Main meat breeds of pigs
Meat pig breeds have a lot of advantages: the almost complete absence of a fat layer makes the products obtained from them competitive in the livestock market.
Meat breeds of pigs
Meat breeds of pigs, or, as they are also called, bacon, are distinguished by an elongated body and not too pronounced chest. In bacon breeds of pigs, the front part is smaller in size than the back; they are also characterized by an intensively growing muscle fiber, while the fatty layer is deposited in minimal quantities.
Piglets of meat pigs quickly gain weight, and by the age of six months they weigh up to 100 kg. The minimum slaughter yield of meat from bacon breeds of pigs is about 55-67%, and the greasy layer grows no more than 30%.
English pigs
The British bred many breeds, but only a few have widely established themselves in the meat direction.
English Tamworth
The bacon English Tamworth meat breed was one of the first. Its founders were the black and red Staffordshires. Today this direction is most widespread in America and Canada.
Breed English Tamworth
Among the distinctive characteristics in the description of Tamworth:
- rather dense constitution,
- developed bones and muscles,
- a slightly extended head with wide ears on a thick neck,
- straight contrasting red or brown with red hair.
The Tamworth meat breed is not fertile - the litter of a sow has no more than a dozen piglets, which are gaining weight intensively, and by the age of 8 months have a mass of about a centner.
Hampshire
The Hampshire meat variety is one of the oldest bred in England. The animals have established themselves as highly productive, but infertile. Farrowing in Hampshire individuals has no more than 8 piglets.
Hampshire pig breed
Long on short legs Hampshire in color black, diluted with a white stripe in the chest, passing to the forelimbs.
An adult individual gains weight up to 0.25 tons (sows) and up to 0.32 tons (boars). Hampshire piglets grow intensively, adding 0.85-0.95 kg per day.
Bacon lines of other countries
Some other countries can boast of bred lines of meat pigs.
Bacon from Estonia
The Estonian meat variety originated from the crossed Landrace and the German White Pig. The type turned out with a dense build and a wide dorsal region and rounded hams. The bristles of animals are white with a pink skin tone. The productivity of the Estonian breed is recorded by average indicators:
- the weight of an adult boar reaches 0.32-0.35 tons, sows - up to 0.23-0.25 tons,
- farrowing brings up to 12 piglets, which can give a weight gain of 750 g per day.
Pig breed from Estonia
Belgian Pietrain
A fairly young early maturing meat breed of pigs from Belgium, which appeared at the end of the 19th century, originates from the Beckshire and English large varieties and stands out for its wide body and large leg part with large muscle mass.
Breed Belgian Pietrain
The Pietrains have unnecessarily high requirements for the feed ration.
In color, Pietrains can be spotted, white with gray and white with black. This is not the most productive breed: it brings only 6-7 piglets at a time. In this case, the variety belongs to the early maturing direction.
American Duroc
The Duroc breed of pigs from America, since 1883, spread far beyond their homeland and became very famous in Russia and Europe. Small Durocs, large in physique with a small head and hanging ears, can gain a kilogram per day, providing a lethal yield of up to 85% or more.
Duroc breed
Duroc belongs to the late maturing types in terms of productivity.
Despite the fact that closer to the age of one month, the piglets weigh no more than 15 kg, the most productive adults gain weight up to 0.38 tons.
Puffy vietnamese
One of the smallest meat breeds recorded 85% meat yield. In addition, the Vietnamese are early maturing and fertile enough. Boars of the Vislobryukha breed reach a body weight of no more than 150 kg, sows - no more than 100 kg. Farrowing yields up to 18 piglets. Due to its small size, cleanliness and omnivorous nature, this meat variety of pigs is most preferred for private pig breeding.
Vietnamese pigs
Meat types of Russia
Meat pig breeds in Russia are also popular. They have won fame among farmers in Ukraine, in Belarusian and Moldovan pig breeding.
Pig breeding in Russia is represented by several meat lines, bred taking into account the natural conditions of the local climate.
Don
The Don pig, bred relatively recently, shows good productivity:
- boars gain weight up to 0.31-0.32 tons, sows - up to 0.22 tons;
- farrowing brings 10 or more piglets.
Don breed
Pigs are characterized by a massive physique and a well-developed leg leg. Among the main advantages, farmers note resistance to frost, high rates of early maturity and increased immunity.
Urzhum pigs
The Urzhum livestock, bred in the Kirov region, has established itself in pig breeding in Russia, thanks to its good fertility (up to 13 piglets per day), which by the age of 6 months gain one centner of weight.
The average weight of animals is in the range from 0.3 to 0.32 tons. Obtained from crossed large white pigs and local late-ripening representatives, the Urzhum pigs turned out to be similar to the Don meat breed with a massive constitution, small naked and hanging ears.
Urzhum pigs
Breed from Kemerovo
Kemerovo meat pig breed is among the ten most widespread in Russia. These pigs have a powerful constitution with a broad chest. The weight of animals is in the range from 0.2 to 0.36 tons. The Kemerovo pig farrowing numbers up to ten piglets.
Kemerovo breed
Meat pig breeding in Ukraine
Among the meat breeds of pigs in Ukraine, two have established themselves.
Mirgorod pig
Among the main indicators of the Mirgorod pig, which appeared in Poltava during the war years, the following are noted:
- weight from 200 to 300 kg,
- number of offspring - at least ten individuals,
- intensive growth of piglets by 0.8 kg per day,
- slaughter meat yield - up to 65%.
Mirgorod breed
Mirgorod animals have a long and wide body with a small head. The ears are bent forward. The bristles are speckled, of sufficient length, and dense.
White steppe
The white steppe bacon pig breed from Ukraine is considered one of the first to appear in Ukrainian pig breeding. Its productivity characteristic has an average weight of individuals from 0.25 to 0.35 tons.
Breed Ukrainian steppe white
Among the distinctive characteristics in the description are:
- massiveness and strong skeleton,
- narrow head with big ears,
- deep chest.
The intensive growth of piglets of 700 g per day allows them to gain about a centner by the age of six months.
Conclusion
Ultimately, any pig will find its admirers, which is the best - it is up to the farmer to decide.