Yorkshire pig breed: description, productivity, cultivation

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Pork is one of the most popular types of meat in most countries. It is quick to prepare, 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 should you choose? We recommend that you take a closer look at Yorkshire pigs.

Historical background

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 Windose. There, Yorkshire pigs caught everyone's attention.

Visitors of agricultural exhibitions at that time were accustomed to seeing obese, overweight animals that, due to 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 popularity all over the world, was the breeder Joseph Tooley.

The ancestors of the breed were the boar Samson and the sow Matchles. To consolidate the desired traits in the breed, Joseph usedinbreeding, that is, closely related crossing. As a result, the breeder managed to get piglets that had an excellent constitution.

The business of breeding Yorkshire pigs was quite profitable, but Joseph could not compete with large breeders. They already had sales, and Tuley could not achieve such success. So after a while he sold his pigs to one of the English farmers. As a result, selection work was carried out on the Yorkshire breed for many more years. At present, pigs have been obtained that meet all modern requirements for productivity.

Description of the breed

Yorkshires have a calm, non-aggressive disposition, which is very popular with farmers. Large white pigs can reach a weight of 200-350 kg. Females are usually much smaller than boars. The elongated muscular body of Yorkshire pigs looks harmonious. The light skin gives the animals an aristocratic look.

Pigs have a medium-sized head and small ears. The forehead is wide, the neck is short, passing smoothly into the body. The Yorkshire back is broad, strong and muscular. The abdomen is taut and voluminous, the legs are strong. The length of pigs from nose to patch can reach 2 meters. The coat is sparse, the bristles are short.

Productivity

Yorkshire breed of pigs is precocious, it is considered universal. Boars reach more weight than females. Some individuals reach 350 kg or more. Yorkshire sows are prolific, usually giving birth to 10 piglets. Each cub weighs 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 per 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.

Yorkshires have a very good yield of meat after slaughter. Depending on the method of fattening the pig, this figure ranges between 62% and 82%. From pigs of this breed, you can get marbled meat, which is highly valued by gourmets around the world. Farmers are happy to keep Yorkshires, as these animals are not only productive, but also breed well.

Containment conditions

The technology of growing pigs of the Yorkshire breed has its own characteristics. The premises in which the animals will live must be spacious enough. Drafts are unacceptable, otherwise the pigs can get sick. The room must be covered. Yorkshires are picky about the cleanliness of the bedding, so the farmer will have to clean them regularly.

For the summer, you need to equip the piglets with a walking yard. But there it is imperative to install canopies that protect the kids from the sun's rays, otherwise they can get burned. Drinkers for pigs must be installed in such a way that animals cannot pour water out of them. It is impossible for the pen with piglets to be damp. Experienced farmers recommend using nipple drinkers, they are very convenient. If piglets are poorly fed, they can develop rickets.

Food

Only receiving a complete balanced diet, piglets will grow up large and strong. How to properly feed pigs? The first days after birth, piglets eat only mother's milk. Starting from day 3, you can start feeding babies. At first, the new food may seem uninteresting to piglets, but then they will begin to eat with appetite. It is especially important to introduce complementary foods to piglets that for some reason do not receive enough mother's milk. You can start giving kids back, cereals, and after boiled potatoes and crushed grains. There are also special compound feeds designed specifically for piglets.

Adult pigs can be given crushed grain, vegetables, fruits, green mass. Some farmers feed their pets with waste, but not all experts welcome this. There are special compound feeds for pigs. If animals are fed with crushed grain, then additional vitamin and mineral supplements must be added to the diet. Pigs should always have free access to water.

Fattening

If the animal is not going to be used for breeding purposes, it is important that it reaches a good slaughter weight as soon as possible. At first, piglets are fed 5 times a day, as they grow, 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 he wants in the endget a farmer: a lot of meat or a lot of fat. In the summer it is useful to let the pigs out for walking. If piglets are planned to be fattened for lard, then feed with a high carbohydrate content should prevail in their diet. They contain a lot of energy, so the pigs quickly put on fat.

If piglets are fattened for meat, then their diet should contain a sufficient amount of protein feed. You can also feed animals with juicy feed: fresh cut grass, vegetables. If the farmer has no time to make a diet for pigs, then he can buy ready-made feed.

Breed diseases

Yorkshire pigs have strong immune systems, so they rarely get sick. But even good he alth can be undermined by improper housing conditions and poor unbalanced feeding. In this case, Yorkshire pigs may develop rickets or beriberi. Especially often young animals, born in winter or spring, suffer from these ailments.

Also, animals can catch a skin disease called erysipelas. With this ailment, rashes appear on the ears, muzzle and legs. They disturb the pigs, which itch and get nervous. Affected animals may experience hyperthermia. It is not recommended to treat erysipelas on your own, it is better to invite a veterinarian.

Owner Reviews

The owners are satisfied with the multiparous and fast-growing pigs. Yorkshires adapt well to new conditions of detention, are little susceptible todiseases, have excellent external data. Pigs are not picky about the feed base, so even without buying expensive additives, the farmer will be able to get good weight gain.

The disadvantage of this breed, the owners consider too delicate skin, prone to sunburn. Also, some farmers note that if the pigs are not fattened properly, an excessive amount of fat is formed.