How to Breed Swine & Gilt for Judging

Pigs are exhibited at fairs and shows throughout the United States. Market hogs, feeder pigs, breeding gilts and boars compete for money prizes, ribbons and trophies. Market hogs weigh 230 to 250 pounds while feeder pigs are young, growing animals. Gilts, the young females, and boars, the males, will eventually join the breeding herd. Judges compare the animals and select pigs with the most desirable conformation. Swine breeders raise pigs to successfully compete and win awards at shows.

Things You'll Need

  • Breeding gilts and sows
  • Breeding boars or AI
  • Pig raising facility
  • Feed
  • Health care program
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Instructions

    • 1

      Observe swine shows and note the conformation of the winning pigs. In the judge's opinion, the "perfect" pig often changes yearly. But there are numerous physical traits that remain constant. These traits include muscling, leanness, growth rate, body volume, and structural soundness.

    • 2

      Purchase healthy, well-fed breeding animals. Purchase purebred breeding stock or commercial pigs. Purebred pigs are registered. This means their ancestry is recorded with a swine breed registry. Obtain the registration papers with the purchase of purebred stock. Purebred pigs are usually sold as breeding animals. Commercial pigs are not registered and may be crossbred and these pigs are primarily raised for meat.

    • 3

      Purchase breeding stock with desirable conformation. Check for bulging muscling in the shoulder, down the topline and in the ham or rear. Look for a long, trim, wide, deep body.

    • 4

      Watch the potential breeding stock move and walk. Select animals that are structurally sound. They should walk freely. Note the animal's disposition and select docile breeding animals.

    • 5

      Check the production records for the herd. Select breeding stock from sows that successfully raise large litters. Look at the records for average daily gain and the number of days required to reach market weight. Select fast-growing pigs.

    • 6

      Consider using artificial insemination (AI) rather than purchasing boars. AI allows semen to be purchased from genetically superior sires, but requires more labor than natural breeding by boars.

    • 7

      Breed gilts and sows to farrow (give birth) twice a year. Breed gilts at 8 months of age to produce their first litter at a year of age. Females come into estrus (heat) every 21 days and remain in estrus for two to three days. Sows often show signs of estrus several days after their litters are weaned.

    • 8

      Sell the young pigs at weaning age or older. Wean the pigs at approximately 6 weeks of age and a weight of at least 40 pounds.