General Appearance
The pig should be well knit and long with top and underline tapering from back to front. The back when viewed form the side should be slightly and evenly arched. The pig should not be leggy and it's gait should be free and easy. Any tendency to collar, dumpiness or excessive fatness is regarded as undesirable. All the different parts put together, should form a well balanced unit.
The Head and Neck
We are interested in the head and neck mainly because it is cheap meat or waste. Therefore, the more refined and the less the weight of this part, the better.
The head should be light with a clean cut jowl and a snout of moderate length. The head should always be true to type in pure bred animals. The snout and jaw should be straight. The neck should be light, free from flabbiness, should show adequate width and fullness to balance smoothly with the shoulder and head. The neck should be of moderate length.
The head of the sow should be studied for evidence of femininity as shown by refinement and clean cut appearance of her features. The head of the boar must show evidence of masculine character, without coarseness. The more pronounced these secondary sex characteristics are, the more confidence we have in their ability to reproduce.
Shoulders
The shoulders should be light in relation to the hams. Heavy or coarse shoulders are objectionable as the ideal is an eye muscle of even width from front to back. The shoulder should be rounded when viewed from the top, in contrast to a sharp flat shoulder. The ideal shoulder should be smooth, compact, deep, same width and depth as the rest of the body. The shoulder should not be open on top or “loose”.
Chest
The chest should be wide and not too deep.
Middle
The depth of the body and spring of rib determines the capacity for the heart, lungs, digestive and other vital organs. Good development in these determines the vigor and constitution of an animal.
The ribs should spring out of the back squarely and break rather sharply into the sides . The sidelines up and down should be nearly straight.
A good underline in the sow should show seven pairs of evenly spaced teats. To give room for full mammary development, the belly should be broad which is shown by full flanks, straight side lines and good thickness of body. Teats develop with age and should be more prominent on older sows. Smooth underlines should be examined for blind teats and inverted nipples. Teats set too far back are often out of reach of the piglets because of the position of the hind leg. Teats should start well forward, the front teats usually produce more milk than the back teats.
The underline of the boar should show three or more teats in front of the sheath and three (preferably four) teats behind on both sides. The underline of the boar should never show a pot belly or flabbiness as this is a sign of fatness. The belly should be trim, firm and straight.
The Back and the Loin
The back and the loin should be wide, long, firm and well fleshed. The back should not show a too strong arch, but should be carried up slightly to show a strong back. The back should not fall away behind the shoulders or shows a “pinch” on the loin. A well developed ham with a well developed gluteus muscle often show a “pinch” on the loin. A weak loin or back is often associated with swaying of the hindquarters or the dipping of the back during movement.
The sides should be deep, long, full at flanks, thickly and firmly fleshed.
The Ham and Rump
A wide full and long rump adds to the size of the ham. Good width in this region is desirable because it is associated with the ability of the sow to give birth to her piglets easily. The rump should not slope down steeply. A high tail setting therefore is important as it influences the angle of the rump.
The ham should be broad, full, rounded both from the back and side and should be well fleshed at the hock. The ham should be firm and not flabby “wearing pants”.
Legs and Feet
The importance of good legs and feet is obvious, yet it has been much neglected in many herds. The legs should be straight and well placed, with good width between them and well set. The pasterns should be short, strong and inclined upright. The bones should be clean and not too fine.
The following bone structures are undesirable:
Genitalia
The boar should have two well developed and even sized testicles. There is scientific evidence that indicates a positive correlation between testis size and sperm quality and quantity. The sheath should be neat and trim. A bulbous sheath should be objected against because there is always danger that the urine might build up in the prepuce which might lead to infection and reproduction problems.
The gilt or sow should have a well developed vulva and it should not be turned upward, forming a cup. Look out for infantile vulvas.
Look for evidence of inter sexuality when inspecting the genitalia. Look for any form of genetic defects.
