Among other domestic animals, the pig has no equal in omnivorousness, the rate of weight gain, the volume of meat obtained, as well as in its nutritional value and taste. The pig is very fertile: unlike a cow that gives birth to one calf per year, a pig's offspring can reach 14 piglets per farrowing, and during the year it is able to farrow twice with proper care.
For these reasons, raising pigs at home is considered a very profitable activity - you can not only fill your refrigerator with delicious quality meat, but also, if you wish, make money from selling pork. To start raising pigs on your own, you will need to select the right breed, ensure the proper feed and feed additives for the pigs, track the sows' mating season in a timely manner, and provide the necessary assistance with the farrowing of the pig.
What breed of pig is better to choose
At home, Russian farmers breed both domestic and foreign pig breeds, conditionally subdivided into three main categories: lard-meat, meat-lard and bacon. What breed to choose for your backyard is up to you.
Greasy meat breeds: Mirgorodskaya, North Caucasian, Belarusian black-and-white. The color of pigs is black or black-and-white, they are light in weight and quickly salted.
Bacon breeds: popular Landrace and Estonian bacon. In appearance, the pigs are white, long-eared, with an elongated body, with well-fed hams and sirloin. The fat yield from this breed is low, the meat yield is high.
Meat-greasy breeds: Siberian northern, Ukrainian steppe white, Lithuanian white. Accordingly, the color of the animals is white, the pigs themselves are large, their adipose tissue is poorly developed, and the muscle tissue is well developed. Breeding pigs of this breed is especially common in the household, as they are suitable for both meat and bacon fattening. Large white pigs are prolific, piglets gain 100 kg in six months, and large boars reach 350-370 kg.
Recently, Vietnamese pigs are becoming more and more popular, the breeding of which is economically very profitable. They require less feeding costs, due to their compactness they take up little space, are very fertile (up to 20 piglets per farrowing), have a bacon build.
Hunting, pregnancy and farrowing of Vietnamese pigs occur in much the same way as other pig breeds. However, during childbirth, the owner must be present - so the sow will feel calmer, farrowing will be easier, in addition, it is imperative to ensure that newborn piglets receive breast milk in the first half hour of life, since they are born with a very small supply of nutrients.
