Pig farming is one of the most profitable sectors of agriculture. Given how much pork is consumed in the modern world, this does not surprise anyone. It is very important for a novice pig breeder to decide which kind of animals he is going to raise (meat, meat-greasy or exclusively for lard), and collect a high-quality herd. Of the bacon lines, Landrace is considered the most successful - the breed of pigs, the most common and well-established throughout the world. In the presence of both advantages and disadvantages, the former clearly prevail.
Origin and characteristics
Given that Landrace is a breed of pigs bred in Denmark relatively recently - in the first half of the last century, its popularity can be estimated by its rapid spread. Animals are of the bacon type, that is, in their carcass, subcutaneous fat is represented by a very thin layer, but there is a lot of lean meat. Despite the fact that many people in the modern world prefer lean meat, this composition of the carcass is an additional plus. Competent long-term selection has led to the fact that now Landrace is a breed of pigs, whose representatives, under equal conditions of maintenance and the same type of destination, gain more weight than representatives of other breeds. It is noteworthy that the internal organs of these pigs are again better developed.
Appearance of Landrace
Pigs have an elongated body, a straight back, flat, wide and dense ham. The ears are drooping, long, somewhat obscuring the eyes. Rare bristles, white; the skin is very thin. The uterus, on average, weighs about a quarter ton, boars gain 300 kg, sometimes more.
Advantages
Landrace is a breed of pigs whose reviews mostly range from positive to enthusiastic. First of all, the uterus is very fertile: less than a dozen piglets are rarely born, and sometimes their number reaches 15-20. Survival at the correct content is also very high: losses rarely reach even 10%; in most cases, all survive before weaning from the uterus.
The next positive indicator that Landras possesses is that the breed of pigs (photo) was very early. Piglets at the age of one month already weigh up to 8-10 kg with an initial of 1.7, and at weaning they can gain it up to the mark of 20 kg.
Pigs of this breed are very hardy and viable; they acclimatize very easily, during which the weight does not decrease unambiguously, and in half the cases its growth continues, although at a slower rate.
It is worth noting the quality of bacon, which gives landrace (breed of pigs). Its characteristic is extremely positive: in carcasses there is a higher content of high-quality lean meat (the indicator often reaches 5%) and a noticeably thinner layer of subcutaneous fat than in other species.
Disadvantages of the breed
From a physical point of view, they include wobbling backwards and weak tanks. Some domestic pig farmers also believe that Landrace is a breed of pigs, the targeted bacon selection of which somewhat weakened their constitution. As a result, mature boars have a chest girth of 157 cm with a body length of 175, that is, it is too small and narrow.
However, the main drawback of the Landrace can be considered their moodiness in relation to the content. If even minor mistakes are made in the care or fattening, the fertility of sows drops sharply. And if fertilization has occurred, the number of piglets in the litter will be much smaller.
Landrace participation in breeding
Even if we do not take into account the contribution of breeders to the creation of new breeds, even the simple improvement of existing ones, which is achieved with the help of Landrace boars, deserves praise. In sows, the multiplicity increases by 10 percent (the lowest mark is 5%), the maturity of piglets rises by the same amount - and this with a decrease in feed costs. At the same time, the meat content in the carcass increases, although not so noticeably - up to 7%. Of the new internationally recognized breeds, French and Norwegian landrace and Estonian bacon can be called.
Feeding Rules
Landrace is a breed of bacon type pigs, so it’s better to forget the usual ideas about slops from the master's kitchen. Familiar feeds like oats and corn are not suitable - they contribute to the deposition of fat, and not the feeding of meat. The ideal grain for landrace is barley, followed by rye. Soy, cake, bran, meal, sorghum are gradually added. There should be vegetables, greens, reverse, meat and bone meal. It is better not to give fish at all - from it the meat acquires a specific smell. In extreme cases, it must be removed from the diet at least a month (or better two) before slaughter.
No less important is the feeding regimen: pigs cannot stop on time, which is why they overeat. Result: at best, obesity; at worst, poisoning. Feed them twice a day in the right amount, remove scraps from the feeders. In winter, when it takes more to maintain heat from the pigs, three meals a day are acceptable, but no more.
If you adhere to these rules, you will be very economically and gastronomically pleased with the landrace - a breed of pigs whose photos well demonstrate their meat qualities.