requires a combination of patience, planning, and execution.

Birth is a beautiful and natural part of life.

But despite being natural and instinctive, it’s also a complicated process. Many things can go wrong if not handled correctly. When it comes to swine, the process of birth is called farrowing. For hog breeders, the farrowing process is key in ensuring the future health of your livestock.

In my book “Doc Sanders Goes Whole Hog”, I discuss farrowing in great detail. In fact, the chapter on farrowing is the longest and most extensive chapter of the book.

Below is a brief summary of some of the guidance and insight I provide on this subject.

Once you’ve decided to enter the wonderful world of pig raising, you have an important decision to make:

Which type of pig do you choose?

Though a slightly pink hued, curly tailed piglet is what the common person first thinks of, there’s a much greater variety of swine available.

Diseases are a serious threat for any pig operation, especially when you have many pigs sharing the same environment. But by following proper disease control measures and vaccinations procedures, you can keep your pigs safe and healthy.