Comprehensive Pig Farming Course

Description

Why take this comprehensive pig farming course?

Running a profitable pig operation takes more than instinct — it takes a working understanding of breeding, health, nutrition, and day-to-day management, all pulling in the same direction. This comprehensive pig farming course is built to give you exactly that, over 24 structured weeks, so you finish with a practical grounding you can apply on your own farm rather than a stack of theory you’ll never use.

How the course works

Each student gets access to:

• Full course materials — readings, vocabulary quizzes, videos, and more
• An online classroom for course delivery and interaction
• Weekly lecture recordings covering that week’s topic
• A tutor with 30 years of pig farming and agricultural training experience, available to support your learning
• Assignments to assess and reinforce your understanding as you go, so that you can track your own progress through the course
• A certificate, issued once you’ve successfully completed the course

Course Outline

Topic 1: Reproduction and Breeding

Week 1 Reproduction Anatomy:

• Male & Female Reproductive System

Week 2 Reproduction Physiology & AI Basics:

• The effect of hormones on reproduction

• AI Basics

Week 3 Breeds & Breeding:

• Commonly used breeds in commercial production

• Cross breeding and hybrid vigor

Week 4 Selection & Genetics:

• Selection and culling of breeding stock

• Physical evaluation

• Genotype vs Phenotype

• Heritability of most important production traits

Topic 2: Health and Welfare

Week 5 Welfare:

• The 5 duties of care in Animal Welfare

• Optimum temperatures

• Temperature management strategies

• Minimum space requirements for different sized pigs

Week 6 Welfare:

• Housing design and layout

• Alternative (cheaper and stronger) building methods

Week 7 Health & Diseases:

• Internal & external parasites

• Signs & symptoms / treatments / prevention Fungal diseases

Week 8 Health & Diseases:

• Bacterial diseases

Week 9 Health & Diseases:

• Viral diseases

Week 10 Health & Diseases:

• Zoonotic diseases

• Metabolic disorders

• Poisoning and overdoses Routine vaccination program

Week 11 Handling & Stockmanship:

• Routine husbandry procedures

Week 12 Handling & Stockmanship:

• Low stress handling & movement of pigs Balance points, loading & transporting pigs

Week 13 Handling & Stockmanship:

• EFFLUENT – Asset or Liability? Uses and facilities / equipment needed

Topic 3: Feeds, Feeding & Nutrition

Week 14 Nutrition & Monogastric Digestive System:

• The monogastric Digestive System

• What nutrients does the body need?

• What does each nutrient do in the body?

• Where and how each nutrient is digested

Week 15 Feeds available to pig farmers:

• Conventional feed ingredients and their nutritive values

• Some alternative feed ingredients and their nutritive values

Week 16 Principles of ration balancing

• Nutritional requirements of different size/age and classes of pigs

Week 17 Principles of ration balancing

• Basic Ration balancing

Week 18 Feeding Systems:

• Ad Lib vs restrictive

• Based-on-production feeding

• “Snacking”

Week 19 Feeding Systems:

• How to reduce your feed bill and maximize profit

Topic 4: Management

Week 20 Management of the breeding herd

Gilts:

• Onset of puberty – Age vs Weight

• Heat spotting and fitting them into your existing production cycle

• Postponement of mating – advantages when mating gilts

Week 21 Management of the breeding herd

Sows:

• Optimizing the throughput through your expensive facility

Week 22 Management of the breeding herd Boars:

• Selection

• Regular use and emergency use

• Contribution to genetic improvement on your farm

Suckers:

• Giving suckling piglets the best start in life

Week 23 Weaners & grower pigs:

Finishing Pigs:

• What age are your pigs at slaughter?

• How does that compare with industry standards?

• What does it mean for your profitability?

Week 24 Record keeping

• Record keeping systems and interpreting collected data.

• Course review and evaluation

Enroll today

Get a complete, practical grounding in pig farming through this comprehensive course — from breeding through to the sale pen — taught by a tutor with three decades of hands-on experience. Enroll today.