Contents
The Yorkshire pig breed has been known for several centuries and occupies a leading position in terms of the number of livestock in the world. Premium class meat, obtained from animals, has a “marble” structure, and is highly valued by consumers. The specialized Yorkshire bacon breed is renowned for its fast growing pigs, good fertility and is often used to improve the performance of local stock around the world.
Breed history
In the middle of the XNUMXth century, an English amateur farmer, Joseph Tooley, worked to improve the qualities of local breeds by crossing long-eared, Leiter and Chinese white pigs. Trying to combine all the positive qualities, the breeder received offspring with early maturation of young animals, resistance to diseases and unique fattening properties.
Tuley, by systematically crossing closely related animals, managed to achieve strengthening and consolidation of useful traits, thus obtaining a new breed with unique data. The very appearance of Yorkshire pigs amazed the participants of the annual agricultural exhibition of 1851, where the breed was first introduced to the general public.
With especially large sizes, the body of a thoroughbred pig is fried without signs of obesity. Proper maintenance and fattening lead to a harmonious distribution of weight and an even, moderate deposition of fat. The body of the Yorkshire, sleek and toned, was very different from the appearance of other pigs of the time.
Due to the high rate of weight gain, ability to adapt to various conditions, fertility, the breed quickly gained popularity in Britain and spread throughout the world. Tuley’s pigs were given the name of the county where the amateur pig breeder’s livestock farm was located. The farmer, thanks to many years of hard work, received a good fortune, and the species began to be called Yorkshire.
The breed is still considered one of the best and is universal in purpose: special fattening allows you to get a large percentage of fat. But the main direction in breeding is lean, tender meat and the layered distribution of layers of fat and pulp in products.
Description of Yorkshire pigs
According to external data, the species is easy to distinguish from others. Characteristics and photos of the Yorkshire pig breed show a large animal weighing up to 350 kg for boars and 250 kg for sows. The cylindrical body reaches a length of 1,8 m. The chest is wide, the stomach is tucked up, without sagging. The legs of the Yorkshires are short, strong, the hams are large.
The back is straight, the shoulders are powerful, the spine is slightly arched in front of the sacrum. The head is small with a broad forehead. The ears are erect, pointing upwards and slightly set apart. White-pink skin is smooth, without sagging and wrinkles, evenly covered with sparse white bristles.
Purebred boars and pigs are not aggressive, they easily get along with other animals. Sows are distinguished by good maternal instinct, as well as excellent lactation, which allows them to feed all the numerous offspring. Pigs of the Yorkshire breed, according to reviews, are not prone to soreness, are peaceful, and quickly gain weight. Sexual maturity usually occurs by 12 months.
Characteristics of the Yorkshire pig breed
The Yorkshire type of pig is one of the most popular in breeding and expensive in the sale of young animals. According to the reviews of farmers and breeders, the following advantages of the breed can be distinguished:
- High yield of premium lean meat. Possibility of fattening for meat and fat use.
- Rapid growth, large size of adult animals. Seven-month-old piglets weigh about 100 kg.
- Unpretentiousness in nutrition, omnivorous, good adaptation when changing the place of detention.
- Fertility, non-aggressiveness, excellent maternal qualities of sows.
- High survival rate, rapid weight gain of piglets. Large sizes of newborn Yorkshires.
- Strong immunity in both adult pigs and piglets.
Among the shortcomings of the breed, the tenderness of the skin is noted, which determines the sensitivity of the Yorkshires to frost and heat. These disadvantages are not considered critical and do not create problems with the proper organization of wintering and walking pigs.
Meat productivity
The average weight of a newborn pig of the Yorkshire breed is about 1000 g, regardless of the number of offspring. One sow on average brings 10-12 piglets, there are often cases of a larger offspring. The breed is characterized by rapid weight gain, by the age of 30 days the Yorkshire weight reaches 18-20 kg.
When slaughtered at the age of six months with a weight of up to 100 kg, a large yield of bacon products is obtained. If pigs are fattened longer, increasing the daily rate every 10 days, weight gain occurs according to the meat-fat type. This property determines the versatility of the purpose of the breed.
The main goal in breeding purebred Yorkshires is to obtain a reference marbled pork, penetrated by the thinnest layers of fat. The thickness of fat in thoroughbred individuals is leveled and does not exceed 14 mm. The output of high-quality meat with proper fattening of pigs is at least 65%. The daily gain in Yorkshire reaches 800 g at the cost of 4,5 feed units per 1 kg.
Distribution area
Yorkshire is the 4th largest pig population in the world. In Our Country, individual farms began breeding the breed at the end of the 1993th century. The revival of interest in pigs of an elite breed began only in the middle of the XNUMXth century. Yorkshire appeared in the State Register of the Federation only in XNUMX.
Today in Our Country there are more than a dozen breeding plants that grow this type of pig. In small farms, the breed is rare. One of the reasons is the high cost of purebred piglets. Often amateur pig breeders acquire one individual to improve the qualities of an existing livestock. Producer boars from this breed with local pigs give offspring with improved characteristics of fertility, growth rate, quality of the final product.
Pigs of the Yorkshire breed, as seen in the photo, perfectly adapt to a variety of climatic conditions, do not lose healthy immunity during transportation. The cultivation of such pigs is cost-effective, quickly pays off both for fattening for slaughter and for breeding. Yorkshires are especially popular with livestock breeders in England, Canada, among American and New Zealand farmers, in Japan, China, throughout Europe.
In Our Country, the breed has shown itself well in the North-Western regions, the Central region, the Volga region. Although the breeding area of Yorkshire pigs, with proper care, is not limited to temperate climates.
Features of the content
An important feature of keeping pigs of the Yorkshire breed is the need for grazing to obtain high-quality meat. To carry out such care, several rules must be observed:
- Piglets are prone to undermining fences, and adult animals can break them out with their weight. Therefore, when arranging walking pigs, the fences should be well strengthened.
- It is worth foreseeing the possibility of shading the courtyard on sunny days. The delicate, pink skin of Yorkshires with sparse stubble is prone to overheating and even sunburn.
- In winter, at low temperatures, walking is done no longer than 60 minutes. It is acceptable to constantly keep pigs in a warm pigsty until warming, but the quality of the meat may suffer from the inactivity of the animals.
Otherwise, Yorkshires do not have special preferences and can quickly adapt to different conditions of detention.
What can you feed
The nutrition of Yorkshire pigs is organized based on the direction of their use. An important condition for any feeding scheme is the limitation of daily gain. Pigs are prone to obesity with excess nutrition, which worsens the breeding quality of the livestock, reduces the quality of the meat.
Feeding scheme for young animals to produce high quality bacon:
- Until the age of 80 days, piglets receive mother’s milk and complementary foods in the form of semi-liquid porridge on the back. Gradually cut grass, boiled vegetables are added to the diet.
- By the age of 5 months, Yorkshire piglets reach large sizes. Their diet consists entirely of potatoes (up to 40%), grain mixtures (barley, oats, corn), boiled vegetables, any dairy products, kitchen waste. Mandatory additives are bone meal (fish), green and dried grass. The daily increase in Yorkshire at this age should not exceed 0,5 kg.
- After 5,5 months, legumes and protein concentrates are introduced into the diet, maintaining a gain in pigs of about 700 g per day. Such food is shown until the slaughter.
- To obtain high-fat fat, fattening is continued after 7 months, including concentrates and compound feeds. At the same time, the issuance rate is increased at least once every 2 weeks.
- Skimmed milk is desirable to give piglets 1-1,5 liters per day until slaughter. Reverse significantly enhances the taste of bacon.
- Sugar beet is considered the best vegetable crop for Yorkshire bacon fattening. Nutrition with tops and root crops improves the quality of meat, its structure, taste.
The best pasture for walking for bacon breeds are clover meadows. Young Yorkshires require 2 hours of daily walks, adults need at least 1 hour per day, even in winter. The drinking regimen of pigs is not limited.
The omnivorous nature of the breed allows you to freely change the diet, there are no special restrictions on the diet of Yorkshire pigs. The quality of the feed base is reflected only in the final product.
Breed resistance to diseases
The Yorkshire breed is initially endowed with strong immunity, which is also transmitted to mixed offspring. The main threat to young animals is erysipelas, transmitted from one animal to another. The manifestation of erysipelas in piglets of the Yorkshire breed is shown in the photo.
If symptoms are detected in the form of dark, itchy spots on the muzzle, limbs, auricles, the animal is isolated from the rest of the livestock. The disease may be accompanied by high fever, weight loss. Treatment of pigs is carried out according to the scheme prescribed by the veterinarian.
Malnutrition of young Yorkshires leads to rickets. The disease deforms the bone skeleton of pigs, and especially the legs, which are subjected to increased stress due to the rapid increase in body weight. Prevention of rickets in piglets is a complete diet, winter feeding with needles, daily walking to get ultraviolet radiation.
The resistant breed is susceptible to diseases only if it is not properly kept in winter (hypothermia) or overheated in summer (sunburn, unventilated room).
Conclusion
The Yorkshire pig breed is an excellent choice for private farming or farming. Fertility, high liquidity of young animals, the value of the meat obtained always justify the investment. Accelerated growth, unpretentiousness in food, resistance to major diseases make the breed attractive for breeding or improving the characteristics of the local pig population.
