Swine Discovery - Presentations - Judging Swine

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Key Points for Judging Swine

• Evaluate animals first from the ground up and then from the rear forward.
• Rank the traits for their importance.
• Evaluate the most important traits first.
• Eliminate any easy placings.
• Place the class based on the volume of the important traits.

Ranking of Traits for Market Hogs

• Degree of muscling
• Growth
• Capacity or volume
• Degree of leannesss (amount of fat)
• Structure and soundness

Ranking of Traits for Maternal Line Breeding Gilts

• Structure and soundness
• Growth
• Underline quality
• Capacity or volume
• Degree of muscling
• Degree of leanness (amount of fat)

Ranking of Traits for Terminal Line Breeding Gilts

• Structure and soundness
• Degree of muscling
• Growth
• Capacity or volume
• Degree of leanness (amount of fat)
• Underline quality

Evaluating Degree of Muscling

Indicators of muscling to evaluate include:

• Thickness through the center of the ham (stifle area).
• Width between rear feet when the pig walks or stands.
• Shape over the loin (top) - butterfly shape is desired.

Evaluating Growth

• It is important that pigs have good growth rate and reach market weight at an early age.

Tips for evaluating growth:

• Unless instructed otherwise, assume all pigs in the class are the same age.
• Evaluate growth based on the weight of the pigs in the class.
• Rank the pigs from heaviest to lightest (heaviest pig = fastest growth)

Evaluating Capacity (Volume)

Capacity (volume) is determined by 4 factors.

• Depth of body
• Length of body
• Width through the rib and chest
• Balance - how well does the pig's depth, length, and width length fit together.

Evaluating Capacity (Volume - Depth of Body)

Good depth of body is important for:

• Capacity for feeding in market hogs and gilts
• Good ability to eat and grow
• Capacity for reproduction in breeding hogs
• Ability to carry large litters

Evaluating Capacity (Volume) - Length of Body

Good length of body is important for:

1. Adds too capacity for feeding in market hogs
   • Good ability to eat and grow
2. Underline capacity in breeding hogs
   • Adequate space for piglets to nurse
3. Proper balance of traits affecting capacity

Evaluating Capacity (Volume) - Width

1. Pigs with good width will be wide based
   • Walk wide in front and rear
   • Good width through chest
2. The top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 should be the same width, and the middle 1/3 should be wider
   • Good spring of rib

Evaluating Leanness

1. Degree of leanness is influenced by:
   • Degree of muscling
   • Frame size
   • Sex
   • Age and weight
2. Fat is deposited from the front to the rear as the animal matures.

Evaluating Leanness

1. Leanness can be determined by the presence or absence of indentations in the following areas:
   • Over and behind the shoulders
   • Ham-loin junction
   • Dimple just in front of the tail head
2. Key points to remember:
   • Muscle is hard, fat is soft
   • Muscle is firm, fat is loose

Evaluating Structure/Soundness

When evaluating structure and soundness, pay close attention to the following:

1. Front and rear leg columns
2. Feet and pasterns
3. Hocks
4. Knees
5. Rump
6. Shoulder

Evaluating Underline Quality

A good underline will consist of the following:

1. Both rows of teats easily accessible
2. Six to seven teats per side
3. Teats evenly spaced
4. Pencil eraser-sized teats
5. Free from pin, blind, and inverted nipples