Pork is one of the most popular types of meat in most countries. It is quickly prepared, inexpensive, and the dishes from it are very tasty. Breeding pigs is a profitable business, this meat will always be in high demand. But which breed to choose? We recommend taking a look at Yorkshire pigs.
Historical reference
The birthplace of the breed is England. It was in Yorkshire that these productive pigs were bred. In 1851, a new breed was presented at an agricultural exhibition in the city of Vindose. There Yorkshire pigs attracted everyone's attention.
At that time, visitors to agricultural exhibitions were accustomed to seeing obese, fat animals that, because of their excess weight, could not even stand on their feet for long. Yorkshire pigs were different: muscular, beautiful, strong. The breeder of these animals, which soon gained worldwide popularity, was breeder Joseph Tuley.
The ancestors of the breed were the Samson boar and the Matches sow. To fix the necessary traits in the breed, Joseph used inbreeding, that is, closely related crosses. As a result, the breeder managed to get piglets that had an excellent constitution.
The Yorkshire pig breeding business was quite profitable, but Joseph could not compete with the big breeders. They had already established sales, and Tuley could not achieve such success. Therefore, after some time, he sold his pigs to one of the English farmers. As a result, breeding work was carried out over the Yorkshire breed for many years. Currently, pigs have been obtained that meet all modern requirements for productivity.
Breed description
Yorkshire has a calm non-aggressive disposition, which is very popular with farmers. Pigs of large white breed can reach a weight of 200-350 kg. Females are usually much smaller than boars. The elongated muscular body of Yorkshire pigs looks harmonious. Light skin gives animals an aristocratic look.
The pigs have a medium head and small ears. The forehead is wide, the neck is short, passing smoothly into the body. The Yorkshire's back is wide, strong, and muscular. The abdomen is taut and voluminous, legs are strong. The length of pigs from the nose to the patch can reach 2 meters. The coat is sparse, setae short.
Productivity
The Yorkshire breed of pigs has matured, it is considered universal. Boars reach more weight than females. Some individuals reach 350 kg or more. Yorkshire sows are multiple, they usually give birth to 10 piglets. Each cub has a weight of about 1 kg.
Piglets are actively developing and gaining weight well. Already at 2 months they can weigh about 20 kg. These are excellent indicators, about 4.5 kg of feed is spent on 1 kg of growth. By 7 months, Yorkshire pigs already weigh 100 kg. For each day of proper fattening, piglets become heavier by 800 g.
Yorkshire has a very good meat yield after slaughter. Depending on the method of fattening a pig, this indicator ranges between 62% and 82%. You can get marble meat from pigs of this breed, which is highly regarded by gourmets around the world. Farmers are happy to hold Yorkshire, as these animals are not only productive, but also breed well.
Conditions of detention
The technology for raising Yorkshire pigs has its own characteristics. The rooms in which the animals will live should be quite spacious. Drafts are unacceptable, otherwise pigs can get sick. The room must be covered. Yorkshire is demanding for cleanliness of the litter, so the farmer will have to clean them regularly.
For the summer you need to equip piglets with a walking yard. But there you definitely need to install canopies that protect babies from sunlight, otherwise they can get burns. Drinking bowls for pigs must be installed so that animals cannot pour water from them. It is impossible for the piglet to be damp. Experienced farmers recommend the use of nipple drinkers, they are very convenient. If piglets are poorly fed, then they can get rickets.
Nutrition
Only when they receive a complete balanced diet will piglets grow large and strong. How to feed pigs? The first days after the birth of the piglets feed only on breast milk. Starting from 3 days you can start feeding babies. At first, the new food may seem uninteresting to the piglets, but then they will start eating with appetite. It is especially important to administer complementary foods to piglets that, for whatever reason, receive less mother’s milk. You can start giving babies back, cereal, and then boiled potatoes and crushed grain. There are also special feeds designed specifically for piglets.
Adult pigs can be given crushed grain, vegetables, fruits, green mass. Some farmers feed their pets waste, but not all experts welcome this. There are special feeds for pigs. If animals are fed with crushed grain, then vitamin-mineral supplements must be added to the diet. Water should always be available to pigs.
Fattening
If the animal is not planned to be used for breeding purposes, it is important that it reaches a good slaughter weight as soon as possible. First, piglets are fed 5 times a day, as the number of meals decreases. With age, Yorkshire pigs begin to eat less often, but in large portions. Sometimes, piglets are given treats, such as acorns, between meals.
The type of fattening is selected depending on what the farmer wants to get: a lot of meat or a lot of fat. In the summer it is useful to let the pigs walk. If it is planned to fatten piglets for fat, then feeds with a high content of carbohydrates should prevail in their diet. They contain a large amount of energy, so pigs quickly build up fat.
If piglets are fattened for meat, then their diet should have a sufficient amount of protein feed. You can also feed animals succulent feed: freshly mowed grass, vegetables. If the farmer has no time to make a ration for pigs, then he can buy ready-made feed.
Breed diseases
Yorkshire pigs have strong immunity, so they rarely have ailments. But even good health can be undermined by improper living conditions and poor unbalanced feeding. In this case, rickets or vitamin deficiency may develop in Yorkshire pigs. Especially often young people suffer from these ailments, which were born in the winter or spring.
Animals can also catch a skin disease called erysipelas. With this ailment, rashes appear on the ears, muzzle and legs. They bother pigs that itch and get nervous. In diseased animals, hyperthermia can be observed. It is not recommended to deal with the treatment of erysipelas on your own, it is better to invite a veterinarian.
Owner reviews
The owners are satisfied with large and fast-growing pigs. Yorkshire is well adapted to new conditions of detention, little susceptible to disease, have excellent external data. Pigs are not demanding on the feed base, so even without the purchase of expensive additives, the farmer will be able to get good gains.
The disadvantage of this breed is the owners consider excessively delicate skin prone to sunburn. Also, some farmers note that in case of improper fattening, pigs produce excessive amounts of fat.