I am pretty sure that in the example of Smith x Jones x Green, Smith is the sire, Jones is the sire of the mother and Green is the sire of the grandmother. It is just going back one more generation. Usually if the sire of the sire is mentioned it is in parenthesis after the sire.

First you will need a dummy of some sort unless you intend on collecting off sows. You will need a collection cup and collection bags. I recommend the ones that have the filter that tears off after using. Also I would recommend using vinyl gloves, not latex. You will need extender. I only use one be...

I have known people to split the litter in half and do split nursing. Put half the litter somewhere with a pan of milk replacer so they still have access to milk and leave the other half on her. Rotate them every couple hours. I have known people who raised a litter of something like 20 this way and...

I would have to add Doug Stewart to this list.

It depends upon what you are targeting, mycoplasma pneumonia or ileitis. If you are targeting mycoplasma pneumonia it is 200 gm/ton (10 lbs per ton) which if top dressing 5 lbs a day would come to .4 oz a day. If ileitis it would be half that (100 gm/ton) or .2oz a day.

How is the swelling today? If it has continued then yes you missed her but it isn't uncommon for them to swell just a bit at around 21 days and then for it to go away and for them to be bred. Hopefully this is the case. You say she is like a 270 lb dog. I would be a bit nervous breeding a gilt that ...

Does anyone know if the show will be online. I saw that Walton Webcasting showed the junior shows but I don't see anything about the open show. Thanks.

Just to make sure, a lot of shows prohibit clipping in the barn but you can clip them at home before comng. Others hav a minimum length the hair has to be. I have never heard of show banning clipping altogether. How would they enforce it other than a minimum length rule? I would just use a longer bl...

I agree that milking ability plays a large function but body type does as well. I have had plenty of sows that milk extremely well and their pigs are huge at weaning but they aren't those little butterballs that you are wanting. Some pigs just don't lay down the fat as easily at that age as others. ...

There really isn't a "wrong" way for pigs to be born unlike most species. It is more common for them to be born coming head first but only slightly. Just going off my own experience I would say 60-65% of pigs are born coming head first and the other 30-35% backwards. If I am going to have ...

I would be awfully worried about lining up Final Move too much with the scrotal hernia problem with that line.

Anymore, if a pig isn't extreme on bone it is considered frail. At least to some. This bone thing has really gotten out of hand. They just need to have enough to win. The problem is that is open to interpretation.

It sounds like the feed mix is right and you are feeding her the right amount. The yorks back in the 90's were always hard keepers during the winters and required extra feed/energy to maintain weight when it got cold. I used to run some soybean oil in the feed during the winter months to help out. I...

I am sorry but I have never understood people being upset about someone bidding on their own animal. I don't understand how this is dishonest. He is basically bidding real money just like anyone else, if he ends up with the final bid he forgoes that amount of money plus he still pays the commission....

<t>I will second kgb's suggestion of using Powerfill. We had a barrow that we held to 60 lbs of gain in the last 50 days and he ended up winning the show. It's a lot easier to monitor the pig the whole way than to have to bring them to a screeching halt at the end but I was guilty of having to do th...