MANAGEMENT

Detailed explanation-1: -Notches are placed in one of five locations in the pig’s right ear-to show the litter number-and in one of three locations in the left ear-to show the individual pig number. “Reading” the notches allows producers, judges, and other swine professionals to know more about the pig they’re viewing.

Detailed explanation-2: -The advantage of ear notching is that it is permanent, fast and inexpensive. Reasonable numbers of animals can be individually identified.

Detailed explanation-3: -1 Ear notches or punches can be used for the dual purpose of permanent animal identification and as a tissue sample for genotyping. The external pinna is an appropriate site for this identification method; punches or notches should avoid areas where cartilage is thicker close to the head.

Detailed explanation-4: -Ear notching is a permanent method of pig identification. Whereas ear tags may be lost or damaged, ear notching remains in place to provide a unique identification for each animal.