Thank you to Conner Newsom, South Plains College Livestock Judging Team Coach, for providing the officials.
I sorted the crossbred gilts 1324. Best built 1’s awesome looking and outlier for power. I’ve got her over 3 to start.
Turned profile, my heads up winner’s elevation and length of hip create a more demanding look driving ringside, but impressively the stoutest pinned gilt drives off the biggest, most secure back leg.
No doubt, the fundamental blue gilt is bolder bodied and has a better set to her knee, but the shorter necked gilt could be stretched out in her hip and have a stouter rear leg to match her extra mass. I like her second.
Middle is easy, it goes 3-2. Shorter backed, bigger hipped female overwhelms the remaining three for brood sow power. Now, more refined 2’s as loose and mobile as any, she comes with an easy growing look, but comparatively she’s just a bit sowy for this drive. Weak pastern, long face female is starting to show her age, plus the flattest bodied gilt can’t test the top pair for power. I left her third.
Even so, I kept 2 over 4 to end the drive because wide belted 2’s way more flexible and should stay sounder in confinement. Now 4’s extra shape and skeletal width doesn’t get her beat, rather this chrome gilt needs to be much more maternal. The compact, steep hipped gilts angles slow her endurance on drive. The early maturing, tipped vulva gilt that’s too short tying in her muscle pattern goes fourth. Thank you
