Pig farming is one of the most profitable livestock industries. More than one hundred breeds of pigs of various directions of productivity are bred and raised in the world. The second on the planet in terms of number of goals breed of Duroc pigs. Among others, it stands out for its good feed recovery, daily gain in live weight and meat quality. Experts recommend it for breeding both in pig-breeding complexes, and in small household or farms.
History
The birthplace of the Duroc pig breed (photo in the text) is America. This is a collective product of thousands of American farmers. During the conquest of the continent, immigrants brought with them many domestic animals, including pigs. When they were bred, local livestock breeders, at their discretion, crossed the existing material. Colonization of the North American continent required a large amount of food.
Farmers sought to obtain precocious large breed, adapted to local conditions of detention. Several breeds served as the basis at once: Guinean, Portuguese, Spanish, later Bershire. Maternal consider Guinean, imported from West Africa, large animals with red thick bristles. The spontaneous nature of breeding led to the emergence of a diverse livestock of pigs.
Two main types stood out in it: jersey and duroc. The former were distinguished by their size, late maturity, lop-eared ears (ears closed their eyes), and rough bones. They were bred in New Jersey, hence the name. The second ones were smaller, distinguished by precocity, lightweight skeleton and excellent meat qualities. The main population was concentrated in the state of New York.
The history of the name of the Duroc breed is quite curious. In 1823, a piglet was born at one of the farmers. He grew up in a magnificent boar with an excellent smooth body, it was he who became the ancestor of the breed. The owner of the boar had a fairly well-known trotting stallion Duroc. His nickname also turned to a magnificent specimen of red pigs. All his descendants automatically received the name Duroc.
Having crossed these two breeds, breeders got early animals with a light skeleton, the size of a little less than a jersey. In 1883, the breed Duroc-Jersey received official status. The title noted both parent breeds. Over time, the name was reduced to "Duroc".
In pig breeding, breeds are divided into groups, depending on the direction of productivity:
- Universal. The most numerous, animals of the meat-tallow direction, are distinguished by their high precocity and the offspring.
- Bacon and meat. The most sought after, the main advantage is lean meat. The amount of fat on the carcasses is small.
- Sebaceous. The carcasses contain a very large percentage of fat. Advantage - they are well fed.
- Decorative. They have no special economic significance. Mostly bred as pets.
Initially, the breed was greasy, but the change in demand forced to continue breeding work from the Duroc-Jersey in the bacon direction. She successfully completed obtaining individuals with the desired characteristics.
Spread
The distribution of the Duroc pig breed throughout the North American continent is due to immigrants. The "refinement" of the breed continued in many states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska. For their large size, endurance, adaptability to keeping on a pasture, the ability to improve other breeds and high-quality meat, animals have become widespread throughout the world.
The meat breed of Duroc pigs is popular not only in the USA, it is bred in China and in many countries of Europe. Due to tradition, the Middle East does not develop pig farming. Animals entered the USSR in the 70s of the last century. Mainly used to improve local livestock. Boars with increased meat heredity (terminal) served as the basis for breeding new meat crosses.
Currently, the Ukrainian type of Duroc is derived in Ukraine based on the genotypes of Czech, English and American breeding. There are about 5,000 individuals, of which 360 are sows. Boars-durocs of Ukrainian selection gain weight up to 325 kg, sows - up to 260 kg.
Description
Short description of Duroc pigs:
- Torso. Medium length, deep and wide. The chest and muscular withers are wide. The back has a smooth arc shape. The sacrum is strong, well-formed. The sides are long, the ribs are well decorated. There are 14 nipples on the belly, 7 on each side, the distance between them is large.
- Limbs. Tall, flat and strong. The front ones are quite large with well-developed, powerful fingers. Hind limbs with elastic and flexible hock joints. The hams are well executed, muscular, broad, long.
- Head. A small profile is somewhat concave, the snout is hairless, ears are looking forward, their tips are down.
- Neck. Short haired, long.
- Stubble. Coarse, with wool, a large part of the body is covered, it is not below on the legs, snout, ears (sometimes slightly pubescent).
- Suit. The main red, there are shades from golden (with yellow) to dark cherry.
- Character. Calm, not fearful, balanced animals, good-naturedly relate to relatives and other animals. Not aggressive towards humans. Calmly and quickly adapt to new conditions of feeding and keeping.
Productivity Characteristic
When characterizing pigs of the Duroc breed (photo of a typical representative in the text), its early maturity is primarily noted. Two factors contribute to this:
- a decent weight of newborn piglets from 1,100 grams to 1,600;
- high average daily gains from 750 to 950 grams (record - 1 016).
By the age of two months, the total weight of the litter can reach 200 kg, and the number of goals does not exceed 11. With proper feeding, young animals easily gain 100 kg up to 6 months. The cost per 1 kg of weight gain is 3.7-3.8 feed units. The meat yield from the carcass is up to 80%, the thickness of the fat layer along the spine is up to 2 cm. Such indicators guarantee the profitability of breeding pigs of the Duroc breed. Reviews on the excellent taste of marbled meat provide a constant market for products. The content of inter-muscular fat in meat can be up to 4%.
Adult individuals practically do not differ in size. The body length of males 180-185 cm is only 5 cm longer than that of females. The weight of the boar can reach 350 kg, pigs lighter - 300 kg. In sows, an average of 8-11 piglets are born. A small number of kids makes breeding of this breed with the aim of selling young animals unprofitable.
Feeding
Young animals are put up for fattening at the age of 2 months; upon reaching a live weight of 1 centner, pigs are sent for slaughter (if piglets were not raised for breeding purposes). For a set of 100 kg in 180 days, animals need high-quality protein feed. The diet may include the following:
- vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, beets, pumpkin and others);
- cereals (barley, wheat, oats);
- legumes (peas, soy);
- acorns;
- dairy products (whey, reverse and others);
- bran;
- Fresh grass
- hay or hay flour;
- cake;
- compound feed;
- fish and waste from its production;
- meat and bone meal , fish meal ;
- waste from the table (bread, etc.).
Features of the breed require compliance with certain rules when fattening young animals. If a large amount of grain is present in the diet, then the percentage of fat increases, while the meat qualities of the carcass are lost. When feeding fish or waste from its production, meat can acquire a fishy aftertaste and smell. Silage is not recommended for animals - its acidity reduces feed digestibility. In addition, finding a quality silo is quite problematic. Waste from the table can not be the basis of the diet, they go as an additive to it.
Young growth needs a balanced feeding, so mineral supplements are added to the diet: 30 grams of salt, 25 grams of chalk. Pig vitamins are obtained with fresh grass on a walk. Multiplicity of feeding - twice a day in the summer, the rest of the year - three times. This will help to obtain a carcass of high quality, uniform in composition. Animals should have constant access to fresh water.
Content
Undemanding to the place of residence - this is not about pigs of the Duroc breed. Description (photo in the article shows a spacious enclosure) of the conditions of detention:
- Minimum requirements: a warm pigsty and a spacious enclosure for walking (preferably grass).
- The animal shed should be warm and airy. Pigs hatched in a mild (compared to Russia) climate do not tolerate severe frosts, drafts and dampness.
- Mobile, with a cheerful disposition, non-aggressive durocs need daily exercise. Equipped with a sufficiently high fence (young growth easily jumps over low barriers) the enclosure should be large. It is equipped with a canopy, drinking bowls and feeders. For a walk they are released from early spring until the first frosts. It is built close to the pigsty, providing free access to the street.
- In winter, at the time of farrowing, the air temperature in the room cannot be less than +25 0 . A well-insulated barn built for conscience is suitable for the life of the kids.
- The area of the room depends on the direction of cultivation. For breeding animals per head requires at least 4 m 2 . When group feeding or in machines, the area depends on sex and age, it should provide a comfortable life for pigs.
- The floor is preferably concrete or asphalt, with a large number of bedding from straw, hay, sawdust. A variant of a wooden floor raised above the ground is possible.
Compliance with high humidity and temperature requirements is aided by the installation of climate control. Violation of the regime of detention leads to diseases of conjunctivitis and rhinitis.
Breeding
The above productive characteristics of Duroc pigs makes breeding animals at home unprofitable. Small farms (on average up to 9 goals) do not justify the year-round maintenance of pedigree breeding pigs. Although there are no special difficulties in growing young animals.
Sows have a strong maternal instinct, are very careful about offspring. Livestock safety at weaning up to 93%. From one individual per year, you can get no more than 20 piglets (usually 15-17), compared with other breeds (30 or more), this is a little.
Duroc pigs are ready for mating at the age of 7-8 months. Signs of hunting are common for representatives of this animal species. The pig refuses water and food, its motor activity increases, redness of the genital mucosa is observed. The duration of the hunt is 48 hours.
Experts do not recommend covering animals on the first day of hunting. The next day, pairing is carried out twice with an interval of 12 hours. The ideal option is to cover with two different boars.
Piglets
Despite the care of the mother, litter may not survive without human intervention. A very small amount of milk in the sow does not allow piglets to grow only on a suction. From the first days of life, they need to be fed. Moreover, the feed must necessarily contain copper, iron, vitamins, macro- and microelements. Special additives containing the necessary substances are also added. Without such help, kids get rickets and noticeably lag behind in development.
With the right diet, piglets gain up to 2.5 kg in two weeks, and up to 6 kg per month. For quick weight gain and proper development, frequent walks in the fresh air are recommended. In the warm season, the maintenance of young growth in the pasture can be around the clock. Young pigs grow very quickly, daily adding 700-900 grams, and on 160-180 days reach a weight of 100 kg.
Benefits
In the post-Soviet space there are a lot of people who want to breed these animals, especially after studying the productive characteristics of duroc pigs. Reviews of pig farmers confirm the advantages of the breed:
- precocity
- excellent meat quality;
- high slaughter yield of meat;
- carcass uniformity;
- fitness for grazing;
- phlegmatic, calm, balanced character;
- stress resistance;
- excellent breed for improving local livestock and producing highly productive hybrids and breeding new breeds.
Gorgeous marbled meat is always in demand and costs a lot of money.
disadvantages
The confirmed fact that the breed has been confidently taking the second place in the world for more than a year speaks of its relevance. Separate nuances do not allow animals of this breed to come out on top. The following points slightly spoil the characteristics of Duroc pigs:
- low fecundity;
- when feeding fish waste, meat is saturated with the smell and taste of fish;
- thermophilic;
- require high-quality protein nutrition;
- do not tolerate violations of sanitary standards (drafts, dust, dampness, dirt, cold);
- low milk nutrition in sows;
- tendency to runny nose (atrophic rhinitis);
- common defect - improper positioning of limbs.
Where could I buy?
Duroc pigs are most correctly bought in specialized breeding farms. It is difficult to find purebred individuals in small private farms - it is unprofitable to grow young animals on the tribe in them. An overlooking bird that looks like red pigs will not have the characteristics of purebred animals.
Geographically breeding Duroc in Russia is limited. More thoroughbred animals can be found in Ukraine or Belarus. The price of a two-month-old baby for fattening is about $ 20 (1,150 rubles), a piglet for breeding will be "pulled" for a large amount - $ 200 (11,500 rubles). Experienced pig farmers recommend taking animals for fattening - investments will definitely pay off and bring profit.