Ansc 467 Paper

Meishan Pigs

Introduction

The meishan pig is a domestic pig that originates from China. The breed was introduced to the United States in an effort by the United States Department of Agriculture, the University of Illinois, and Iowa State University to cross breed the meishan with other domestic breeds in the United States. The goal was to pass on the breed large litter tendencies, quick maturity rate, and disease resistant to the other domestic pigs in the United States.

While in China, the Chinese breed for docility. This resulted in the current lack of behavioral diversity within the breed. To reestablish the diversity within in breed, a breeding facility located in Texas exists to supply a pure and diverse gene pool of the meishan pig to supply to swine facilities within the United States. To achieve the diverse gene pool, the facility imports meishan boar semen from China that has diverse behavioral qualities. With reestablishment of the diversity within the breed, the facility provides food and water for the sows as a group. This social sharing of resources will ensure the diversity of the breed because the sharing of resources will recreate the social hierarchy within the breed. By nature, swine are social animals and when a social hierarchy system is established the level of social stress becomes stable.1

This facility houses sows. When the sows are artificially inseminated, they are moved to an off-site facility. At this facility, they will carryout the rest of their pregnancy. Once the sows deliver their piglets. They are housed in a unit where the sow has limited movement to prevent the sow from injuring their piglets.1 When the piglets reach their growing stage they are shipped to facilities that wish to crossbreed their swine with the meishan breed.

The facility houses 10 sows per building. Each sow is individually housed and only grouped together during feeding times. Each sow weighs an average of 100 kg. The minimal weight of a sow is 95...