PIGGERY

Did you know??

v Newborn piglets learn to run to their mothers’ voices, and can recognize their own names. Sows have even been known to 'sing' to their young whilst nursing. When they are trained, piglets can learn their names by two to three weeks of age and respond when called and can learn tricks faster than dogs.

v As it turns out, pigs are not slow and slumbering Adult pigs can run at speeds of up to 11mph, or in other words, they can run a seven-minute mile.

v They are much more tolerant of colder temperatures than heat. Pigs have no sweat glands, so they can't sweat hence enjoy being in mud to keep themselves cool.

v A pig's squeal can be as loud as 115 decibels (i.e) 3 decibels higher than the sound of a supersonic airliner.

v Pigs communicate constantly with each other, and more than 20 different vocalizations have been identified; from wooing a mate to saying ‘I’m hungry”. They use their grunts to communicate with each other. The grunts made by pigs vary depending on the pig's personality and can convey important information about their welfare.

v Pigs will eat almost anything – including human bones. In 2012, a farmer in Oregon, America, was eaten by his pigs after having a heart attack and falling into their enclosure. By the time a concerned relative came looking for him, only his dentures were left.

v Pigs are one of the smartest animals on the planet. Their intelligence ranks higher than dogs and even some primates. Pigs may be indiscriminate eaters, but pigs are also highly intelligent and incredibly social animals. Studies have also shown that, much like humans, they dream. They form close bonds with each other and other species and some like to cuddle up close, especially at low temperatures.

v Their genetic makeup is also very close to humans. Because of this, stem cells from pigs are being used by scientists to research cures for human diseases. To track the cells once they’ve been injected, Chinese geneticists have crossed a pig with a jellyfish, producing piglets whose tongues and trotters glow fluorescent green in UV light.

v In their natural state, Pigs are very clean animals. They keep their toilets far from their living or feeding area.

v Pigs have very long memories and can remember things even years later.

v Due to scientific research, it is now known that piglets have a certain teat order, and every piglet has its own teat.

v The highest density of tactile receptors is found in the pig's snout.  Pigs use it mainly to dig in the dirt and smell for food. A pig's sense of smell is about 2000 times more sensitive than human's.

FISHERY

Did you know?

• It is estimated that there are 32,000 species of fish which is more than any other group of vertebrates existing worldwide. The largest fish is the whale shark, which grows to more than 15 meter in length and may weigh several tons. The smallest fish is the tiny goby, an inhabitant of fresh-to-brackish-water lakes in Luzon, Philippines. The basking shark is the second biggest fish and may measure 12 meter in length.

• Catfish have no scales like other fish. They also have chemoreceptors across their entire bodies meaning they can taste and smell with their skin.

• Most fish cannot swim backwards.

• Not all fish spend all their time in water. Some fish can fly short distances.

• Lungfish can survive, buried underground, for years without water because they have both gills and lungs. That helps them survive dry spells.

• Trillions of fish are killed every year for human consumption, with no consideration given to the pain inflicted on the animals and little thought to the environmental impact.

POULTRY

Did you know???

• Chickens are living descendants of dinosaurs

Chickens are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs. Scientific evidence has proven the shared common ancestry between chickens and the Tyrannosaurus rex.

•  Chickens aren’t completely flightless

Chickens were domesticated about 8000 years ago, and evolved from the Red junglefowl, which are tropical birds that live in the jungle. These wild birds fly to escape predators and to roost high up in trees. Today’s domestic chickens still have the ability to fly, although not as effectively. Chickens can fly for short distances – enough to clear obstacles or reach a perch.

• Chickens can dream

Research has shown that chickens experience REM (rapid eye movement) while sleeping, meaning they can dream just like us. They also have a sleep phase that humans don’t experience called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, where one half of the brain is asleep and the other is awake. This means that chickens can sleep with one eye open, which is an evolutionary adaptation useful for looking out for predators.

• Chickens have better colour vision

Like humans, chickens have colour vision, and are able to see red, green and blue light. However, what makes chicken vision unique from ours is that they are also able to see ultraviolet light, which are the colours you see when using a black light!

• Chickens have complex communication

Chickens have over 30 unique vocalizations that they use to communicate a wide variety of messages to other chickens, including mating calls, stress signals, warnings of danger, how they are feeling and food discovery. Mother hen even talk to their babies while they are still in the egg with soft purrs and the unborn will reply with a soft, high-pitched peep.

• Chickens have great memories

Chickens are able to recognize over 100 different faces, even after being separated for extended periods of time, highlighting their long-term memory capabilities. These faces don’t just include chickens, they can recognize places, the faces of humans and animals such as dogs, cats etc.

• Chickens bathe by covering themselves in dirt

While this may seem contradictory, the dirt is essential to helping chickens stay clean. Chickens have an oil gland on their back that is used to spread oil over their feathers to make them waterproof. Over time, the oil goes stale, and chickens need to wash the old oil off through dust bathing. Dust bathing is when chickens crouch on the ground and spread dirt or another dusty material over their body. The stale oil sticks onto the particles of dirt, and gets shaken off. Chickens can then spread fresh oil onto their feathers.

• Chickens have a pecking order

Chickens live in groups called flocks. The social structure of these flocks depends on a hierarchy called a pecking order, which is an order of dominance. All chickens know their place in this order, and it helps to maintain a stable, cohesive group.

• Egg shell colour can be determined by genetics

Ever wondered what causes the difference between brown, blue and white eggs? It depends on the breed of the hen, but it’s not feather colour that tells you what colour the egg shell will be. It’s the colour of the hen’s earlobes. Generally, hens with red earlobes such as Orrington will lay brown eggs, and hens with white earlobes such as leghorn lay white eggs and Ameraucanas lay blue eggs (with a few exceptions of course). Although the colour of the eggs may differ, the nutritional content or flavour does not.

• Chickens are very intelligent and smart animals

Studies have shown that chickens are self-aware and can distinguish themselves from others. They learn from one another, such as chick learning from her mother which foods are good to eat, where to find food and how to forage. Chickens can also demonstrate complex problem-solving skills. They comprehend cause and effect, pass on their knowledge and demonstrate self control.

Also, chickens can copy eachothers behavior. If you can get one chicken to do something you want, others will follow suit.

• Certain breeds are about to go into extinction

Despite there been about 25 billion chickens in the world today, some traditional or heritage breeds are increasingly at risk of becoming extinct due to industrialized chicken farming which enhances meat and egg quality.