Content
Pig breed Yorkshire has been known for several centuries and occupies the leading places in the number of livestock in the world. Premium meat obtained from animals has a marble structure and is highly valued by consumers. The specialty Yorkshire bacon breed is renowned for its fast growing pigs, good fertility and is often used to improve local livestock performance around the world.
Breeding history
In the middle of the 19th century, the English amateur farmer Joseph Tuley 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 livestock breeder obtained offspring with early maturity of young animals, disease resistance and unique fattening properties.
Tulei, through the systematic crossing of closely related animals, managed to achieve the 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 in 1851, where the breed was first presented to the general public.
With a particularly large size, the body of a thoroughbred pig is lean without signs of obesity. Correct housing and feeding results in a balanced weight distribution and an even, moderate fat deposition. The Yorkshire's body, smooth and taut, was very different from the appearance of other pigs of the time.
Due to the high rate of weight gain, the ability to adapt to different conditions, fertility, the breed quickly gained popularity in Britain and spread throughout the world. The name of the county, where the hobby pig breeder's livestock farm was located, was assigned to Tuley's pigs. The farmer, thanks to hard work for many years, got 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 feeding allows you to get a large percentage of fat. But the main direction in breeding is lean, tender meat and layered distribution of layers of fat and pulp in the product.
Description of Yorkshire pigs
By its appearance, it is easy to distinguish the appearance from others. Characteristics and photos of Yorkshire pigs 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 abdomen is tucked up, without sagging. Yorkshire legs are short, strong, and large hams.
The back is straight, the shoulders are powerful, the spine is slightly curved in front of the sacrum. The head is small with a wide forehead. Ears protruding, pointing up and slightly apart. The white-pink skin is smooth, without sagging and folds, 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. Yorkshire piglets, 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 for breeding and expensive for selling 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-feeding use.
- Fast growth, large size of adult animals. Seven month old piglets weigh about 100 kg.
- Unpretentiousness in nutrition, omnivorousness, 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 correct organization of wintering and walking the pigs.
Meat productivity
The average weight of a newborn Yorkshire piglet is about 1000 g, regardless of the number of offspring. One sow brings on average 10-12 piglets, cases of larger litters are not uncommon. The breed is characterized by rapid weight gain, by the age of 30 days the weight of Yorkshire 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 fed longer, increasing the daily rate every 10 days, weight gain occurs according to the meat-greasy type. This property determines the versatility of the breed.
The main goal in purebred Yorkshire breeding is to obtain a reference marble pork, permeated with the finest layers of fat. The fat thickness in thoroughbred individuals is leveled and does not exceed 14 mm. The yield of high-quality meat with proper fattening of pigs is at least 65%. The daily weight gain in Yorkshires reaches 800 g at a cost of 4.5 feed units per 1 kg.
Distribution area
Yorkshire is the 4th largest pig population in the world. In Russia, individual farms began breeding the breed at the end of the 19th century. The revival of interest in elite breed pigs began only in the middle of the 20th century. Yorkshires appeared in the State Register of the Russian Federation only in 1993.
Today in Russia there are more than a dozen breeding plants raising this type of pig. In small farms, the breed is rare. One of the reasons is the high cost of purebred piglets. Often hobby pig breeders purchase one pig to improve the quality of the existing livestock. Boar-producer from this breed with local pigs give offspring with improved characteristics of fertility, growth rate, quality of the final product.
Yorkshire piglets, as you can see in the photo, perfectly adapt in a variety of climatic conditions, do not lose healthy immunity during transportation. Raising such pigs is cost-effective, quickly pays off both when fattening for slaughter, and when breeding. Yorkshires are especially popular with livestock breeders in England, Canada, among American and New Zealand farmers, in Japan, China, and throughout Europe.
In Russia, the breed has shown itself well in the North-Western regions, the Central region, the Volga region. Although the Yorkshire hog breeding range, with proper care, is not limited to temperate climates.
Features of the content
An important feature of keeping Yorkshire pigs is the need to graze for quality meat.To carry out such care, several rules are required:
- Piglets are prone to digging in fences, and adult animals can break them down with their weight. Therefore, when arranging for walking pigs, fences should be well strengthened.
- It is worth considering in advance the possibility of shading the yard on sunny days. The delicate pink skin of Yorkshires with sparse bristles is prone to overheating and even sunburn.
- In winter, at low temperatures, walking is done no longer than 60 minutes. The constant presence of pigs in a warm pigsty until warming is acceptable, but the quality of meat may suffer from the inactivity of animals.
The rest of the Yorkshires have no particular preferences and can quickly adapt to different conditions of detention.
What can you feed
Yorkshire pigs are fed according to the direction of their use. An important condition for any feeding scheme is to limit daily growth. Pigs are prone to obesity with excess nutrition, which worsens the breeding quality of livestock, reduces the quality of meat.
Feeding scheme for young animals aimed at obtaining high quality bacon:
- Up to 80 days of age, piglets receive breast milk and complementary foods in the form of semi-liquid cereals on the skim. Little by little, cut grass and boiled vegetables are added to the diet.
- By the age of 5 months, Yorkshire piglets reach large sizes. Their food consists entirely of potatoes (up to 40%), grain mixtures (barley, oats, corn), boiled vegetables, any dairy products, kitchen waste. Required additives are bone meal (fish), green and dried grass. The daily gain for Yorkshires at this age should not exceed 0.5 kg.
- After 5.5 months, legumes, protein concentrates are introduced into the diet, maintaining a gain in pigs of about 700 g per day. Such food is shown until the very slaughter.
- To obtain high fat lard, fattening is continued after 7 months, including concentrates and compound feed. At the same time, the issue rate is increased at least once every 2 weeks.
- It is advisable to give skim milk to piglets 1-1.5 liters per day until slaughter. Reverse significantly improves the taste of bacon.
- The best vegetable crop for bacon feeding in Yorkshires is sugar beet. Nutrition with tops and root crops improves the quality of meat, its structure, and taste.
The best grazing land for bacon breeds is clover meadows. Young Yorkshires require 2 hours of daily walks, while adults need at least 1 hour a day, even in winter. The pigs' drinking regime is not limited.
The omnivorous nature of the breed allows you to freely change the diet, there are no special restrictions on the nutrition of Yorkshire pigs. The quality of the feed base is reflected only in the final product.
Disease resistance of the breed
The Yorkshire breed is initially endowed with strong immunity, which is passed on to mixed offspring. The main threat to young animals is erysipelas, spreading from one animal to another. The manifestation of erysipelas in Yorkshire piglets is shown in the photo.
If symptoms are found in the form of dark, itchy spots on the face, limbs, ears, the animal is isolated from the rest of the livestock. The disease can be accompanied by high fever, weight loss. Pigs are treated according to the scheme prescribed by the veterinarian.
Malnutrition of young Yorkshire animals leads to rickets. The disease deforms the bone skeleton of pigs, and especially the legs, which are exposed to increased stress due to the rapid increase in body weight. Prevention of rickets in piglets is a full-fledged diet, winter feeding with needles, daily walking to obtain ultraviolet radiation.
A resistant breed is susceptible to disease only if it is inappropriate in winter (hypothermia) or overheating in summer (sunburn, unventilated room).
Conclusion
The Yorkshire pig breed is an excellent choice for private households or farming. Fertility, high liquidity of young stock, the value of the meat obtained always justify the investment. Accelerated growth, unpretentiousness in food, resistance to major diseases makes the breed attractive for breeding or improving the characteristics of local pigs.
