Pigs 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1 Introduction

• Background to pig raising
• Pig Farming
• Pig Husbandry terms
• Hybrids in pig farming
• Pig breeds
• Pig Production systems
• Building systems
• Environmental controls
• Building materials
• Floors
• Pig pens
• Waterers and feeders
• Fencing
• Waste water treatment using reed beds
• Water flow
• Anaerobic ponds
• Suitable plants

2 Breeding and selection

• Heritability in pigs
• Testing pig performance
• Points for selection
• Pure breeding
• Cross breeding
• Crossbreeding systems
• Single cross
• Back crossing
• Rotational crossing
• Hybrid breeding
• Artificial insemination
• Animal selection

3 Feeding Pigs

• Types of rations
• Energy requirements
• Protein requirements
• Mineral requirements
• Vitamin requirements
• Digestive system
• Understanding feeding
• Feeding on pasture

4 Pig diseases

• General health problems
• Management practices
• Notifiable pig diseases
• Some major diseases affecting all pigs
• Diseases affecting sows
• Diseases of growing and fattening pigs
• Handling and restraining pigs
• Vices in pigs
• Summary of pig diseases
• Pre-weaning period
• Post-weaning period
• Breeder pigs

5 Managing the boar

• Selecting a boar
• Housing
• Feeding
• Health
• Breeding

6 Managing the sow and litter

• Selection of gilts
• Housing
• Feeding
• Weaning
• Ovulation
• During pregnancy
• Before farrowing
• Farrowing
• Lactation
• After farrowing
• Management of the suckling pig
• Marking Pigs and Ear Notching
• Points to consider at weaning

7 Management of Fattening pigs

• Feeding fatteners
• Housing
• Transporting to market
• Cuts of pig meat

8 Economics and records

• Efficiency factors
• Gross output
• Records
• Pig Calender
• Pig Ration
• Pig Register
• Sow Record

9 Managing a Piggery

Research innovative practices
Evaluate the production performance of a specified piggery