Breeds of pigs, meat pig breeds, pig breeds in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, there is a high demand for lard and pork. Therefore, breeding and fattening pigs is a profitable business. It is important for the pig farmer to understand that for a quality, juicy, and tender product, it is important to choose the right breeds of pigs, take good care of them, and feed them properly, depending on the tasks set (lard, meat, or both).

Each farmer engaged in pig farming chooses for themselves a breed or several breeds of pigs that they consider profitable and popular in our country. Today, we can talk about the most well-known breeds of pigs, such as: Large White, Large Black, Landrace, Hampshire, Berkshire, and so on. Which breed to choose for breeding on your farm? Such questions arise for all farmers, who first of all need to determine the purpose of pig breeding and what final result they want to achieve: sow, products: lard and meat.

Domestic pig breeds are mainly divided into three groups: lard, meat, and meat-lard. Let’s consider several breeds of pigs from different groups that are popular among farmers in Ukraine.

Meat pig breeds

Breeding meat pigs is the most profitable business, as there is a high demand for meat products in the food market, which allows covering all expenses for breeding and fattening meat pig breeds.

Meat pig breeds include: Landrace, Poltava Meat, Pietrain, Duroc, Welsh, Estonian Bacon, Berkshire, Lithuanian White, Lacombe, Hampshire, Mangal, etc.

Duroc Pig Breed

Duroc is a breed of pigs bred by crossing Guinea and red pigs, developed by American scientists and breeders. Duroc pigs are characterized by large size, wide chest, sturdy body, and a steep rib curve. Duroc pigs have a reddish coloration, ranging from golden to rich brown, without any white spots if they are purebred. For juicier meat, pigs need to be fed a protein-rich diet, limit carbohydrates, and have free access to water.

Main advantages of Duroc pigs

1. Due to excellent maternal instinct, almost all piglets survive, despite low reproductive rates;
2. A thin layer of subcutaneous fat and the presence of marbling in the meat, creating “marbled” meat;
3. High daily weight gain and early maturity (piglets reach market weight by the end of six months);
4. Excellent taste qualities of the meat, valued by connoisseurs;
5. Calm and resilient, adapted to grazing, as it positively affects the health of animals and the taste characteristics of meat.

Disadvantages of Duroc pigs:

• Resistant to cold, but vulnerable to drafts, which can lead to diseases such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and respiratory infections;
• Poor tolerance of dirty pigsties, requiring daily cleaning to avoid infectious diseases;
• Need for outdoor grazing to prevent unwanted obesity, requiring a protein-rich diet;
• Small litter size (7-8 individuals), low milk production in sows, necessitating the supplementation of piglets with dairy products from the first days of life.

Landrace Pig Breed

Landrace – This breed has a history of over 100 years, but its improvement continues to this day. It is a meat-producing breed of pigs that has demand in the market of Ukraine and neighboring countries. Characterized by thin light pink skin, thin and sparse hair, straight elongated back, narrow chest, and thick neck. The small-sized head has a narrow elongated snout and long drooping ears. It is the early maturity, optimal feed conversion, and large size that contribute to their profitable breeding for farmers.

Key advantages of the Landrace pig breed include:

1. High early maturity and good productivity. They demonstrate excellent daily weight gain with low feed costs, resulting in high-quality delicious meat.
2. High reproductive rates, sows have sufficient milk production and developed maternal instincts for raising healthy offspring.
3. Pigs of this breed are quite active and friendly, non-aggressive towards their caregivers.

Disadvantages of Landrace pigs:

• Weak hind limbs, which can easily get injured, leading to reduced weight gain and potential obesity.
• Weak stress resistance, Landrace piglets and adults require proper feeding and care to prevent negative consequences.

Poltava Pig Breed

Poltava Pig Breed
The Poltava pig breed was developed by crossing five breeds of foreign and Ukrainian selections. The main breeds for crossing were: Large White, Mirgorod, Landrace, Pietrain, and Wessex Saddleback. The main characteristics of this breed of pigs are a strong constitution, long wide body, well-developed meat forms, small head, and slightly drooping ears.

Key advantages include:

• Strong immunity;
• Unpretentiousness in food;
• Reproductive sows give birth to up to 11 piglets per litter.

No disadvantages have been identified for this breed of pigs, or if there are any, they are insignificant, and farmers can provide advice on them.

Hampshire Pig Breed

Hampshire Pig Breed – The roots of this pig breed originate in England, in the Hampshire province, but it gained popularity in America, where it was brought by settlers. The genuine body, arched back, small head, short ears, and sturdy legs are the main indicators of this breed. They have an interesting coloration – a light belt around the body against a black background. Hampshire pigs are quite restless and excited, characterized by high productivity.

The advantages of the Hampshire pig breed include:

• Endurance. They easily adapt to various housing conditions.
• Strong immunity, making them resistant to diseases and easily tolerating illnesses.
• High productivity. The ultimate result of their husbandry is long meat carcasses with a thin layer of fat.
• With the proper diet, they exhibit good weight gain.
• Well-developed maternal instinct, ensuring the survival of all offspring.

As for disadvantages, they may include:

• Poor stress resistance and heightened excitability, which can be triggered by even slight noise.
• Purebred individuals yield low growth rates, so they are often crossbred with other pig breeds.
• Small litter size (up to 6 piglets) for sows with a large body mass.

Red Belt Pig Breed – Animals of this breed are bred in Ukraine, particularly in the Poltava region, and are currently highly popular among pig farmers. Red Belt pigs are a meat breed with quite high productivity. Their main characteristic is their coloration: a wide transverse white stripe in the middle of the body covering the front limbs, while the rest of the body is reddish-brown. The hair coat is firm, dense, and of medium length. The head and ears are small, with a short, slightly curved profile, and medium-length legs.

The advantages of this breed include:
The advantages of this breed:

• Climate resilience, allowing breeding in any region of the country.
• Low maintenance requirements and feeding regimen.
• High weight gain and muscle tissue development.

As for the negative aspects:

• Small litter size of sows.
• Animals prefer cleanliness and dry bedding, as they are quite neat; wet or dirty bedding can irritate piglets, leading to weight loss.

Piétrain Pig Breed

Piétrain Pig Breed – originates from Belgium and is named after the village of Piétrain, where they were extensively bred. It is a cross between Berkshire boars and Large White sows from English breeding. The appearance of these pigs is unique, with a long, cylindrical, well-muscled body, wide and muscular shoulders and thighs. They have a piebald coloration, meaning white bodies with black spots.

The advantages of this breed include:

• High-quality meat, which has significant advantages in the country’s market.
• Ability to pass on meat qualities to offspring, making it ideal for crossbreeding.

The drawbacks include:

• Poor cold and heat resistance.
• Demanding diet requiring high-quality feed, as their growth depends on nutrition.
• Low reproductive rate, and due to insufficient milk production, not all offspring may thrive.

Mangalitsa Pig Breed. The Mangalitsa pigs were bred from the Carpathian Mangalitsa and the Wild Western European boar. Thanks to this selection, a breed of pigs has emerged that is characterized by high meat productivity under modest conditions. At a weight of 300 kg, meat accounts for 70 to 80% of this mass. Unlike other pig breeds, Mangalitsas have dense woolly coats, very similar to karakul, ranging in color from dark to light. This makes them resistant to frost and the bites of various insects. The Mangalitsa pig breed is not widespread in Ukraine, so it is quite difficult to buy them.

The advantages of the Mangalitsa pig breed:

• Easy care and maintenance;
• Significant savings on feed;
• A large portion of the weight consists of tasty meat;
• Resistance to diseases and early sexual maturity.

The disadvantages include:

• High cost of acquiring individuals;
• Rarity of this breed;
• Small litter size.

Maximus Pig Breed – Based on the Piétrain breed, breeders have managed to obtain meaty, fast-growing pigs. The following characteristics are typical for this breed. The meat of these pigs is nutritious, with a high yield.

The advantages of this breed include:

1. Rapid growth rate and meat yield;
2. Offspring resistance to various diseases;
3. High stress resistance.
4. Efficient use of feed.

No disadvantages have been identified for this breed of pigs, so it is in high demand for producing nutritious meat.

Meat-Lard Pig Breeds

Meat-lard pig breeds are grown to obtain tasty meat and lard, which Ukrainians love. Among all groups of pig breeds, the meat-lard group is the largest and includes breeds such as Large White, Ukrainian Steppe White, Ukrainian Steppe Large, and so on.

Large White. Originating in England in the 19th century, thanks to long-term breeding work involving several pig breeds, including the old Yorkshire. Large White pigs are characterized by sturdy bodies, a straight backline, straight ears, and a slightly elongated face. The color is white, with white bristles and elastic skin. This breed is most commonly used for its productivity, reproductive ability, and maternal qualities, as well as its good adaptive qualities to various climatic and natural conditions. It is divided into types – lard, meat, and meat-lard, with the latter being the main type, also known as universal.

Features of this breed:

• Ability to acclimatize;
• Good adaptation to feeding conditions;
• Flexible genetic structure;
• 10 to 14 piglets are born per litter.
• High early maturation.

Disadvantages of this breed:

• Tendency to obesity;
• Low hock and droopy hams;
• Low frost resistance, susceptible to sunburn in the southern regions of the country.

Yorkshire Pig Breed – a meat-lard breed. It is worth noting that purebred Yorkshire pigs are very rare, so their cost is quite high. They were bred by scientists based on such breeds as Large White, Long-Eared English, and Chinese White. Characterized by a small head, large ears, a wide and elongated body, and short legs. These pigs are not aggressive, friendly to their caregivers. They are valued for their “marbled” meat among meat enthusiasts.

Features of this breed:

• High productivity (meat, bacon, and lard).
• High prolificacy (one litter yields 10-12 piglets).
• Low feed requirements, almost omnivorous.

Disadvantages of this breed:

• Instability to cold and heat, require appropriate conditions.
• Tendency to obesity, leading to meat loss.
• Susceptibility to infectious disease peak (dark rough spots on the skin and snout, quarantine is required during illness).

Master Pig Breed

This pig breed was developed in France and is a Pietrain hybrid. The Master pig breed is widely popular in European countries. They are most commonly used in bacon production, as they have the ability to reach significant sizes. They are characterized by a slender skeleton and strong muscle tissue, a wide body of small length, white and spotted coloring.

Features of this breed:

• Excellent taste qualities of meat;
• Low feed costs during rearing;
• Not prone to obesity and resistant to circovirus.

Disadvantages of this breed:

• Poor tolerance to heat and cold;
• Low milk yield, and consequently, fertility;
• Demanding on feed.

Kantor Pig Breed

For the development of this breed, breeders took pigs of the Duroc and Pietrain breeds, and as a result, obtained parent-line pigs, namely Kantor boars. Thanks to their sturdy construction, they easily adapt to any living conditions. In addition to Ukraine, the Kantor pig breed is widespread in the CIS countries. They are characterized by a large body, more meaty loin and hindquarters, strong limbs, and robust health. Light-colored skin, with gray or black spots, always erect ears. They are valued for their high taste qualities of lean meat.

Advantages include:

• Fast weight gain;
• Large quantity of high-quality meat;
• Optimal feed conversion;
• Resistance to various diseases.

Among the negatives are the following:

• Demanding on feed, the diet of this breed must contain all the necessary components to avoid negative results;
• Require good care to obtain high-quality products.

Optimus Pig Breed. This pig breed originates from England. It has quite positive characteristics, possessing an excellent immune system and endurance. Its best feature is the balance between meat gain and mass, a characteristic not found in any other pig breeds. The body is wide and sturdy, with a long and deep torso, small legs with strong hooves. The thick, elastic skin has light fine bristles and a sufficient layer of fat.
The advantages of the Optimus pig breed include:

• High fecundity, about 11 piglets per litter;
• Excellent milkiness of the sow, allowing piglets to gain weight quickly;
• Resistance to diseases, strong immune system, and endurance;
• Not picky about feed, no dietary restrictions.

Disadvantages include:

• Optimus pigs are vulnerable to drafts due to a fairly thin layer of fat, which is insufficient protection.
• Thin layer of fat.

Karmal Pig Breed. The Karmal pig breed was obtained by crossing Vietnamese and Korean herbivorous pigs. As a result, pigs with an exotic appearance were obtained – they have thick curly hair, and piglets can have different colors: black, brown, striped, etc. The Karmal breed is characterized by a small head, small ears, elongated snout with a short and massive neck. It has quite developed thighs, a wide chest, back, and loin, but short limbs.

The main advantages of Karmals:

• Due to maternal instinct – high piglet survival rate;
• The dense and curly hair provides protection against cold;
• Not picky about food, can consume dry or soaked feed;
• The meat of pigs is quite tender and juicy, surpassing the qualities of ordinary pork.
• Strong immunity and disease resistance.

The main disadvantages of Karmals is that this breed is hybrid, and primary characteristics are lost in offspring.

Lard Pig Breeds

Consumers of pork prefer meat with the least amount of fat, i.e., leaner meat. Consequently, lard pig breeds have low demand and are not highly sought after in the meat market. Also, for farmers, it is important to note that lard is significantly cheaper than meat, and the costs of care are almost the same. Popular lard pig breeds among Ukrainian farmers include: White Steppe Ukrainian and Mirgorod.

Mirgorod Pig Breed. This pig breed was developed in the Poltava region, belonging to the meat-lard type and is highly productive. Crossbreeding Berkshire, Large White, and Middle White breeds with Tamworth and local spotted short-eared pigs resulted in the Mirgorod pig breed. The pigs’ coloration is black-and-white, sometimes black-and-red or black. The animals are of a fairly robust constitution, with deep and wide bodies, straight and wide backs and loins, shiny, dense, and long bristles. The main aspects for normal breeding of Mirgorod pigs include vaccination, proper housing conditions, a suitable diet, allowing animals to graze, especially in summer and spring.

Advantages include:

• High productivity, especially of lard, which has high taste qualities;
• Endurance;
• Unpretentiousness to feed and weather conditions;
• High fecundity – from 10 to 12 piglets.

Disadvantages include:

• Cleanliness, appropriate temperature, and humidity in the premises;
• Absence of drafts, which Mirgorod pigs are afraid of;
• Prefer peace and quiet, stress negatively affects normal animal development. Also, sharp and loud noises have a negative impact on pigs, so it is important to control possible situations.

White Steppe Ukrainian Pig Breed. This pig breed was developed during the Soviet era in 1926. To develop the new breed, breeders took the Large English White and some of the local breeds. They differ in appearance from their ancestors: medium-sized head, drooping ears, fairly massive legs, white skin with dense bristles.

Pros of the White Steppe Ukrainian Pig:

1. Fecundity, more than 11 piglets per litter;
2. Early maturity, reaching 100 kg in weight at 6 months;
3. Adapted to the climatic conditions of their region;
4. Hardy and stress-resistant to any changes.
5. No negative aspects of breeding these pigs have been identified, so they have a wide demand among farmers.

F1 Pigs are animals with good adaptation to stressful situations; a sow in one litter produces up to 12 piglets. F1 piglets are a crossbreed with good fattening qualities. F1 piglets are obtained by crossing: Large White plus Landrace, Large White plus Large Black, and other breed crosses.
Important indicators in crossbreeding are boar’s characteristics:

• Excellent sperm production, which results in high fecundity, around 11 piglets;
• Optimal feed conversion and fast growth rate.
• Good health, strong immunity, and absence of breed defects.

After crossbreeding, we obtain F1 offspring, which show much better productivity indicators than their parents, thanks to the phenomenon of heterosis (hybrid vigor). As a result of crossing two-breed pigs, piglets demonstrate high adaptability to stress, rapid growth, and significant average daily gain, high fecundity with larger weights, presence of milk in the sow, allowing for the rearing of healthy offspring, excellent health, and strong legs.

Young F1 pig breeding stock can be purchased from industrial pig complexes or bred independently by artificially inseminating other sow breeds with boar sperm. Today, many farms breed F1 pigs, and Vitagro Nutrition company supplies such farms with appropriate feeds, premixes, and feed additives.