Breeding Vietnamese piglets: features of care, cultivation, tips

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

Home breeding of Vietnamese piglets in the Russian Federation has become increasingly popular in recent years. This trend is due to the fact that this breed of animals is not particularly whimsical in care, but it gives good productivity. In our article, we will try to cover the issue of keeping and breeding Vietnamese piglets at home in more detail, and also talk about recommendations from professional breeders.

Why is the breed so in demand?

Before moving on to advice on breeding Vietnamese piglets for beginners, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the main advantages of this breed in order to better understand why it is so popular.

1. Firstly, Vietnamese piglets are stablebody weight gain. Ordinary pigs, as a rule, grow intensively only during the year, after which their weight gain slows down significantly. Vietnamese mammals grow much longer, but more evenly.
2. Secondly, the breed has a very rapid puberty. Males are ready to fertilize sows as early as 9 months after birth, and a pig can become pregnant as early as the eighth month. This rate of reproduction is very important for large farms.
3. Thirdly, animals are not particularly whimsical in care and will eat the food that they will be given. Of course, this does not mean that you can not take care of them at all, but if you forget to clean the barn or get vaccinated on time, nothing bad will happen.

In addition, Vietnamese pigs are distinguished by the absence of a specific smell, which in most cases is the determining factor when buying this breed. It is because of this feature that representatives of this breed can often be found as pets that live under the same roof with their owners.

Vietnamese breed characteristics

Decided to organize the breeding of Vietnamese piglets as a business? Then you should familiarize yourself with the main characteristics of this breed in order to draw up a competent business plan, as well as be able to correctly answer the questions of the buyer, if he asks you. The characteristics of Vietnamese pigs look something like this:

• animal color - black(mostly);
• adaptation to new climate is good;
• decorative qualities are excellent;
• speed of mass gain – average;
• reproductivity is high.

Also, good immunity of animals deserves special attention. Historically, Vietnamese pigs have always lived in humid and hot environments - an ideal place for the development of pathogenic bacteria. Over time, their body adapted to even the most dangerous viruses, so the climate and living conditions in Russia for mammals will seem like paradise.

As for the number of offspring, it averages 12 piglets per year. However, some sows are able to bring up to 18 cubs - and this is not such a rarity. Mothers carefully take care of their offspring, but calmly let a person near him if necessary.

Meat palatability

Of course, some people breed Vietnamese lop-bellied piglets as pets, but the vast majority do it for the purpose of obtaining meat. According to online reviews, this product is in many ways superior to meat from bacon pigs. In addition, professional breeders note the following features of the meat obtained from the Vietnamese pig:

• low cholesterol unlike most other breeds;
• meat has a very tender and juicy taste, which is especially pleasing to gourmets;
• layers of fat are (in general) no more than 3.5 centimeters thick;
• A 100 kg pig contains approximately 65% meat and 35% fat.

If one of the buyers asks you about the quality of this product, then you can safely call it a delicacy. As a rule, the meat of the Vietnamese pig is used to prepare especially delicious dishes for serving at the table on a special occasion. However, it is also ideal for curing and smoking, so you don't have to worry about not being able to cook the meat properly.

Conditions for keeping piglets

Now that we have de alt with all the advantages and characteristics of the breed, it is time to talk about the rules for the care and breeding of Vietnamese piglets in the household. This category includes proper feeding, creating comfortable living conditions, vaccination against various diseases, and so on.

First you need to talk about the conditions of the newly acquired young animals. The ideal option would be a cozy and warm room with good ventilation. The floor covering must be stable and durable without fail. If you are using a concrete barn for breeding, be sure to lay straw on the floor to make the animals feel more comfortable.

A novice breeder should also understand that for rearing sows with children, a separate room or aviary should be used, into which males cannot enter. If you plan to place all individuals in families, then proceed from the following calculation: two adultsfemales per mature male. The rest of the individuals can be safely sent for slaughter or sold to other farms.

Features of care in the summer season

Judging by the reviews, breeding Vietnamese piglets in Russia is not particularly difficult for a breeder. However, if we are talking about growing in a region with a hot climate (Krasnodar Territory or Crimea), care should be taken to create a place for walking pigs on hot days. Otherwise, the animals will feel very exhausted and lose some of their productivity.

Places for walking should be organized where there are no strong drafts, but there is shelter from precipitation. Try to stay away from the corners of the building, as this is where most of the movement of cold air occurs. The most preferred option would be an open area with a small canopy of logs and slate, under which animals can hide in case of a thunderstorm. Usually such sheds do not exceed one meter in height - why waste a lot of building materials if the growth of pigs is still small?

Also, do not forget that the walking area must be equipped with special containers for clean water and food. If we are talking about walking more than a dozen heads, then there should be several drinkers and feeders. It is best to place them under sheds so that slush does not grow near them after rain, and the food always remains clean and nutritious.

Rules for caring for piglets in winter

Based on online reviewsthe care and breeding of Vietnamese piglets in the winter season must be carried out according to certain rules. For example, dirty bedding should be changed regularly to new ones so that pigs do not experience discomfort from lying on frozen feces. If we are talking about the northern regions of Russia, then you can also take care of additional sources of heating. An ordinary potbelly stove is ideal, which should be enough to heat a barn in which 10-15 animals live.

Ventilation deserves special attention, because in winter an unpleasant odor can develop in the room, which must be constantly ventilated. To do this, it is necessary to make a special pipe at the construction stage of the barn, through which flows of warm air will go outside. And a small hole should be made in the door with the possibility of closing at night. Thus, a draft effect is created, which weathers most of the unpleasant odors. However, keep ventilation away from animals (especially young and lactating sows) so they don't get sick.

What does the diet consist of?

As mentioned earlier, Vietnamese pigs are extremely picky about food, but this does not mean that they can be fed anything. The digestive system of this breed is designed in such a way that it perfectly digests green fodder, so they should prevail in the diet. However, in this case, the quality of the meat may be significantly affected, so the grass and vegetables must be diluted with compound feed or otherdry food.

As for feeding piglets, everything is extremely simple here. For several weeks, newborn pigs feed only on mother's milk. As soon as the individuals grow up a little and begin to crawl into the feeders with their heels, they should be placed in a separate enclosure and fed with special balanced feeds that ensure the rapid growth and development of young organisms. Cereals must be combined with fresh herbs, otherwise the animals will experience a feeling of discomfort.

Nutritional supplements and vaccinations

If piglets eat only mother's milk, they will begin to experience iron deficiency over time, which will lead to a negative effect on the body. The same goes for other nutrients not found in breast milk. In addition, with long-term feeding of piglets, the sow may lose some of her strength, so it is so important to switch to an "adult" diet in time, which involves the use of special additives that increase the growth rate of a young organism.

As for vaccinations, there is no special need for them. As mentioned earlier, Vietnamese pigs have fairly good immunity, but some breeders still vaccinate their farm against the plague so as not to lose livestock. Any veterinarian can tell you more about the vaccination of Vietnamese piglets. However, be prepared for the fact that his services are very expensive.not cheap.

Vietnamese pig breeding

Judging by the Internet reviews, care and breeding of Vietnamese piglets can be done by anyone who is willing to give animals a few hours of free time a day. It is especially important to monitor the pigs during the mating season so that the male can fertilize the female in time. For mating, any six-month-old individual that has gained a mass of 50 kilograms is suitable. As for males, the main factor is the lack of closely related ties with the sow. The boar sits down to the female at the first signs of hunting:

• discharge in the genital area;
• general anxiety and nervousness;
• swelling of the genitals.

Pregnancy of Vietnamese pigs lasts from 114 to 118 days after mating. A few days before farrowing, the female will begin to feel restless, will crush the bedding in the barn and build a nest. In this case, the breeder is obliged to monitor the household every hour so as not to miss the moment of childbirth. In most cases, they pass without complications, however, the mother may crush several piglets as a result of carelessness.

Care for young piglets immediately after birth plays a special role in the breeding of Vietnamese breeds of pigs. For example, it is important to ensure that the temperature in the corral is from 30 to 32 degrees Celsius. It is also necessary to wash each piglet from mucus, dry and process the umbilical cord. The sooner the sow feeds her offspring with colostrum after this, the more likely the piglets will grow up he althy and strong.

Further carepiglets is not particularly difficult. Until about the 10th day, young individuals are fed with mother's milk, after which special feeds are added to their diet. It is best to start with green crops, because cereals can cause bloating and discomfort at an early age. Various mineral supplements (bone meal, crushed charcoal) are designed to improve the digestion process and will favorably affect the growth and development of bones in piglets.

Video and conclusion

A very good help for a novice breeder will be a short video that tells about the features of breeding pigs of the Vietnamese breed. We advise you to watch this material to the end, since even an experienced farmer will be able to draw a lot of useful information from there. Do not forget to thank the channel owner for the work done with a positive rating for the video or a nice comment.

As you can see, breeding Vietnamese piglets is not difficult and even a novice breeder will be able to cope with this task. This breed is unpretentious in care and eats almost any food. However, if you plan to get the maximum productivity from pigs, be sure to follow all the recommendations described in our article. This is especially true for those people who decided to start breeding piglets for business and invested a lot of money in their purchase.