Domestic animal pig. Domestic pig

In total, there are about a hundred breeds of pigs in the world. Which one to stop? Choose local breeds - they are more adapted to your climatic conditions, feed, quality of drinking water.

All breeds of pigs in terms of productivity are divided into three main areas:

• sebaceous;
• meat - sebaceous;
• bacon.

Characteristics of rocks

• Greasy - Ukrainian steppe pockmarked, large black, Mirgorod, Mangalitskaya, etc. Greasy breeds are characterized by increased fat formation. Their muscle tissue growth ends early and then only the deposition of fat occurs. These pigs have a short and wide body, short legs.
• Meat - greasy - Breitovskaya, Murom, North Caucasian, Livenskaya, Siberian northern, Ukrainian steppe white, Belarusian black-motley, Semirechenskaya, large white, Kemerovo, Berkshire, Latvian white, etc. Meat-greasy breeds, as the name implies, have a universal orientation. They have 5% less muscle tissue compared to bacon, but they are less whimsical to the conditions of detention and grow faster.
• Bacon - Landrace, Duroc, Lacombe, Pietrain, Hampshire, Tamworth, Lithuanian White, Estonian Bacon, Urzhum, Vietnamese Belly. Bacon (meat) breeds are genetically not prone to fat deposition. The thickness of the fat in the best representatives reaches only 1.5 - 2 cm. Bacon pigs are characterized by an elongated body on high limbs.

What breed to choose

If you are not going to breed purebred pigs, but only assume for your own food or for sale - take hybrids of such bacon breeds as Landrace, Duroc, Pietrain and others. Hybrid piglets are more robust and grow faster due to the effect of heterosis. To know, , you can on our website.

I would like to highlight a couple of lines to say about such a breed as the red white belt. It began to be created during the Soviet era, in 1976 at the Poltava Research Institute of Pig Breeding. The initial parent breeds were Mirgorodskaya and Large White. The paternal breeds were Landrace and Wessex Saddleback breeds. Subsequently, the blood of Pietrain, Duroc and Hampshire rushed. Thus, seven breeds took part in its creation. 30 years later, in 2007, a new specialized meat breed of pigs was tested by the State Commission and approved by order of the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine.

Recently it has become fashionable to keep pigs as . For this, dwarf breeds bred on the basis of the Vietnamese bellied pig are ideal. Some adults reach only 10 kg. this breed is the same as in large animals.

Hungarian mangalica is interesting as a hobby. These pigs have a long, curly, sheep-like coat.

Animal features

The intelligence of pigs is on par with dogs, they are easily trained. Pigs have a superbly developed sense of smell - this quality was previously used when searching for truffle mushrooms growing underground. Now specially trained pigs are successfully used at customs when searching for drugs. Recently, a research project was completed in Israel, during which it turned out that pigs can be successfully used instead of dogs to search for people under the rubble. Moreover, where the dogs could not take the trail, the pigs acted quite confidently.

And in conclusion - a verse from Valentin Pavlovich Rybalko, one of the authors of the red white-belted breed of pigs:

“When it’s hard in life,

Do not hang your nose and do not be sad in vain,

And remember the smell of lard with garlic,

And life becomes beautiful again!

How to care for domestic pigs

These animals are much cleaner and more interesting than people unfamiliar with the lifestyle of these animals think, so they are good as pets. They are extremely intelligent and can become quite docile. Piglets can be house trained and leash trained in the same way as dogs. But when they are kept, special care requirements must be observed.

Before getting a pig

Think about whether you have sufficient funds to keep the pig healthy and provide her with a normal existence.

• Pigs are social animals, you will have to spend a lot of time interacting with your pet.
• You must be able to assert yourself as a leader (as with dogs), otherwise you will end up with a spoiled, persistent and even aggressive animal that can be a danger to children.
• Consider purchasing a pair of pets so they can keep each other company.
• Remember that pigs are smart and quite curious. Once they learn how to achieve something (pull up the carpet, open the door, break the fence), they will not forget it, so you need to think “one step ahead”. They can also be cunning, like a kid who is trying to manipulate his elders. It's important to keep them busy all the time, otherwise they might act out when they're bored.
• The pigs should be given an area to walk outside where they can exercise their locomotor instincts.
• Calculate the life expectancy of a pig and the upcoming expenses. Pigs live for about 20 years, they will always need food, vaccinations, hoof and fangs care. They must be spayed or neutered if you are not planning on having offspring. If you are traveling, can you take a pig with you?

Where to buy a pig

A pig from a pet store or from a private farm may seem cute and funny at first, but over time it can become ill or turn into an enormous “pet nightmare”. Visit the breeder and ask to see the parents of the intended pet so that you can judge their temperament and suggest what to expect.

Rules for keeping domestic pigs

Love your pig. She, like most pets, enjoys human attention.

Make sure your pet has enough space to lie down - this is how they regulate their body temperature. Pigs do not sweat, and in the heat this is the only way to save them from overheating.

Be careful when letting free grazing. One pig can turn a large area into arable land in no time.

Prepare a varied diet. Pigs will enjoy fruits and vegetables. Never feed your animals meat.

The piglet should have a dry and sheltered sleeping area where he can enjoy the hay. Piglets burrow into hay bedding. An adult pig will be happy with wood chips (not sawdust).

What to consider when training a pig

• You can teach a pig to answer the name and follow simple commands: “no” and “come to me”, you can very quickly.
• Due to the conformation of the neck, an adult pig may not be able to see taller than it is, keep this in mind.
• Train the animal as if it were a dog.
• With patience and reward it is possible to learn many commands.
• Your pig can get sunburned on the walk, so use sunscreen on your back.

Warnings

Without proper care and upbringing, your pig can become dangerous, including if it is punished.

• Better to keep two pigs. Otherwise, loneliness can make a pet unhappy.
• Remember that sows can easily give birth to piglets in adolescence, so make sure that you have animals of the same sex or that the boar has been neutered. It is undesirable to castrate a piglet older than two weeks.
• Try not to start a piglet care regimen that is impossible to continue for a grown animal. It will not be clear to him why the approach has changed.

A piglet is a charming and tiny pet, but an adult pig can become huge and, if not raised wisely, can be really aggressive and dangerous.

Sow farrowing

The average duration of pregnancy (pregnancy) of a sow is 112 - 115 days. The first mating of a young pig is carried out at the age of nine to ten months, when it reaches a live weight of 90 to 120 kg. If in the first farrowing the uterus gave 10-12 piglets, proved to be a good mother, it makes sense to leave her on the farm for reproduction. Usually sows are used up to three years, sometimes twice a year.

• The pregnant uterus requires special attention: it must be protected from possible injuries, regularly cleaned of dirt and washed with warm water.
• In the room where pregnant sows are kept, the temperature should be 16-18 degrees, humidity - 70-75%.
• In spring and summer, the sow must be let out to graze daily. Pasture continues until the pig begins to lie down. The duration of a winter walk is 45-60 minutes. Walks stop 5-6 days before farrowing.

Feeding a pregnant pig

It is very important to organize the correct feeding of the pregnant sow. Both malnutrition, which can lead to stillbirth of fetuses, and obesity, in which piglets are born weak, and the uterus behaves restlessly during farrowing, should not be allowed.

In the first two months, a large amount of rough and succulent feed should be present in the diet. From the third month, their share is reduced, cake and meal are completely excluded from the diet. A few days before farrowing, roughage is removed, and the proportion of green and juicy is reduced by half. Naturally, all feed changes are carried out gradually to avoid digestive upsets. It is very useful to give feed of animal origin - milk, whey, reverse. Kitchen waste from public canteens must be thoroughly boiled.

Preparing for farrowing

A couple of days before the expected farrowing, it is necessary to clean the stall, treat it with a disinfectant, wash the pig's udder with warm soapy water. The place of farrowing should be warm, bright, dry, without drafts. As bedding, you can use hay or straw cuttings, dry leaves. In the corner where the uterus has made its nest, planks are nailed along both walls at a height of about 40 cm from the floor. This is necessary so that the pig, lying down, does not crush the piglets. Usually a pig starts making its own nest about 12 hours before farrowing.

Farrow

Farrowing lasts from one to three hours. A newborn piglet needs to wipe its mouth and nose from mucus with a clean cloth, a piglet born in the amniotic membrane must quickly break it. The umbilical cord is pinched with fingers and torn off at a distance of 5-6 cm from the abdomen or tied with a strong thread moistened with alcohol solution and cut off with scissors. Each newborn piglet is given a womb to suckle and then placed in a box lined with a clean cloth. If the newborn pig does not show signs of life, it is necessary to vigorously rub it along the back with a clean, dry rag, bend and unbend the forelimbs several times, taking the head and front legs, lower it into a bucket of warm (almost hot) water.

An hour after the start of farrowing, without waiting for its completion, the piglets are placed on the mother's nipples. This calms the pig. After the birth of the last piglet, the afterbirth comes out. The sow should not be allowed to eat the placenta - this can either cause indigestion or provoke cannibalism, i.e. eating their own pigs.

At the end of farrowing, you need to wash off the dirt from the sow, give her a drink of non-cold water, change the bedding. When the piglets grow up, they are transferred to fattening. View depends on the next destination.

Piglets fattening

There are two types of fattening of piglets: meat (a kind of meat - bacon) and greasy. Meat fattening is intensive and low-intensity.

Low-intensity fattening is used if there is access to low-nutrient, but cheap feed. With this type of fattening, the average daily gains in live weight in piglets are low and the final weight at 11-12 months reaches a maximum of 100 kg. The main type of pig fattening is intensive meat. High average daily gains are obtained from piglets, meat carcasses have a thin layer of subcutaneous fat and tender juicy meat.

Fattening periods

• Lactic. Continues up to two months of age. Little piglets are fed five to six times a day, little by little, at the same time. They quickly get used to the established regimen. Milk is a very fertile breeding ground for bacteria that can cause diarrhea in piglets. Therefore, the dishes with milk are left for 15 minutes, then removed and washed thoroughly.
• From the age of one month, carrots, hay dust, boiled and mashed potatoes are introduced into the diet.
• The basic rule is that the feed is given as much as the piglet is able to eat at one time; uneaten leftovers should not be mixed with a new portion of food.
• Boars at the age of one and a half months should be castrated.
• Growing. This is the most critical period. During rearing, it is necessary to ensure the most complete growth of the skeleton and muscle tissue. It is necessary to fully use the possibilities of grazing. On such cheap feed as young grass, it is possible to bring the weight of a piglet to 50-60 kg in 4 months. Concentrates for the entire growing period require 100-110 kg per head. In addition, the gilt is fed with kitchen waste.
• Fattening. When a piglet reaches 40-50 kg, they start fattening it, which lasts at least three months. It is not enough to make a correct diet and balance it in terms of nutrients, vitamins, macro- and microelements. It is necessary to ensure that the feed is eaten by the pigs with appetite, as this contributes to the good digestion of the feed and its most complete digestibility.

Feed preparation

• Grass. Two hours before feeding, chop fresh grass, pour hot water over it, close the lid. Mix the steamed mass with mashed boiled potatoes, add concentrates. To improve the taste, add a little whey or skim milk here.
• concentrated feed. When fed with whole grains, a significant amount of them is not digested. For greater savings, concentrates are given in ground form.
• Potato. It is fed boiled and mashed. The tubers are washed before cooking.
• Roots. They are given raw in small quantities as a vitamin supplement. In this case, it is necessary to clean the roots of dirt, cut out rotten places and chop them. When used as the main feed, they are crushed before cooking and given in crushed form.
• Hay. It is crushed on a straw cutter, doused with hot water and steamed for two to three hours.
• Chaff. It is steamed for two hours and fed mixed with boiled potatoes or root crops.
• Oat milk. Has a good taste. They are watered forage for better palatability. A kilogram of oatmeal is poured with boiled water, cooled to 30 degrees, and left warm for 3 - 3.5 hours. Then filter through a sieve.

Choosing a pig

To begin with, let's decide - why do you need a piglet? Are you fattening for yourself or for sale? In order to obtain meat or fat? If for sale - we take a wild boar - it grows faster, has a greater increase in live weight, it is easier to castrate it compared to a pig. If for ourselves - we take a pig - pig products obtained from a female have a more delicate taste.

Pig selection rules

• If you want to get more meat, choose piglets with an elongated body and high limbs. They are more mobile, their growth does not stop for a long time, due to this, most of the volume falls on muscle mass, i.e. meat.
• If you want more fat, take piglets with a short body and low limbs. Their growth stops early enough and all feed calories are deposited in the form of fat.

If the pig goes to the tribe, it would be nice to know how it went - in pigs, fertility is inherited. Also important is .

What time of year to buy piglets

For piglets, the correct temperature regime in the first months of their life is very important. If your pigsty does not have artificial heating, a large proportion of the calories received by piglets will not be spent on gaining muscle mass, but on heating the body. Thus, feed consumption will increase significantly. Again - feed in the autumn-winter period will cost you much more than in the spring-summer time. We conclude that putting piglets for fattening in autumn or winter is economically unprofitable. We are waiting for spring and with the first warm days we are going to the market for a purchase!

How many piglets to buy

A pig is a social, herd animal, and it does not tolerate loneliness very well. Take a pair instead of one pig and you will see how much more comfortable they feel, how well they eat and how well they gain weight. But in a group of three or more individuals, a leader will definitely appear who will offend and oppress the rest of the kids, which will definitely lead to weight loss for them. So, we keep our piglets in pairs.

Age of the purchased piglet

Usually they buy one and a half to two-month-old piglets. At this age, they should weigh 15 - 18 kg. However, if the piglet managed to get sick before the sale, then it can have such a weight even at three months. How to determine age? A piglet, over the age of two months, has abundant hair, yellowish wool, if at the same time it weighs 15 kg - this is not your purchase!

How to determine if a piglet is healthy

• When buying a pig, pay attention that there is no purulent discharge from the eyes and nose, dried crusts around the eyes and on the patch.
• All piglets should be alert, not sleepy.
• When you try to pick up a piglet, the sick (or incubation period) will grunt intermittently, and the healthy one will squeal loudly. If the owner does not allow you to take a pig, this should alert you.
• Don't choose too fat piglets - sometimes, especially for sale, they are fed sweetened milk. Such piglets will be picky about feed, it is unlikely that you will get any profit from them.
• Also pay attention to the bite. With an incorrect bite, the piglet will not fully utilize the feed and give poor growth.

Pig breeds

Domestic pigs (Sus Domesticus) are descended from wild boars (Sus Scrofa). In fact, the domestic pig is just a subspecies of the wild pig, so they can still interbreed. There are various sources that suggest when pigs were first domesticated, but it is most likely that pig breeding was carried out as early as 13,000 BC. in the eastern Mediterranean territories (areas of modern Turkey, around Egypt).

We can divide pig breeds into two main types: meat breeds and tallow breeds. Pig meat lines (also known as Bacon) were bred to have more lean meat with a moderate inclusion of fat. In contrast, tallow pigs have been bred to have large supplies of lard. In addition, there are several breeds that belong to the meat-fat type.

• meat direction, these include breeds: Landrace, Duroc. Pigs of this direction have a dense constitution, a long body, large hams and a light front part of the body. The content of meat is 60% -65%, fat 35% -40% based on 100 kilograms of live weight after slaughter.
• greasy direction, these include breeds: large black and Breit. The constitution is loose, the body is short. The fat content is more than 50%, and the meat is 45% at the rate of 100 kilograms of live weight after slaughter.
• meat-fat (universal) type they include breeds: large white, Latvian white, Murom. These animals occupy an intermediate position between the meat and greasy types. At a young age, they give meat productivity, and at an older age there is an intensive fat deposition.
• Breeding pigs at home is a profitable business. According to its biological characteristics, a pig is an early maturing and prolific animal. With good feeding and proper maintenance, for one farrowing you can get 9-12 piglets, and for slaughter from 100 (or more) kilograms of meat, fat and lard.
• Modern pig production is focused on developing breeds that grow quickly and have quality, light-colored meat. Old breeds with a lot of fat and slow growth are more effective where there is free pasture. Under this condition, the meat and fat of such breeds has a surprisingly aromatic taste and is rich in nutrients.

Breeds of pigs: description and photo

1. american landrace

Origin: This pig breed was bred by the State Department of Agriculture and the University of Iowa in the USA. The source is the Danish Landrace breed.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Juicy, marbled pink meat.

Size: Large.

Color: White.

Temperament: Obedient.

Notes: Known to be good sows. Suitable for common maternal breed (used as sow for many hybrid beef pigs).

1. french basque

Origin: the breed was bred in France, the Basque region.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Juicy, fragrant, the meat is well suited for freezing.

Size: Medium to large.

Color: Black and white.

Temperament: Good-natured

Notes: Endangered breed. Slow growth. Not suitable for breeding.

1. English Berkshire (Berkshire)

Origin: UK. Berkshire.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Juicy, marbled, rose-red meat.

Size: Medium.

Colour: Black with white spots on muzzle, legs and tail.

Temperament: Good-natured.

Notes: Good multiple mothers. Usually used as a terminal male in breeding hybrids.

1. Chester is white. Chester White

Origin: USA. Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Type: Meat. Initially, the breed had a meat-and-fat direction.

Taste: Good. The meat is marbled and aromatic.

Size: medium to large.

Color: White.

Temperament: calm.

Notes: Chesters are good multiple mothers. They are hardy and feed well outdoors. Sows and boars are used to produce beef pig hybrids.

1. Choctaw

Origin: USA. Bred by the Choctaw tribe in Mississippi and Alabama, but descended from pigs brought by the first Spanish explorers.

Type: Lard.

Taste: Ordinary.

Size: Small.

Color: Black, but may have white or brown markings.

Temperament: It may well be wild, but it can be taught.

Notes: An almost extinct breed. Pigs are very hardy and eat very well. In Choctaw pigs, the hoof is fused, does not have “fingers”.

1. Sinta (Senese)

Origin: Italy. Province of Siena (Tuscany).

Type: Meat.

Taste: aromatic and very tasty.

Size: Medium.

Colour: black with white belt.

Temperament: Can be quite wild.

Notes: Endangered breed. "Sinta" means belt. Very hardy. They eat very well.

1. Duroc

Origin: USA. New York and New Jersey.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Neat, juicy, tasty, good marbled meat.

Size: medium.

Color: red - skin and wool.

Temperament: Obedient, but can be aggressive in the presence of piglets.

Notes: Very effective weight gain. General qualities: used as a male for breeding hybrids.

1. Gloucester spotted

Origin: UK. Gloucestershire.

Type: lard.

Taste: Sweet, very flavorful, good marbled meat.

Colour: Mostly white with a few black spots.

Temperament: Very good-natured and friendly.

Notes: Very well eaten. Very hardy. Very good mothers.

1. guinea boar

Origin: originally bred in Guinea (Africa), then in the southern part of the USA became the ancestor of the Landrace breed.

Type: lard.

Taste: Delicious meat.

Size: small to medium (up to 114 kg).

Color: black, sometimes red, hairy.

Temperament: good-natured, friendly.

Notes: Endangered breed. Eats very well. Requires free content.

1. hampshire

Origin: USA. Kentucky.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Soft lean meat. A little spice.

Size: medium.

Colour: Black with a white sash around the front legs.

Temperament: Obedient.

Notes: Rapid growth. High feed return. It is used as a producer in hybrid breeds of meat pigs.

1. Hereford

Origin: USA. Iowa and Nebraska.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Soft and lean meat. A little spice.

Size: Medium.

Colour: Red with white dots.

Temperament: good-natured, affectionate.

Notes: very well adapted to different climates. Good mothers. They eat well.

1. Alentejo (Iberian) Pig

Origin: Spain and Portugal.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Delicious. It produces the famous Jamon or Iberian ham, which is very expensive.

Size: medium to large.

Color: black, gray or red.

Temperament: Good-natured, but can be a bit "wild".

Notes: Rare breed. Eating great.

1. Bold round

Origin: New Zealand, bred from Asian breeds.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Good, marbled meat, juicy.

Size: small.

Color: Wide range of colors, hairy.

Notes: Great food.

1. Big black

Origin: England. Devonshire and Cornwall.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Very tasty, juicy, marbled meat. Little bacon.

Size: Medium.

Black color.

Notes: Endangered breed.

1. Mangalitsa

Origin: Hungary.

Type: lard.

Taste: Sweet, juicy, dark meat.

Size: medium to large

Color: White, Black and white, or red. Curly hair!

Notes: Rare breed. There are actually three breeds that differ only in color: Light, Swallow (black with a light belly and legs), and red.

1. meishan pig

Origin: China. Meishan prefecture.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Juicy, aromatic, with a lot of fat.

Size: small to medium (adults 60 kg).

Colour: black wrinkled.

Temperament: Good-natured.

Notes: Very prolific. Slow growth. Resistant to many diseases.

1. Mulefoot

Origin: USA. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Arkansas. Bred on the basis of pigs from Spain.

Type: lard.

Taste: Juicy, marbled, red meat. Delicious.

Size: Medium.

Color: black with mustache.

Temperament: Good-natured. Obedient.

Notes: Endangered breed. They eat very well. Pigs have fused toes to form "hooves".

1. Ossabaw

Origin: USA. Ossabaw Island, Georgia. From pigs brought by the first Spanish explorers. Now it is the US Landrace breed. Type: Meat (actually, this is a wild type).

Taste: "Spicy", red meat.

Size: Small.

Color: black or black and white with spots, thick hair.

Temperament: Good-natured. Friendly.

Notes: Endangered breed. This breed has been around for over 400 years without any further updates in genetics. They eat very well. Slow growth. May be high in fat if inactive.

1. Pietrain

Origin: Belgium. Pietrain village.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Very lean meat.

Size: small.

Color: white with black and gray spots.

Temperament: No reliable information.

Notes: Unique powerful musculature, but a gene that causes excessive muscle growth and made Pietrain susceptible to many health problems, most notably Porcine Stress Syndrome (causes sudden death with stress).

1. Poland China

Origin: USA. Warren and Butler counties, Ohio.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Medium but good marbled meat.

Size: medium to large.

Colour: Black with white muzzle, legs and tail.

Temperament: Obedient.

Notes: gain weight quickly, hardy. They do not like closed spaces. They are used as a producer in breeding hybrid meat pigs.

1. Red Wattle

Origin: New Caledonia (South Pacific Island) originally, but brought to the final breed in the USA, New Orleans. The breed was developed from wild pigs found in East Texas.

Type: Meat.

Taste: juicy meat.

Size: medium to large (600-1500 kg / 270-680 kg).

Colour: Red with mustache.

Temperament: Good-natured.

Notes: disappearing view. They eat great. Very hardy. Easily adapt to different climates.

1. spotted pig

Origin: USA. Indiana. Pigs of the Indiana Cross breed Landrace, Polish-Chinese, and Gloucestershire Old Spot.

Type: Meat.

Taste: Delicious, lean meat.

Size: medium

Colour: white with black spots.

Temperament: Good-natured.

Notes: good feed consumption to weight ratio. Very hardy. Poorly tolerate movement restrictions. Used as a manufacturer.

1. Tamworth

Origin: UK, probably Ireland. Named for the village of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England.

Type: Meat

Taste: marbled, lean meat. One of the best breeds of bacon.

Size: Medium.

Color: red.

Temperament: Good-natured.

Activity: Very active.

Notes: Grains are eaten very well. Very hardy. Disease resistant. Poorly tolerate movement restrictions.

1. vietnamese jug

Origin: Vietnam.

Type: Meat.

Taste: aromatic. May have a lot of fat. Meat is very good for bacon.

Size: small. 32-68 kg, but can grow up to 90 kg depending on genetics.

Color: black or black and white.

Temperament: Very good-natured.

Notes: Common breed.

1. Yorkshire

Origin: England. Yorkshire (York County).

Type: Meat.

Taste: Lean meat with little fat.

Size: large to extra large.

White color. May have small black spots.

Temperament: Good-natured.

Notes: Also known as the "big white" breed in England. They eat very well. They are considered excellent females that produce large numbers of piglets. Many modern breeds have Yorkshire blood.

When we hear the phrase “pet”, many of us immediately imagine fluffy cats, dogs or hamsters. But recently, the concept has become more extensive, the list of pets includes such amazing little animals as pygmy pigs - mini-pigs.

Initially, the breed was bred for various laboratory studies, but over time it has gained wide demand among pet lovers. The main advantages of such tiny creatures are dwarf size, amazing appearance, cleanliness and excellent propensity for training.

A pet can be taught many commands, including the commands to sit, lie down and give a paw. And the incredibly funny dances of these animals are another sight.

The history of the origin of the decorative pig. Description of the breed

The first representatives of the dwarf domestic pig appeared as a result of the long work of breeders. To breed the breed, scientists crossed wild boars and a bellied Vietnamese pig. Given the breed characteristics and climatic conditions of the area where the pet lives, the color of its coat can be very different. Most often, there are such shades:

• ginger;
• black;
• marble;
• sand;
• mixed.

The breed of a dwarf pig does not have a clear standard. Found in nature about 30 varieties of mini pigs, in the weight category from 6 to 140 kilograms. The largest breeds are represented by:

• Siberian miniature pig;
• Goettingen mini-pig;
• Vietnamese fold-bellied pig;

Individuals weighing up to 25 kilograms include breeds:

Features of the character of domestic mini-pigs

Adorable micro pigs grow up to three years. If we compare them with cats and dogs, then they are much smarter than the first, since have clear conscious behavior. With proper training, the pet quickly learns different commands and performs them better than four-legged friends.

If you are going to buy a decorative domestic pig, do not forget that it can be a very emotional animal which can make many sounds. A happy piglet will joyfully run around the territory and grunt softly. But try to offend him, and he will immediately turn into an angry pig, who will scream at the top of his lungs. With the help of sounds, small pigs convey important information to their owners and other animals. While feeding the baby, the sow grunts slightly.

It is important to note the fact that the hierarchy method must be applied to decorative domestic pigs. From the first days of your appearance in the house, show the animal who is in charge in the house, otherwise it will quickly “sit on your head” and dictate its own rules. Lack of proper education will lead to disobedience and the manifestation of a stubborn character. To avoid such consequences, teach the animal home ethics from an early age.

Tiny micro-pigs strongly resemble kids who cannot imagine their lives without pranks. Mini-pigs have excellently developed intelligence, which helps them find creative ways to manipulate. If you give them free rein, they will quickly grow into real rascals. These creatures need constant communication and attention. If left without this pleasure, they will quickly become offended and sad. Therefore, if you are rarely at home, consider purchasing two pets. In such a team, they will have much more fun.

The little pig has an amazing curiosity. She can run around the apartment all day and look for something tasty in your personal things. Due to well-developed natural instincts and intuition, they boast many unique properties.

How to keep a decorative pig at home

Many people who are going to buy a decorative baby are wondering how long these cute creatures live. According to official data, with proper care, a pet can live up to 15 years.

Caring for tiny pigs does not require much effort or financial investment. These little animals clean, and they will not crap anywhere. The main thing is to teach them how to go to the toilet in advance, using a tray from some box or other container, at the bottom of which there are small pieces of paper, shavings or sawdust. Cat litter should not be used as pigs often mistake it for food. The tray is installed in the place that the pig has chosen for itself as a toilet.

pygmy pigs need regular showers or baths. Bathe them only in warm water, otherwise pets may develop various diseases. Little pigs are very fond of water treatments. In the summer, you can put a small pool in the yard in the form of a basin of water, in which the animals will take warm baths on their own.

After purchasing a piglet, it must be taken to an experienced veterinarian who will prescribe all the important vaccinations against common swine diseases. If there is no desire to breed the offspring of mini-pigs, you can castrate the boar.

Piglets need to be walked regularly. When walking on hot summer days, the body of the animals needs to be irrigated with water. Don't forget to take cool liquids with you every time you go outside. When walking in public places, helmets must be worn. A pig is taught to wear a harness at the age of two months.

What to feed dwarf pets?

Feeding tiny mini-pigs is carried out according to a strictly established schedule. Individuals under the age of one year need 3-4 meals a day, and adult representatives of the breed need two meals a day. If the schedule is unbalanced, the pet will always beg for food and grunt all day long.

The following foods can be used as food:

In the plant diet of pigs, carrots, turnips, beets, pumpkins and Jerusalem artichokes should be present. Such vegetables are carefully grated and served in the form of a kind of gruel. Spices, sugar and salt should not be present in the feed base. The animal should not be fed fatty or salty foods, as well as purchased food for other pets, such as cats or dogs, as they contain a large amount of protein.

After an examination at a veterinary clinic, a specialist can prescribe a number of vitamins and special premixes to your decorative pig. These may include fodder yeast, bone meal and fish oil.

With the right attitude to the nutrition of decorative pigs, you will be able to raise a truly healthy and beautiful pet that will conscientiously fulfill all your commands and delight the world around you with its amazing beauty.

How to breed mini pigs at home

Due to the amazing external features, ease of care and maintenance, breeding mini pigs at home is becoming increasingly popular. Many people buy two gilts solely for the home business. And this is a very reasonable investment, which quickly justifies the money and time spent.

A sexually mature adult boar must be placed in the same closed room with the female and left there for 15 hours. It is important to take into account the fact that the mating procedure will be successful only in a territory that is well known to the female. Otherwise, she will simply avoid contact with the boar. According to experts, it is good to repeat mating after five days. The gestation period lasts 118 days, after which the sow gives birth to several amazingly beautiful pigs. Before giving birth, equip a special pen or nest in the house where the animals will develop normally near the mother.

In the diet of crumbs, mother's milk should be present, which contains a lot of incredibly valuable trace elements.

Curious facts about pygmy pigs

It is easy to guess that numerous facts and interesting stories are associated with such delightful animals.

Kira Stoletova

The pig is a large artiodactyl animal, domesticated, according to some sources, about 7,000 years ago, according to others, more than 12,000 years ago. The calf and the pig are among the most ancient animals tamed for meat. It is believed that domestic pigs came to Europe from the Middle East region. Then they crossed with wild boars. For breeding to be successful, the pig must be studied from A to Z, otherwise diseases, improper feeding can reduce the economic benefit to zero.

Description and types of pigs

All domestic pigs are non-ruminant artiodactyls from the pig family. They trace their ancestry from wild boar. The number of chromosomes wild and domestic subspecies have the same, 38 pairs. It is possible that European breeds bleed some Middle Eastern species. In modern pig breeding, Asian, primarily Vietnamese, pigs are actively used for crossing.

Types of wild pigs

In nature, 22 species of pigs were known, to date, evolution has preserved only seven:

• Babirussa. The only habitat is the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, it can be seen in the zoo, it has numerous fangs on its muzzle.
• Large African pig or forest. It lives in the equatorial jungles of Africa, the largest representative of the family.
• African warthog. It lives in the African savannah, has growths on its muzzle that resemble warts.
• Wild boars or boars. The European species that inhabits our forests, which everyone knows, domestic pigs came from him.
• Bearded pig. Long-legged wild boar with thick hair on the muzzle, lives in Southeast Asia.
• Dwarf pig, or minipigs. An endangered species that lives in Nepal, at the foot of the Himalayas. Tiny animals have a height of about 35 cm, often bred as pets.
• Bushy pig. Lives in the Central and Western regions of Africa. These are very colorful and beautiful piglets, their muzzle is black, the body is covered with red or red-yellow bristles, and a white stripe runs along the back.

Description of the domestic pig

The anatomy and structure of the domestic pig, whether meat or tallow, is similar to that of wild relatives. The pig has an elongated cylindrical body, the size of which is about 1.5 m. The limbs are short, with four fingers, 2 of them are covered with a horny hoof. The muzzle of the pig is elongated, ending in a round patch. The stigma helps the animal to dig holes. The jaw consists of 44 teeth, fangs are well developed. Pig smooth skin is almost naked, covered with thin bristles, although there are breeds with rather thick hair. The tail is always curled.

Pigs have poor eyesight, but hearing and smell are well developed. No wonder these animals are bred in France to search for truffles underground. In some countries, the smell of pigs is used to identify drugs.

The pig is an omnivore, unlike many other odd-toed ungulates. Her stomach is simple, with one chamber, the intestines are of medium length.

The intelligence of the pig is high. The facts show that she is able to memorize simple commands, nicknames, reacts to music. The grunting of a pig has many sound combinations, which indicates a complex system of communication between animals. Interestingly, many of the physiological parameters of this species are similar to those of humans, which is why animals are often used in medical experiments. From the pancreas of pigs, the hormone insulin is extracted for the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus.

If you do not adhere to cleanliness when kept at home, the pigs begin to get sick and may die. Can domestic pigs swim? They retained this quality from their wild ancestors, they even dive in the water.

Pig breeding

One reason for the popularity of raising pigs is their fertility. For one offspring, a sow can give birth to 10-15 piglets, champions give birth to up to 20-22. Hunting in females occurs every 18-24 days, the cycle is repeated regardless of the season. Pregnancy lasts 110-114 days, the female gives birth easily. Little piglets drink milk for 1-2 months. After weaning, the uterus is again ready for mating, therefore, 2 offspring can be obtained from a pig in a year.

Puberty of the female occurs quickly, at 9-10 months she is considered suitable for mating, boars are capable of fertilization at the age of about a year. When choosing a pair for mating, they look at the genitals of the boar and the number of nipples in the female. Also pay attention to the exterior, how well the pig is recovering.

Mating during estrus takes place without any problems. When the female is on the hunt, she behaves restlessly, reacts vividly to the male, grunts, the sound of her voice changes, turns into a screech. Sexual intercourse lasts 15-30 minutes, during this time you can not scream and disturb the couple. In households, two-time mating is practiced to ensure fertilization and achieve a quick result. Sometimes a couple is left for one or two days together so that the mating takes place many times. On industrial farms, females are fertilized artificially.

Little piglets are born strong, they already have teeth in their mouths. After a couple of minutes, they know where to crawl to find the mother's udder. A pig has 10 to 16 nipples. During the first feeding, the piglets fight for the nipple. The stronger ones grab those that are closer to the female's head. In the future, the cub approaches exclusively to its nipple. Stimulation of the glands by young animals leads to an increase in milk production. In healthy sows, most of the offspring survive.

Pig breeds

The number of pigs in the world exceeds one billion individuals. This is the most numerous large equine animal on earth. Boars are bred in European countries, North and South America, Southeast Asia. Due to diseases in Africa, the livestock is insignificant. In the Middle East and Central Asia, piglets are not bred due to religious restrictions. In Islam and Judaism, it is an unclean animal. In China, on the contrary, it is almost sacred.

The main purpose of animal breeding is to obtain meat. Bristle, skins are suitable for use. They sew shoes, clothes, interesting accessories.

In the world there are breeds of three directions:

• meat or bacon;
• sebaceous;
• universal.

In Western Europe and America, meat breeds are most often grown, in Eastern Europe, where a slightly different cuisine, greasy and versatile are popular. Bacon breeds include:

• Hampshire;
• Duroc;
• Estonian;
• Pietrain;
• Landrace;
• Pigs of Iberian varieties.

The most famous greasy breeds:

• Large or large black pig;
• Bashkir;
• Curly Hungarian Mangalitsa or Mongolian piglets;
• Mirgorodskaya;
• Meishan breed;
• Breitovskaya.

In home farmsteads, universal piglets are bred, from which you can get both meat and a tallow layer. The most popular breeds of this direction:

• Yorkshire white large pig;
• White Ukrainian steppe pigs;
• Northern Siberian;
• Chinese-Polish;
• Belarusian black-and-white;
• Vietnamese bellied;
• Livenskaya.

When breeding breeds, attention is paid to fertility, the rate of weight gain, whether it is a greasy or meat breed. Greasy varieties accumulate subcutaneous fat well, meat varieties, on the contrary, have well-developed muscles with a minimum amount of fat. Universal occupy an intermediate position.

Product characteristics of pigs

The domestic pig is very productive and grows well. Animals quickly gain weight at a relatively low cost of feeding. If we compare them with cattle, then the benefits of breeding are obvious. Already at 6-7 months old pigs weigh 100-110 kg, and their carcass weight reaches 73-75 kg. The yield of meat largely depends on the live weight of adults:

• with a body weight of 90-100 kg, the product yield is 72-75%;
• with a weight of 120-140 kg - 75-77%;
• huge pig 140-160 kg - 80-85%.

The high fertility of pigs and the peculiarities of their reproduction makes it possible to send almost all animals for slaughter throughout the year. Even the meat of breeding boars is used, although its taste is worse, there is a specific smell. Males that are unsuitable for breeding are castrated before puberty (at 5-6 months). Such boars are called hogs.

• closed;
• easel-walking;
• walking.

In connection with the spread of infections, veterinarians and sanitary authorities advise indoor keeping, whether it is a large or small farm.

Do-it-yourself pigsty must be built strong, as large evil animals can easily fill up flimsy walls and make tunnels. Cinder blocks, shell rock, brick are best suited for construction. The walls inside are plastered and whitewashed. The roof should not overheat in summer and retain heat in winter. The fencing of the machines is made of strong wood; pegs are driven in to strengthen it. The floor is best done from boards, with a slight slope. Be sure to equip the machines with sewers for excrement. Ditches are diverted away from the pigsty, into special cesspools.

Pigs for the summer can be moved to a closed pen. In winter, a warmed barn is best for them. It will not be superfluous to carry out the tarring of the walls, to overlay them with straw. How the insulated pigsty looks like, you can see in the photo. The barn should have the following rooms:

• machines for keeping pigs;
• a place for walking;
• bathing pit.

Machines for young animals that are fattened for meat should be made at the rate of 3 m² per individual. One machine can contain up to 30 heads. For pregnant sows, separate machines with an area of ​​​​4 m² are made. After farrowing, they, along with the cubs, are moved to larger premises with an area of ​​​​about 6 m². Separate stalls contain breeding boars, they are measured according to the weight of a particular male. The paddock is made with an area of ​​​​10 m² per head.

The litter is made of straw, earthen quickly gets dirty. You can use shavings and sawdust. Feeders and drinkers are attached to the front wall of the machines. When keeping pigs without walking, spacious cages can be used instead of machines, sometimes they are even placed in two tiers.

Caring for piglets is not particularly difficult. The main thing is to create a normal microclimate in the pigsty and adhere to the following rules:

• The normal temperature in the barn where the young animals live should be 18-22°C, for adult pigs - 12-16°C.
• The optimum humidity is 75%, the maximum allowable is 85%.
• Animals should be protected from drafts, dampness and hypothermia.
• The barn should be kept clean, bedding changed regularly, and gutters cleaned and disinfected periodically.
• If young animals are kept without walking, they are given drugs for rickets or irradiated with ultraviolet light.
• Drinking water should always be clean and fresh.
• The trough is thoroughly cleaned after each feeding, treated with alkali once a week.
• Cleaning of the pigsty with disinfection and disinsection is carried out at least once a month. If the livestock is large, use a special harvester.

Raising pigs for meat as a business idea

BREEDING PIGS OR MINI PIG FARM AS A BUSINESS IDEA. BUSINESS IDEAS

Vietnamese pigs breeding and fattening

Pig feeding

The quality of pork meat is highly dependent on feeding. Certain products can change the taste, fat content in the final product. Conventionally, food can be divided into 3 groups:

• Significantly improving the quality of meat: wheat and barley grains, rye, millet, legumes (including peas), carrots, fodder and sugar beets, clover leaves and flowers, alfalfa, silage, skimmed milk and whey. The benefits of such food are the greatest.
• Partially reduce the taste of meat: corn kernels, potatoes and its peelings, buckwheat, wheat bran, beet molasses. The content of such products should not exceed 50-60% of the total diet.
• Significantly reduce the quality of meat: cake, cake, rapeseed, oat grain, stillage, soybeans and its products, waste from the kitchen, fish waste. If you feed pigs with such food, the meat will acquire a specific smell. An excess of vegetable fats has a bad effect on the digestion and metabolism of animals. Such food can be introduced into the diet, but its amount should not exceed 30%. 1.5-2 months before slaughter, products from the third group are completely excluded.

So that pork does not contain too much fat, pigs are given concentrated feed, greens. Pigs are fattened until they reach a weight of 100-110 kg (approximately up to 8-9 months). Further weight gain is already happening due to an increase in subcutaneous fat.

Pigs in the summer are best fed with greens, which can make up about 50% of the diet. Then the meat will be tender in taste, with low fat content. The layer of subcutaneous fat will not exceed 4 cm. In winter, greens can replace combined silage.

When feeding pigs for lard, they are given more grain, boiled potatoes. The average slaughter weight in such cases is 130-140 kg. The layer of subcutaneous fat can be within 7 cm. Often culled boars are fattened on lard. Such pork is used for the production of sausages, minced meat, meat and bone and bone meal, liver, canned food is made from it.

Pigs are fed 4-5 times a day. Animals are very greedy. If they are not given food on time, they gnaw on the feeders and the walls of the pigsty, and this harms not only the premises, but also the pigs themselves. A special table helps distribute food throughout the day. It indicates the norms, dosage of each type of feed. Sows must be given vitamins, mineral supplements, chalk.

swine diseases

To understand everything about pigs, you must definitely learn about the pathologies that are inherent in them. Diseases are infectious and non-infectious. Most often they occur when the rules of keeping are violated, when the food is stored in poor conditions, it is served stale. Dangerous bacteria and viruses can accidentally enter farms along with feed, equipment, and vehicles that travel from infected regions. Often with food, annelids and flatworms, their eggs and larvae enter the intestines.

In order to identify pathologies in time, you need to know their main symptoms. In most cases, sick animals become lethargic, depressed, eat poorly, fall on their side, wallow, sometimes the pig squeals loudly for no reason. (It is no coincidence that the expression "squeal like a pig" appeared). Pigs may have a fever, a rash, purple or blue spots on the skin. The bristles of the pig are ruffled, grow dull, snot and pus flow from the eyes and nose. If the pig is poisoned or has an intestinal infection, diarrhea and vomiting occur, which lead to dehydration. A mild disease can go away on its own, in severe cases, mortality often reaches 100%.

The most common pig diseases are:

• ascariasis;
• cystocercosis;
• macracanthorhynchosis;
• leptospirosis;
• salmonellosis;
• erysipelas or erysipelas;
• rotavirus infection;
• circovirus;
• brucellosis;
• edema;
• mastitis in sows;
• dysentery;
• flu;
• atrophic rhinitis;
• pasteurellosis;
• pleurisy;
• arthritis;
• anemia;
• beriberi or hypovitaminosis;
• foot and mouth disease;
• anthrax;
• food poisoning;
• lichen;
• scabies;
• scab;
• ear mite;
• ixodid ticks;
• classical and African plague.

Viral diseases are often incurable, the prognosis for them is poor, the entire herd is killed when infected. For prevention, vaccination is used, sanitary and hygienic measures are taken. All vaccinations and prevention of dangerous infections should be consulted with a veterinarian.

Piglet selection and pig slaughter

Buy piglets at the age of 1-2 months. A three-week-old cub weighs 7-8 kg, at 7-8 weeks its weight reaches 14-16 kg. A healthy piglet is mobile and active. His skin and mucous membranes are clean, pink, like Mr. Mabel's pig. He eats well, enough food, but does not suck them. The choice should be stopped on individuals with a straight long back, a straight profile and even legs. If you plan to breed pigs, be sure to look at the nipples of the female. They should be developed, not depressed, located far from each other. The optimal number of nipples is 12-16 pieces.

How much does a pig cost? The price depends on the breed and age. Agricultural farms sell monthly piglets of the most common breeds for 1500-4000 rubles. Often, not the head is evaluated, but the live weight. Then they ask for 100-400 rubles per kilogram. A kilogram of live weight of an adult pig costs 100-150 rubles. The price of pork when buying in bulk is about 200-250 rubles.

How are pigs slaughtered? It is best to take animals to a specialized station. The slaughterhouse where the cutting takes place can provide hygienic conditions. If this is not possible, a trained person can carry out the slaughter. Before sending a pig for meat, it is not fed for a day.

For slaughter, a sharp knife, pig splitter, pig cutter is used. First, the cervical arteries and veins are cut, blood is drained. You can pre-mute the pig with a blow. The carcass is then hung up to singe the bristles. The carcass should be held in this position until all the blood has drained, after which the peritoneum should be cut to remove the insides. Almost every organ (intestines, bile, spleen, liver, ear, rib, spine, tails, brains, hooves) is recycled. Even the cheek can be used. This is another benefit of raising pigs. At the end, when the whole carcass has cooled down, the skin is removed along with the fat, and the cutting into parts begins. Detailed instructions can be shown in a video or a special picture.

Esther's owners before her appearance lived a rather ordinary life in a small private house with a cat and two dogs. That all changed in late 2012 when they were asked to adopt a supposedly adult six-month-old mini pig. According to the myth, at that time the piglet had already reached its maximum size, but it continued to grow tirelessly.

A visit to the veterinarian revealed a cause for concern - the cut off tail of the pig served as evidence that it was not domestic at all, but pig-breeding. The owners were shocked, but decided to see what would happen next.

The owners denied her real size for a long time, but friends who came to visit claimed that Esther was becoming more beautiful every day. More. Over time, the sofa on which she slept became smaller and, of course, it was impossible not to notice the weight gain. After eight months, the pig already weighed almost 80 kilograms. The couple says that when the truth could no longer be denied, they simply tried to adapt and love Esther even more, because this mistake was not her fault.

The fake "mini-pig" feeds exclusively on vegetarian food, eating more than 10 kilograms of oats, barley, corn, fresh fruits and vegetables per week.

The impressive size of the pet forced the owners to change their place of residence to a more suitable one. To make enough room for a pig, two dogs and two cats, oh did not move to the farm.

After moving in, Esther decided to constantly be close to her beloved owners and now sleeps near their bed on her personal mattress, where she regularly brings stolen blankets. During the day, she sits comfortably on the sofa in the living room.

When the couple realized how smart and friendly pigs can be, they gave up meat and became strict vegetarians, deciding to dedicate their lives to creating a shelter for animals in need. The site, which specializes in funding creative projects, has already raised more than $440,000 to realize their idea.

The giant domestic pig quickly learned good manners and found a common language with all household members. She loves to play with other pets, who happily reciprocate her love. Esther likes to entertain herself with toys, wrestling, she often comes to cuddle and loves very much when her stomach is scratched.

According to the couple, she resembles a huge and very smart dog who easily learned to open cabinets and doors. The owners are forced to hide all the food in the upper cabinets, because. Esther can easily eat something on her own.

Despite the great love for their pet, the owners strongly do not recommend having a giant pig in the house, since not everyone can afford to keep it. The animal requires a lot of attention and food, which makes this activity very tiring. However, in the house of Canadians, she became an integral part of the family, which forever settled in their hearts.

Esther lives an ordinary life, unaware of universal love towards her. Like all her brethren, she devotes her time to sleeping, grunting, eating, playing with friends and digging up plant roots in the garden, but for her owners she has become the main source of inspiration for doing great things.

- artiodactyl animal of the genus real pigs (Sus) of the pig family. Pigs are descended from different subspecies of the wild boar (European and Asian). These animals were domesticated in 5-3 thousand BC. in East Asia and some parts of Europe (Mediterranean, Baltic). Wild pigs were wiry, agile and lean, with a clearly defined spine on the back (Fig. 1). //-- Rice. 1. Pigs in ancient Egypt. Wall painting from the XVIII Dynasty (approximately 1500-1450 BC) --// Cultivated breeds from wild ancestors have an elongated muzzle with a short movable proboscis ending in a bare flat patch, which makes it possible to dig the ground in search of plant roots , worms and other food, as well as such biological features as poor eyesight, acute hearing, a keen sense of smell and the ability to swim well. In the course of evolutionary development, these animals have become more prolific, capable of rapid growth and fat deposition. Of all domestic animals, in terms of fertility, the pig is second only to the rabbit. So, the fertility of pigs for one farrowing is 9-12 piglets, with good feeding and maintenance - 13-16 or more. In terms of live weight gain after birth, pigs are 15-20 times superior to large farm animals, increasing it by 208 times by the time of maturation at 8-9 months. For example, by the age of 6-7 months, young animals fattened for meat and bacon (a semi-finished product prepared from a whole half-carcass taken without a head, tail, legs and sirloin) weigh 90-100 kg, reaching a weight of 200 kg by the age of one year. . On average, the weight of boars is 300-350 kg, of queens - 230-240 kg. On breeding farms, sows are used up to about 5-6 years, on commercial farms - up to 3-4 years. Young queens that gave less than 10 piglets in the first farrowing with a milkiness of 60-65 kg are fattened and killed after weaning the young (the so-called one-time queens). The term of use of boars is 7-8 years. With the semen of one producer, 100 or more queens are artificially inseminated per year. The life expectancy of pigs is 15 years or more. Depending on the age of pigs, it is customary to call them suckling piglets up to 10 weeks of age, from 10 weeks to 4 months - weaned piglets, from 4 to 6 months - gilts, from 6 to 12 months - depending on sex - young pig or young boar , after a year - depending on the sex - a sow or a boar-producer, as well as a castrated boar (boar). Wild pigs feed on oak acorns, roots (mainly ferns), mushrooms, but they also eat larvae, as well as nibbling grass. With regard to herbs, the pig is very picky. She has a very subtle sense of smell, as a result of which she easily finds various roots, peanuts, etc., located quite deep in the ground. The domestic pig is an omnivore that consumes more plant food than animal food. The basis of her diet is concentrates (more than 80%) (barley, corn, wheat), root crops (15-20%) potatoes, carrots, beets, grass meal, animals and mineral feed. For 1 kg of weight gain, a pig needs 1.5 times less feed than a cow, and half as much as a sheep. There are cases when pigs ate not only sewage near houses, but also children sleeping in cradles. For example, in France in the Middle Ages, trials were held on the pigs guilty of these atrocities. For the maintenance of an arrested pig, the city authorities released the same funds as for an ordinary criminal. As a rule, the court sentenced animals to death. In pig breeding, 2 housing systems are used - walking (mounted-walking and free-running) and no-walking. Pigs are kept in individual (sires with piglets up to 2 months of age and sires) or group pens (boars, single queens, weaned piglets and replacement young animals). Without walking in the machines there are fattening animals, the rest can go to the walking area in the warm season. Pigs are fed in the machines, the so-called canteens, aisles of pigsties or on walking grounds. A pig loves good, fresh bedding, if this is not taken care of, she finds herself a more comfortable bed, while never lying down on her stool, but always looking for a clean corner for this. Unfortunately, the opinion of the need to keep these animals in filth and desolation has taken root, especially among the common people, to such an extent that the very words "pig" and "pig barn" have become synonymous with everything dirty and disgusting. True, pigs love to wallow in the mud, but all thick-skinned animals have this habit: they do this not out of love for mud and not because of a lack of cleanliness, but because of the need for coolness and excessive itching in the skin from various parasites. These parasites are easily removed along with the dirt when the animals rub against hard objects. In total, there are more than 100 breeds of pigs on Earth, and about 27 in Russia. The world population of pigs is about 700 million heads, of which in China - more than 230 million, in Russia and Brazil - more than 70 million, in the USA - more than 60 million , in Germany - about 20 million. Pigs, with some precautions, become accustomed to any climate. All breeds of pigs, according to the German zoologist G. Nathusius, are divided into natural and cultural, or artificial. Among the natural breeds, he classifies the long-eared, or lop-eared (in Russia it is the Chudskaya, or Chukhonskaya, pig, reaching enormous sizes and having shreds or folds of skin on its cheeks, which are usually called earrings, many cultivated breeds are derived from it), short-eared (from the long-eared is distinguished by relatively short and erect ears, its body is never as elongated as that of a lop-eared one), curly (flat-ribbed, with a convex sharp back, the body is short, the whole body is covered with long curly bristles), Romanesque (the back is wide and straight, reaches maturity early age and gives tender meat, which, with abundant food, sprouts with fat, but fat is not sharply deposited), Indian (the back is wide, some of the pigs are so short-legged that, “when they feed well, the belly is dragged along the ground and, for all that, the members of the body, relatively with English cultured breeds, stronger"). In pigs of natural breeds, the length of the head (from the eyes to the end of the snout) is related to the length of the whole body as 1:, while in cultivated breeds this ratio decreases to 1:9, and sometimes to 1:11. Cultural breeds of pigs are characterized by the following features: the more productive the animal is in relation to the consumed body weight, that is, the more meat and fat it gives, the more it approaches the so-called parallelogram shape, the smaller its head and body members become and the greater the value acquires such a pig for the farm. Today, depending on the direction of productivity, it is customary to divide the cultivated breeds of pigs into meat, bacon, tallow and meat-fat, or universal. Meat and bacon pigs are distinguished by high fleshiness of carcasses, for example, these are Landrace, Temvoros, Urzhum, Estonian bacon pigs. Greasy breeds of pigs - large black, Berkshire, Mangalitskaya - are more capable of fat deposition compared to pigs of other areas of productivity. Meat, or universal, breeds - large white (in Europe it is known as Yorkshire), Hampshire, Polish-Chinese, Duron, Ukrainian steppe white, North Caucasian, Murom - combine high reproductive ability, good fattening and meat qualities. In addition to these breeds of pigs, breeders bred mini-pigs from Asian and African dwarf wild pigs (dwarf pigs 20-30 cm high at the withers), which can be kept in apartments as a pet. Throughout the world, pig breeding for meat (pork) is predominantly developed. Since ancient times, people have been eating pork. For example, the Romans highly valued this meat. They had a special kind of culinary art (porculatio), which consisted in the most refined way of preparing this meat. Pliny wrote that pigs were fattened with dried figs, then their carcasses were soaked in wine and stuffed with thrushes, larks and nightingales, and this was the famous porcus Trojanus, so named after the famous Trojan horse. The love for pork is understandable. The yield of slaughter products in pigs is 75-85%, while in cattle it is 50-70%, in sheep - 45-55%. In cattle, the consumed parts, i.e., meat and lard, are from 2/3 to 1/2 of the animal, and sometimes even less; in pigs, meat and lard are considered up to 9/10 of body weight, therefore, only 1/ 10 is not the most valuable part of the animal. This 1/10 includes the head, legs, bristles, entrails, but the pig's head is also considered by some to be a delicacy, and bristles are a product that is expensively paid for abroad, since almost Russia alone produces bristles; the insides go to sausages and sausages, blood sausages are even made from blood. It is easy to calculate how much meat you can get if during the year one sow gives birth to offspring, which after fattening gives 2-3 tons of pork. The pig is a very intelligent animal that lends itself perfectly to training. So, in the circus, she performs various tricks. This animal loves the truffle mushroom, and man taught him not only to find underground mushrooms, but also to carefully dig them out and not eat them. The pig even successfully competes with the poodles in the search for this delicacy. According to the biochemistry of blood and its formula (ratio of formed elements), in terms of its omnivorous nature, in terms of the composition and digestibility of food, the pig is closest to humans of all laboratory animals, excluding monkeys. She suffers from the same diseases as a person, and she must be treated with the same medicines as people. This is important for their testing. The pig is a versatile agricultural animal, but its high fertility and precocity can be significantly reduced due to illness. The concept of "disease" is a form of existence of an organism that is qualitatively different from health, namely, a violation of its normal functioning, which develops in response to the action of extreme stimuli of the external and internal environment and manifests itself in functional and organic disorders of physiological systems with simultaneous mobilization of protective and adaptive mechanisms. External factors include various traumatic injuries, exposure to the body of heat and cold, radiation energy and electricity, atmospheric pressure, chemicals, including poisons, as well as biological factors (pathogenic microbes, fungi, viruses, protozoa, insects, arthropods, parasitic worms, etc.). The internal causes of the development of the disease are hereditary qualities and constitutional features of animals, leading to the development of deformities and congenital deficiencies, increased sensitivity of the body to various factors, low resistance of the body due to poor feeding, maintenance, etc. In any disease, the whole organism reacts to one degree or another, which does not exclude the presence of a primary lesion in any organ or system. The specific features and dynamics of the course of the pathological process are determined by the specificity of the pathogenic factor and the reactive properties of the given organism, as well as by the external conditions of the animal's life. Depending on the cause that caused the pathological condition, all diseases are usually divided into non-contagious and contagious. Non-communicable diseases are divided according to the place of localization and the nature of the pathological process, namely, diseases of organs and systems. Infectious diseases, in turn, are divided into infectious (caused by pathogenic microbes) and invasive, or parasitic (causative agents are protozoa and lower animals). Among infectious diseases, special attention should be paid to diseases common to humans and animals - zooanthroponoses. In the development of the disease, it is customary to distinguish several periods: incubation (hidden, or latent) in infectious diseases - the time from the onset of exposure to a pathogenic factor until the first clinical signs appear, prodromal (the period of precursors) and the period of clinically pronounced symptoms. The course of the disease is hyperacute, or fulminant (lasting from several minutes to several hours), acute (from several days to several weeks), subacute (up to several months) and chronic (for several years). After an apparent recovery, a relapse (return) of the disease may occur. The outcome of the disease can be in the form of a complete or incomplete recovery (for example, virus carriers), as well as death. Any disease causes significant damage to pig production: these include the cost of treatment, a decrease in fattening and reproductive qualities, and even death. All diseases, even if they do not lead to the death of animals, always leave a trace in their later life: in some they retard growth, in others they reduce fatness, etc. e. In order to raise a healthy pig, it is necessary not only to properly care for it, observe the basic veterinary and sanitary standards for its maintenance, feeding, watering, carry out preventive measures to prevent infection of other animals, but also be able to distinguish a sick individual from a healthy one, to provide the first help, know the basic ways of giving medicines. The handbook contains brief anatomical and physiological features of the structure of the body of pigs, which will help the pig breeder to determine and diagnose the condition of the animal before the arrival of a veterinary specialist. This book discusses the most common non-contagious and contagious diseases of pigs that cause the greatest damage to pig production, some methods for their treatment, as well as the main methods for their prevention and prevention.