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The domestication of the modern pig has gone along complex paths. The remains of pigs that apparently lived next to people in Europe are found in layers dating from the 10th century BC. e. In the Middle East, in Mesopotamia, pigs were kept in a semi-wild state for 13,000 years ago. At the same time, pigs were domesticated in China. But the data there is different. Either 8,000 years ago, or 10,000 years ago. There is no doubt that the first truly domesticated, and not semi-wild, pigs were brought to Europe from the Middle East.
Apparently, this greatly hurt the pride of the then Europeans and stimulated the domestication of the wild European boar. Middle Eastern pigs were soon driven out of Europe and European breeds were introduced to the Middle East.
In the process of domestication, pigs went through several stages of complex crossing of European and Middle Eastern pigs, and in the 18th century Asian pigs were added to them.
Thanks to the endurance, unpretentiousness and omnivorousness of pigs, primitive man easily domesticated them. And, in fact, the use of pigs has not changed at all since then. As in primitive times, so now pigs are bred for the sake of meat, skins and bristles for brushes. Only if earlier shields were covered with pigskin, today shoes and leather clothes are sewn from it.
Pigs are an invasive species. Thanks to man, they got to the American continents, fled, ran wild and began to damage the economy of the American aborigines. However, not only American ones. They were also noted in New Zealand and Australia.
The natives of any of the continents were not happy with the appearance of such an animal in their homeland. The pig, in general, is one of the first in adaptability. No wonder scientists believe that after the next global extinction of mammals, the pig will survive and adapt to new conditions. Just as she adapted to life in South America and Australia.
Since the European pig is, in fact, a hybrid of a domesticated pig with a European boar, having escaped into the wild, the European pig quickly regained its original form, becoming, as in Europe, one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the forest.
The picture shows the Brazilian "Javoporko" - a European pig that ran wild several centuries ago.
Today, the main purpose of a pig, as before, is to give a person meat and lard, as well as "related products": skin and bristles. But humanity has eaten away and has ceased to look at pigs exclusively as a source of food and to the three groups of pig breeds: meat, greasy and bacon, a fourth was added - mini-pigs intended to be pets.
All pig breeds are divided into 4 groups:
- meat and lard (universal);
- meat;
- greasy;
- decorative pets.
The last group in Russia is still exotic.
In the world there are more than 100 "pig" breeds and pig breeds bred in Russia, occupy only a small part of the total livestock. Moreover, 85% of the total population of Russian pigs is large white.
The main pig breeds in Russia today are: large white (this is the livestock of pig farms), landrace and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, which are gaining popularity. The rest of the breeds, unfortunately, are dwindling.
Main pig breeds
Big white
She is large white. Bred in England in the 19th century by mixing a fairly large number of European and Asian breeds. At first it was called Yorkshire, and only then the name big white was stuck to this breed.
This breed is of a universal type. In fact, what is now called broilers.It grows quickly, reaching 100 kg in six months by the time of slaughter. Adult boars weigh up to 350, sows up to 250.
The first pigs of this breed began to penetrate into Russia at the end of the 19th century. They were brought in by landowners and this breed had no effect on the state of pig breeding in Russia at that time.
Today these pigs are everywhere. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the massive importation of the large white breed of pigs in the 20s of the 20th century. It was necessary to quickly feed the population after the devastation of the Civil War.
During the development of the breed, its purpose has changed several times. Since lard, when consumed, provides maximum energy with minimum volumes, at first preference was given to pigs that quickly gain weight due to the deposition of fat. Then animals weighing more than 400 kg were valued.
After the saturation of the market with food products and the emergence of a fashion for a healthy lifestyle in England, the demand for lean pork increased. And the big white was "re-profiled" to gain muscle mass at the expense of size and the ability to store subcutaneous fat. The size of the animals has become less important.
Big white is knocked out of the slender range of distribution of pig breeds in directions, since in the breed itself there are lines of meat-greasy, meat and greasy breeding. Thus, the large white could replace all other breeds, if not for her some exactingness to the content, in particular, the presence of a warm pigsty in winter.
During breeding in the USSR, the large white acquired qualities that were different from their English progenitors. Today, with a formally pure-bred breeding in the territory of the former Soviet Union, in fact, a new breed is grown, which is more adaptable to Russian conditions and a high ability to adapt in various climatic zones of Russia.
Russian large whites have a stronger constitution than modern English pigs of this breed. "Russians" belong to the universal type and weigh from 275 to 350 kg of boars and 225 - 260 kg of sows. Russian Great Whites are recommended for breeding as a factory breed in all regions of the country, but are not very suitable for private breeding, as they do not tolerate heat and cold well.
Landrace
A meat type pig breed developed in Denmark at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by crossing a local pig breed with a large white pig. As a factory breed, Landrace is demanding in terms of keeping conditions. The Russian Landrace is similar in size and weight to the Great Whites, but looks more slender. A landrace boar weighs up to 360 kg with a body length of 2 m, and a sow 280 kg, with a length of 175 cm.
Landrace is widely used for breeding other pig breeds, as well as for broiler lines, using heterotic crosses with pigs of other breeds.
It is believed that Landrace is widespread throughout Russia, but in comparison with the livestock of large white pigs, Landrace is very small.
Factory pigs are very responsive to feed and in subsidiary plots one could do only with them, if not for the capriciousness of these pig breeds in relation to the climate and feed.
For home breeding in private farms, relatively little-known and small breeds are much better suited: mangalitsa and karmal.
If the mangalitsa is even more or less known and the Vietnamese pot bellies are even sometimes confused with it (although nothing in common except hooves), then the karmal is a new hybrid recently bred by breeders by crossing the mangalitsa and the pot bellied pigs.
For a complete picture of how the animals look, it is necessary to describe these frost-resistant breeds of pigs with a photo, and preferably with a video.
Mangalitsa
This is a greasy breed, so lovers of lard with garlic need to start a mangalica. In addition to the "supply" of lard to owners, mangalitsa has a number of advantages over factory breeds.She is unpretentious in food and does not require the construction of a capital warm pigsty, being content even in 20-degree frosts with shelter from the wind.
History of the breed
Mangalitsa was bred in the first third of the 19th century in Hungary by crossing domestic pigs with semi-wild Carpathian pigs. The task: to get a breed of pigs that is not afraid of cold weather and unpretentious in food, was successfully completed.
With such a successful result, Mangalitsa quickly gained popularity and they tried to breed it in Transcarpathia and England. In Transcarpathia, the mangalitsa took root, in England it does not, since the English producers, who by that time had flooded the European markets with pork from meat breeds, did not need the greasy breed of pigs. The number of mangalitsa began to decline, including in Hungary. By the 90s of the 20th century, the mangalitsa had practically disappeared and the Hungarian Pig Breeders Association had to take urgent measures to save the breed.
The salvation also worked out. Now the number of pigs of the breed hungarian mangalica is already over 7,000.
The unpretentiousness of the mangalitsa interested Russian pig breeders and the mangalitsa was brought to Russia.
But you cannot buy a mangalitsa pig cheaply, since it is difficult to find flaws in the breed. Actually, he is one: infertility. Mangalitsa never has more than 10 piglets. Due to the price and low fertility, unscrupulous sellers may be tempted to sell hybrid piglets. Therefore, you need to know the distinctive features of the breed, inherent only in mangalitsa.
Description of the breed
The first thing that catches your eye is the thick curly hair of the mangalitsa. But such wool can also be found in a hybrid pig with a large proportion of mangalitsa blood.
Additional signs of thoroughbred mangalits:
- a small, up to 5 cm, spot on the lower edge of the ear, called Wellman's spot;
- ears are directed forward;
- open skin areas: in the area of the patch, eyes, hooves, nipples, anus, should be black. A different skin color betrays a cross;
- small piglets have stripes on the back, like wild boars;
- pigs are able to change coat color depending on feeding and living conditions;
- seasonal molting in these pigs is hardly noticeable due to a long process, but piglets darken in summer due to the loss of winter undercoat, as black skin begins to show through a little.
Today, only 4 colors are recorded in the mangalitsa standard.
Fawn, which can be lightened to white.
Red or red.
"Swallow".
A very rare and almost extinct black.
Such hybrids do not suffer from friendliness and can be dangerous.
The weight of the mangalitsa is low compared to other pigs, but by the age of 6 months, the piglets of the mangalitsa are gaining 70 kg.
Mangalitsa breed defects:
- the skin is white with well-defined spots;
- dark spots on the coat;
- striped or completely white hooves;
- pink skin near the nipples;
- red tassel on the tail.
These signs indicate that there is a crossbred pig in front of you.
The first wintering of Hungarian mangalits:
Karmal
A newly developed hybrid of two breeds of pigs: the Hungarian mangalica and the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. Moreover, the hybrid is so new, uncommon and little-known, that if you have to deal with photographs and think it's a pocket or not, there are at least photographs. It's just a problem with the video. Many owners think that it is enough to cover the mangalitsa with a Vietnamese boar or vice versa, as the sow will be born karmales... In reality, this is not the case. A cross between a mangalitsa and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig will be born. For this hybrid to become a pocket, selection work is needed to consolidate the traits desired for this hybrid.Therefore, most often the videos are not pockets, but hybrids.
Karmaly inherited frost resistance, unpretentiousness to keeping conditions and immunity of wild boar from mangalitsa. From Vietnamese pigs early maturity, prolificacy, well-developed maternal instinct, the ability to quickly gain weight and meat direction. Just like the Vietnamese, they either do not lay lard, or they lay it strictly under the skin, and such lard is easy to cut off, getting lean pork.
In a year the pocket is gaining 100 kg of weight, and by two it is able to double this figure.
The colors of the karals are very diverse, which is explained by the different colors of the parent breeds.
From the Vietnamese pigs, the karmals took friendliness and a calm disposition, but their unwillingness to play naughty is clearly from the mangalitsa.
Conclusion
The owner of the private household decides which breed of pig to choose. Some buy a pig for their meat, preferring Landrace or a large white one. Others want to sell piglets. Then a lot will depend on the current fashion for the breed of pigs. The hobby for Vietnamese pot bellies is already fading away. These pigs became familiar, and the myth of the cute domestic piglet turned out to be a myth. And today Vietnamese pigs are happily bred for meat, not being seduced by the opportunity to keep a pig of this size in an apartment.
But it seems that the craze for mangalis is gaining momentum due to their unusual fluffy appearance and minimal requirements for comfort. Of course, you can't take a mangalitsa into an apartment either, for an apartment you need a real miniature pig, but such in Russia have not yet taken root.
