D4-Lancaster Fanning Saturday, June 22,1991 Swine Management News BREEDING LEAN HOGS GAINS FATTER PROFITS Dr. Richard Barczewski Extension Agent U. of Delaware For some producers, decisions on which animals to keep and which to cull can be difficult These are individual judgments that should be based on the overall plan and goals you have for your swine operation. During the past few months, many producers have felt the impact of the new Hatfield Pack ing plant pricing structure, which offers premium prices for animals with leaner carcasses and places Morton iuuhks • Horse Barns • Riding Arenas • Garages •Warehouses #MORTON BUILDINGS, INC. 3368 York Rd. Gettysburg, PA 17325 717/624-3331 Call or write today for more information penalties on overly fat hogs. Since that time, I’ve heard a number of hog producers discuss this initiative. Of course, produc ers of leaner hogs are happy with the incentive program, but produc ers of fatter hogs began to explore alternative markets. While seeking other options makes sense in the short term, hog producers eventu ally must face the fact that most packing houses will fall in line with Hatfield and reward produc ers of leaner hogs. This makes culling decisions based on leanness more important than ever. Selection and genetics are the most important considera tions in your ability to improve Since 1903 • Offices • Shops • Equipment Storage • Aircraft Hangars Excellence Since 1903 CONTACT: 1-800-447-7436 P.O. Box 126, Phillipsburg, NH 08865 908/454-7900 Illinois only, call 1-800-426-6686 your livestock. And i( doesn’t hap pen overnight. It takes time and planned effort on your part to achieve better carcass traits. Improvement for any trait depends on several factors. First is the variation that exists for a given trait between the parents and the herd. For example, if you are selecting for backifat thickness and the sow and the boar you are mat ing averaged 1.2 inches at the last rib at 230 pounds, you can expect their offspring to be leaner than the herd average, even though the sow and boar are out of the same herd. The second factor to be consid ered is that all traits are not equally inherited. Heritability for a specif ic trait is usually expressed as a percentage. This percentage is indicative of the amount of varia tion in a trait that can be inherited. Swine reproductive traits are gen erally considered to have low her itability. Litter size at birth has a heritability of IS percent, litter size at weaning is 12 percent, and litter weight at weaning is 17 percent. Proven Solid Steel Rod Bow Bar Crate w/Front Arch Solid Steel Rod Gestation Stalls Solid Steel Breeding Penning WE CAN CUSTOM FABRICATE EQUIPMENT TO MEET YOUR NEEDS - AT A PRICE YOU CAN AFFORD Performance rates are generally considered to be medium in their heritability. Daily gain from wean ing to market weight has a herita bility of 30 percent, while feed efficiency is 30 percent inherited. The greatest gains in inheritance can be obtained with carcass traits. Body weight has a heritability of 60 percent while fatback thick ness, loin-eye area, and percent lean cuts (based on carcass weight) are SO percent inheritable. This is an advantage to Hog producers who are making the move toward leaner hogs because improvements can be achieved more rapidly. One final factor in the selection process is the variation that exists within a population. If wide varia tion exists, then producers have the potential to get outstanding indivi dual animals for their breeding programs. If little variation exists for a given trait, only a few will be able to achieve superior individual animals for their breeding programs. As a herd approaches the upper limits of variations within a popu lation of animals, improvements will be harder to come by because M Ik 'ilia i "A - 1^" / Need Your Farm Buildings Painted? Let us give you a price! Write: Daniel’s Painting 637-A Georgetown Rd. RonkS, PA 17572 (or leave message) (717) 687-8262 Spray on and Brush in Painting Round Bottom Stainless Proctor Hydraulic Steel Sow Feeders Crate Prevents Crushing Stainless Steel Feed & Water Troughs T {. M Solid Steel Nursery Penning WE m afi m the differences between the herd and selected individuals in the mating program will be smaller. The good news is that producers who are unable to get incentives for the hogs they market should find it easier to obtain boars that have the potential of positively influencing their breeding prog ram. These production-tested boars may cost a little more money, but improvements made should go a long way to returning those costs to the operation. Pro ducers who currently command incentive payments for their hogs w meed to look harder for quality boars that are better than the herd average in order to continue to make improvements. While it has been the practice of many farms in the past to restrict selection decisions for improve ment on the boar alone, considera tion can be given to the gilt pool. Use a fatback probe to select female replacements that are the leaner animals in your herd. Faster gains can be realized if you are able to select carcass traits in both your boars and sows. Surprise Sow Feeding Systems Solid Steel Finishing Penning
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