Rate and Econom ofgain HEa ~ Of 1

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Rate and Econom ofgain HEa ~ Of 1"

Gertrude Warren
5 years ago
Views:

$related to Rate and Econom ofgain HEa ~ Of 1 Qllalit of ork C Js\1'{$ $of \LUNO\S UN\'J{..H By SLEETER BULL and w. E.$

1 ~b C!- UIOYERSllY Of 'Ll'MOl~ UBRARY-CHEMlSTH)' Type in,swine as related to Rate and Econom ofgain HEa ~ Of 1 Qllalit of ork C Js\1'{ of \LUNO\S UN\'J{..H By SLEETER BULL and w. E. CARROLL University of Illinois Colle~e ofagdculture and Agricultural Experiment Station Circular 345

TYPE IN SWINE AS RELATED TO QUALITY OF PORK (Bulletin 322), By Sleeter Bull and]. H. Longwell. III.

2 THIS CIRCULAR is an abstract of three bulletins on SWINE TYPE, namely: I. TYPE IN SWINE AS RELATED TO RATE AND ECONOMY OF GAIN (Bulletin 321), By w, E, tai-r611, Sleeter Bull, J. B. Rice, R. J. Laible, and R. A. Smith. II. TYPE IN SWINE AS RELATED TO QUALITY OF PORK (Bulletin 322), By Sleeter Bull and]. H. Longwell. III. THE ENERGY AND PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS OF GROWING SWINE AND THE UTILIZATION OF FEED ENERGY IN GROWTH (Bulletin 323). By H. H. Mitchell and T. S. Hamilton. The essential findings that are o,f mbre popular interest are brought together in this publication. i! ~! e' Urbana, Illinois June, 1929

$r (b c UBRARY-CHEMlSTRY RS1TY OF ILl\NOts TYPE IN SWINE As Related to Rate and Economy of Gain and Quality of Pork Abstracted by SLEETER BULL, Associate Chief in Meats, and W. E. CARROLL, Ch.$ decades. Recently the question of type as it relates to the desirability of the carcass produced has been seriously considered by many packers.

decades. Recently the question of type as it relates to the desirability of the carcass produced has been seriously considered by many packers.

3 r (b c UBRARY-CHEMlSTRY RS1TY OF ILl\NOts TYPE IN SWINE As Related to Rate and Economy of Gain and Quality of Pork Abstracted by SLEETER BULL, Associate Chief in Meats, and W. E. CARROLL, Ch.ief in Swine Husbandry The question of the type of swine that will make the most rapid and economical gains in the feed lot is one that has received the attention of progressive breeders for several decades. Recently the question of type as it relates to the desirability of the carcass produced has been seriously considered by many packers. Unfortunately most of the arguments for or against the various types have considered the matter from the standpoint of the producer only or from that of the butcher only, while this problem, as with most problems in meat production, must be considered from the standpoints of both producer and butcher. That swine type is a matter of primary importance to the packer and the retailer of pork products is easily understood, for what they can get for their products, and, in turn, what they can pay for them is determined largely by the demand for them. At the present time the consumer desires pork cuts which are small, lean, smooth, and firm and he will pay more for pork which meets these specifications. A 12-pound ham sells for more per pound than a 20-pound ham. A lean pork chop commands a higher price than a fat one. A firm, smooth piece of bacon is preferred to a soft, wrinkled one. Unfortunately pork, to be of the proper quality, must be finished, that is, it must contain a certain amount of fat and be firm, palatable, and juicy. T he packer has attempted to make cuts from large, overfat hogs conform to the consumers' specifications by trimming off the surplus fat and reducing the size of the cuts. For example, the skinned ham, that is, a ham with most of the external fat and skin removed, has almost displaced the regular ham in the quality trade because a skinned ham from an over-size, overfat hog is more nearly the size and has about the leanness which the consumer demands. This excessive trimming is an expensive process to both producer and consumer, as the trimmings, for the most part, go into the lard kettle, and lard in recent years has almost uniformly sold at a price below its cost. This, of course, increases the price of the pork to the consumer and decreases the price of the live hog to the producer. Thus it is obvious that a smooth, finished, but not overfat hog of the proper size is worth more money to the producer because the packer can obtain more for the products from it. In order to help settle, on a scientific basis, the question of the type of lard hog that would most economically meet the present market 3

4 5t '0N ~Vl [D~IJ

$TYPE IN SWINE UMMRS1TY OF ILl\NO\S UBRARY-CHEM\STRY 5 FIGS. 1 TO 5.$

5 TYPE IN SWINE UMMRS1TY OF ILl\NO\S UBRARY-CHEM\STRY 5 FIGS. 1 TO 5.-REPRESENTATIVE PIGS OF EACH TYPE SLAUGHTERED AT ApPROXIMATELY 225 POUNDS Note the progressive change in length of leg, height of back, and length of body with increasing ranginess. Short legs and a thick, fat body are characteristic of the Very Chuffy type. The Very Rangy is characterized by an extreme length of leg and total height, as well as a lower degree of finish at this weight.

6 CIRCULAR No. 345 requirements in this country, the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station in 1922 began a series of investigations involving five types of lard hogs.

.no attempt was made to compare the different types for breeding purposes.

6 6 CIRCULAR No. 345 requirements in this country, the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station in 1922 began a series of investigations involving five types of lard hogs. Differences in the rate and economy of gain among the different types were studied, as were also the carcass values and the chemical composition of gains and of carcasses..no attempt was made to compare the different types for breeding purposes. FIVE TYPES OF SWINE USED IN EXPERIMENTS Representative animals of the five different types used in these experiments are shown in Figs. 1 to 5. The Very Chuffy pigs were extremely short-bodied, low-set, thick animals of a type capable of being fattened at an early age tho never attaining an extremely large size. Perfection in this type was exemplified by the famous old boar, Chief Perfection 2d. The popularity of this type covered the period from about 1895 to The Chuffy pigs were the same general type 0 f animals as the Very Chuffy tho they were much less extreme and showed considerably more size and growthiness. The Intermediate pigs were longer in both body and legs and lacked FIG. 6.-CARCASS MEASUREMENTS the thickness of back and early Tip of snout to tip of rear toe, fleshing qualities of the Very a-b; tip of snout to lower edge of Chuffy and Chuffy types. Animals first thoracic vertebra, a-c; lower of this type were popular in the edge of first thoracic vertebra to lower edge of H-bone, c-d; lower show ring from 1915 to edge of H-bone to tip of rear toe, Some very popular recent show d-b; depth of chest, e-f; depth of winners have also been of this fat, h-i; circumference of fore type. The Rangy pigs showed still shank, j. more length of body and leg, were leaner and more growthy, showed a stronger arch to their backs and carried somewhat more bone than pigs of the three types just described. This type also is popular in the show ring at the present time. The Very Rangy pigs were what the

TYPE IN SWINE 7 term implies-ranginess carried to the extreme. They were very long., narrow, and shallow of body, with long legs and strongly arched backs.

Purebred pigs were selected in place of grades because it was felt that their performance would be somewhat more dependable and uniform.

7 TYPE IN SWINE 7 term implies-ranginess carried to the extreme. They were very long., narrow, and shallow of body, with long legs and strongly arched backs. They were heavy-boned, in some cases even approaching coarseness. The Very Rangy pigs represented the type which was popular in the show ring the year they were included in the experiment ( 1923). Purebred pigs were selected in place of grades because it was felt that their performance would be somewhat more dependable and uniform. The Poland China breed was used because of the wide variation in type within it when these studies were begun. A great deal of time was spent and care exercised in selecting the pigs to have them truly representative of the different types studied. Herds over a wide area of Illinois and Indiana were visited, and uniformity of size, vigor, and prospect, as weil as type, were given consideration. The pigs finally selected were of approximately the same initial weight, and care was taken to have the animals in the same group as nearly uniform and true to the type of that group as possible. Even tho selected when young, the pigs remained rather uniformly true to type as they grew out. TYPE PROVED NOT TO BE CON TROLLING FACTOR IN GAINS The majority of the 316 animals FIG. 7.-CUTS OF PORK included in these experiments were (a) feet, (b) ham, (c) belly, fed in individual feeding crates, tho (d) spareribs, (e) loin, (f) fat some of them were self-fed in groups back, (g) clear plate, (h) in dry lot and some on alfalfa pasture. Minor changes in the ration were made from year to year, tho for any given boston, (i) picnic, (j) leaf fat, (k) neck bones, (1) head. year all types were fed the same ration. This consisted of yellow corn, wheat middlings, and tankage the first year, with the addition of a small amount of alfalfa meal the second and third years. Thruout the experiments the pigs manifested considerable variation both in rate and in economy of gain. These variations, however,

8 CIRCULAR No. 345 did not prove to be related to type, for there was as much variation within groups as between groups. Careful statistical analysis of the data bears out this statement.

8 8 CIRCULAR No. 345 did not prove to be related to type, for there was as much variation within groups as between groups. Careful statistical analysis of the data bears out this statement. A possible exception may be made in the case of the Chuffy pigs, which, in the experiment of the first year, were inferior to the Intermediate pigs. Unfortunately no Chuffy pigs were hand-fed in the later experiments. Since the Very Chuffy pigs that were hand-fed in the second experiment gave as good results as the Intermediates, it seems reasonable to assume that type had no effect upon rate and economy of gains. QUALITY OF CARCASS PRODUCED BY DIFFERENT TYPES A hog weighing 225 pounds or slightly less, experience has shown, produces cuts of about the right size for the general trade. Consequently 164 of the hogs were slaughtered when they reached approximately this weight, 12 were slaughtered at 175 pounds, and 13 at 275 pounds. The factors that affect the quality of pork-dressing and cutting percentages, the amounts of lean, fat, skin, and bone in the various cuts, the grading of the carcasses, and the grading of the principal cuts-were studied. Carcass Measurements. The length of head and neck and of legs varied with type, the Very Chuffy carcasses being the shortest, the Chuffy next, the Intermediate next, then the Rangy, and longest of all were the Very Rangy. Type apparently had little or no effect upon the depth of chest. Length of body proper seemed to vary with individuals rather than with type. Dressing Percentages. At 225 pounds and 275 pounds the dressing percentages of the types similarly fed and slaughtered were not significantly different, except that the Very Rangy carcasses were somewhat lower. The Very Chuffy hogs dressed somewhat higher than the Intermediate and Rangy types when slaughtered at 175 pounds.. Cutting Percentages. The carcasses were cut into the regular wholesale packer cuts and the weights of the various cuts compared with the total weight of the carcass. The carcasses of the Very Chuffy, Chuffy, and Intermediate types hand-fed in dry lot in the first and second experiments, when there were distinct differences between types, contained higher percentages of the fat cuts, such as leaf, fat back, clear plate, and belly, than the Rangy type similarly fed. In the Rangy type the feet and picnics made up a larger percentage of the weight of the carcass than in the other types. Between the Chuffy, Intermediate, and Rangy types self-fed in dry lot there proved to be but little difference in the percentages which

In the experiment of the third year only Intermediate and Rangy types were fed.

9 TYPE IN SWINE 9 the different cuts constituted of the total carcass. The V cr)1 Rangy type had higher percentages of feet and picnics than the In"termediate and lower percentages of leaf, fat backs, and clear plates. In the experiment of the third year only Intermediate and Rangy types were fed. Differences between types were not so pronounced as in the other years, and there were no differences in cuttin : ~ percentages. FIG. B.-CARCASSES OF VERY CHUFFY, INTERMEDIATE, AND RANGY HOGS HAND-FED TO 225 POUNDS The measurements of each of these carcasses were the average for the type. Left, Very Chuffy; middle, Intermediate; and right, Rangy. Compare with carcasses from self-fed hogs shown in Fig. 9. Physical Composition of the Cuts and Carcasses. The wholesale cuts were separated as accurately as possible with the knife into lean, fat, skin, and bone, and the physical composition of the cuts and of the carcasses determined. Lean and Fat.-The percentages of lean in the carcasses of the Chuffy, Intermediate, and Rangy types hand-fed in dry lot were practically the same; the Very Chuffy carcasses had less lean than the others. When the hogs were self-fed, the Chuffy, Intermediate, and Rangy types showed no differences in content of lean or fat; the Very Rangy type had a little more lean and considerably

These carcasses each has measurements which were the average for the type.

10 FIG. 9.-CARCASSES OF CHUFFY, INTERMEDIATE, RANGY, AND VERY RANGY HOGS SELF-FED TO 225 POUNDS These carcasses each has measurements which were the average for the type. There were no extreme differences between the Chuffy, lntennediate, and Ra,ngy types when self-fed, as was the case when these types were hand-fed.... o n ~ c: t'"" :> l'o Z 9 CN ~ tjl

TYPE in SWINE 11 less fat than the others. When hand-fed, the Very Chuffy and Chuffy types contained more fat and the Rangy type less fat than the Intermediate. Skin and Bone.

When self-fed, differences in skin content of the Chuffy, Intermediate, and Rangy types were small; the Very FIG. 1O.

11 TYPE in SWINE 11 less fat than the others. When hand-fed, the Very Chuffy and Chuffy types contained more fat and the Rangy type less fat than the Intermediate. Skin and Bone.-When hand-fed to 225 pounds, the Very Chuffy and Chuffy types contained less skin and the Rangy type more skin than the Intermediate. When self-fed, differences in skin content of the Chuffy, Intermediate, and Rangy types were small; the Very FIG. 1O.-VARIATIONS IN CARCASSES FROM 22S-POUND HOGS While not typical in all respects, these carcasses show the ranginess, coarseness, and lack of condition that characterized many of the Rangy and Very Rangy carcasses and the quality and finish of the other types; they were neither the average nor the extremes of the different types. (From left to right, Very Chuffy, Chuffy, Intermediate, Rangy, Very Rangy.) Rangy carcasses, however, had considerably more skin than those of the other types. Whether hand-fed or self-fed, the Very Chuffy carcasses had less bone and the Rangy carcasses more bone than the Chuffy and Intermediate. The differences, however, were not so great when the hogs were self-fed as when they were hand-fed. The Very Rangy carcasses had considerably more bone than the carcasses of the other types. Chemical Analysis. Altho differing distinctly in market finish, the. dressed carcasses of pigs of distinctly different type slaughtered at

12 CIRCULAR No. 345 the same weight, analyzed chemically very nearly the same. Apparently the carcasses differed in distribution of fat but not in total content of fat.

12 12 CIRCULAR No. 345 the same weight, analyzed chemically very nearly the same. Apparently the carcasses differed in distribution of fat but not in total content of fat. GRADING OF CARCASSES AND CUTS OF 22S-POUND HOGS Carcasses. The carcasses were graded as to finish before they were cut up. Both firmness and amount of fat were considered. When hand-fed, most of the Chuffy and Intermediate hogs were finished but not too fat at 225 pounds. Most of the Rangy hogs were not finished at this weight, and many of the Rangy carcasses were too rough. FIG. 11.-BELLIES FROM 225-POUND HAND-FED HOGS The Very Chuffy and Intermediate bellies (A and C) graded choice. The belly from the Rangy hog (D) is unfinished. When self-fed, the Intermediate hogs were usually finished but not too fat at 225 pounds, and many but not all the Rangy hogs were finished. The Chuffy hogs were finished, some of them being overdone. Self-feeding improved the quality of the carcasses of the Rangy type. The Very Rangy did not finish at 225 pounds, and most of the Very Rangy carcasses were too rough.. Bellies. The bellies of most of the Intermediate hogs, either handfed or self-fed, killed at 225 pounds, were about right in finish and had good quality. Many of the hand-fed Very Chuffy and some of the hand-fed Chuffy cut out bellies that were too fat. The bellies of many of the self-fed Chuffy hogs were too fat; they were usually very smooth. The hand-fed Rangy type produced many bellies that were unfinished and lacked quality. However, when this type was selffed, more of the bellies were finished. Very Rangy bellies were generally unfinished and lacking in quality.

TYPE IN SWINE 13 Hams. Hams from the Intermediate hogs were excellent in form and finish. The hams of the Very Chuffy and Chuffy hogs were short in the shank and excellent in form.

Hams from the Very Rangy hogs were long in the shank, thin, unfinished, and heavy-boned. Picnics. The picnics of all types except the Very Rangy were good enough for the first grade.

13 TYPE IN SWINE 13 Hams. Hams from the Intermediate hogs were excellent in form and finish. The hams of the Very Chuffy and Chuffy hogs were short in the shank and excellent in form. The Rangy hogs had hams that were often too long in the shank for the first grade and many of them contained too much bone. Hams from the Very Rangy hogs were long in the shank, thin, unfinished, and heavy-boned. Picnics. The picnics of all types except the Very Rangy were good enough for the first grade. However, the shanks of the Rangy type were considerably longer than those of the other types. Other Cuts. The quality of the other cuts was not affected materially by the type of hog. ~: -' _-"""""'-_~::a. :;;;o~~~=:"'1!! t" t B. ]) FIG. 12.-BELLIES FROM 225-POUND SELF-FED HOGS The Intermediate and Rangy bellies (C and D) are choice. The Chuffy belly (B) is too fat, and the Very Rangy (E) is quite deficient both in finish and in quality. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS While type did not prove a controlling factor in the rate and economy of gains in these experiments, type did affect materially the quality of the pork produced. The results point to the I ntermediate type of lard hog as the one best suited for the present-day pork producer of the corn-belt, not because of any superiority in rate and economy of gains, but because the meat from this type more nearly meets the requirements of the present-day pork trade and consequently commands a higher price. No burden is put upon the producer in the production of the Intermediate type, since this type makes

14 CIRCULAR No. 345 FIG. 13.-HAMS FROM HOGS OF DIFFERENT TYPES While there were no differences in the percentages of hams cut from the various lots, there were great differences in quality.

Some of the Rangy hams (D) were long in the shank, thin, and not fat enough; the Very Rangy (E) were especially long in the shank, narrow, and lean.

14 14 CIRCULAR No. 345 FIG. 13.-HAMS FROM HOGS OF DIFFERENT TYPES While there were no differences in the percentages of hams cut from the various lots, there were great differences in quality. The hams from the Very Chuffy and most of the Chuffy hogs (A and B) were thick, fat, and short in the shank; many were too fat. Some of the Rangy hams (D) were long in the shank, thin, and not fat enough; the Very Rangy (E) were especially long in the shank, narrow, and lean. The Intermediate (C) hams were excellent in form and finish. at least as large and as economical gains as any other type and there are more of this type than of any other on corn-belt farms today. It should be borne in mind, however, that future changes in consumer demand for pork may require further modifications of swine type to meet such demand. FIG. 14.-PICNICS FROM HOGS OF DIFFERENT TYPES From left to right these picnics are from Very Chuffy, Chuffy, Intermediate, Rangy, and Very Rangy hogs. Note differences in length of shank. The statements under Fig. 13 about hams apply also to the picnics.

Cli CHECK FOF 1RCUL/

cop. ACR1CUITURE Cli CHECK FOF 1RCUL/ VALUE OF PRESENT-DAY SWINE TYPES... IN MEETING CHANGED CONSUMER DEMAND By SLEETER BULL F. C. OLSON G. E. HUNT W. E. CARROLL UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL