Genetic Selection Influences Animal Behavior and Ability to Easily Handle Pigs

An Animal Science Professor with Colorado State University says the genetics of the pig will influence its behavior and the ease with which it can be handled on the farm and at the packing plant. Among the topics discussed last month, as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2024, was "Pig Handling and Welfare." Dr. Temple Grandin, an animal science professor with Colorado State University, says the genetics of the pig can affect its behavior.

Quote-Dr. Temple Grandin-Colorado State University:

Genetics can definitely change handling. I can remember when lean line hybrids came in in the 1980s.They bred for rapid gain, giant loin, thin backfat and they got a hyper excitable tail biting fighter.There are genetic differences.If we just single mindedly select for production traits, it's bad feet and legs.
Pigs had some bad mistakes with that 40 years ago.

There still are some boar lines made with bad feet and legs.Now cattle is repeating some of that mistake.You over select for any trait; you're going to end up having problems but you also have to manage your pigs right.I told about a case history where, over 10 years ago now, a great big beautiful plant opened somewhere in the U.S.

I won't say where it is.I go to the plant to help them with their handling. What a mess.They had five or six full time people handling downed non ambulatory pigs.

It was a mess and these are problems they had to six at the farm and we ended up doing three things.We got rid of a boar line with horrible feet and legs and they were not walking their pens.They were not walking through their pens to get their pigs accustomed to just quietly walking away from people.

By making those three changes on the farm, they only needed one half time person to handle downers and non ambulatories, where before they five or six people handling downers and non ambulatories.These were things that had to be fixed at the farm to make a pig that you could handle at the plant.

Dr. Grandin acknowledges there is a much greater awareness of the benefits of superior stockmanship and the understanding of animal behavior have improved dramatically since the 1990s.