The North Caucasian pig breed was officially introduced in 1955. It is the fruit of the labors of breeders from the Rostov region. Farmers speak laudatoryly about individuals belonging to this breed, because they are distinguished by excellent species qualities. What are the features of these animals, how they look, how profitable it is to breed them, will be discussed in this article.
North Caucasian pigs
Origin
Breeders put in a lot of effort before getting pigs of the North Caucasian breed. They crossed individuals of the Kuban breed with others with a lot of valuable qualities – Berkshire, large white and short white. This choice was fully justified – all these animals have strong immunity, they are prolific and hardy. As a result, the North Caucasian breed was bred. Its representatives inherited the same excellent qualities. And thanks to the presence of genes of the Pietrain breed, good results were achieved in terms of increasing productivity. Representatives of two subspecies of the North Caucasians – Rostov and Don, began to gain weight even faster.
Characterization
Consider the main characteristics of this breed. North Caucasians belong to animals of the lard-meat direction. Their offspring are characterized by high survival, strong immunity and rapid weight gain. Thanks to their endurance and adaptability to various climatic conditions, these pigs can be kept even in semi-open spaces. Their meat is in demand because it is sweet in taste, tender, juicy and nutritious. What these pigs look like, we will consider further.
Appearance
Representatives of this breed are easy to recognize by their characteristic external features:
- Their body is strong, powerful, harmoniously built.
- The chest is deep, massive.
- The sacrum is wide, rounded.
- The skeleton is thin, but dense.
- The limbs are strong, stocky.
- The hams are fleshy, rounded.
- The head is moderately wide.
- The ears are predominantly erect (semi-erect).
- The line of the back is straight.
- The curves of the head profile are smooth.
- The body is richly covered with soft bristles.
- Undercoat appears in winter.
- Color black and white, mottled.
Characteristic external signs
An adult female, on average, weighs about 225 kg with a body length of 160 cm. Males are much larger – their body length is approximately 178 cm, while an adult can weigh 350 kg or more.
Productivity
For farmers, the productivity of the breed is of great importance. North Caucasian gilts are of interest to farms due to their early maturity and excellent fattening qualities. For example, a piglet of this breed is able to gain 100 kg already in 6-7 months. Sows are characterized by high fertility – in one farrowing they are able to bring up to 12 piglets. The productivity coefficient directly depends on how high the percentage of survival of piglets is. The offspring is distinguished by strong immunity, so almost all newborns survive and develop well.
Reference. Thanks to the existing undercoat, piglets born in the cold season do not freeze.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Consider the advantages of the North Caucasian breed of pigs:
- High productivity.
- Good health of adults.
- High percentage of survival of newborn piglets.
- Multiplicity of females.
- Good characteristics of meat – juiciness, high nutritional value.
- Animals quickly adapt to any climate – they easily tolerate cold and heat.
- North Caucasian pigs are precocious.
- Animals are adapted to grazing, which means that there is an opportunity to save a little on feed in the summer season.
Reference. North Caucasian sows show gentle care for offspring, so farmers almost do not have to spend time caring for offspring.
This breed has many advantages, but what are its disadvantages, we will consider further:
- Meat contains a lot of fat.
- Thin skeleton.
Meat contains a lot of fat
Breeders continue to work hard to improve the meat qualities of North Caucasian pigs, although most farmers do not consider the high fat content of meat to be a disadvantage.
The North Caucasian pig breed has found its fans among farmers in the Rostov and Volgograd regions, as well as in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories. Caring for these animals is not fraught with great difficulties, but their breeding brings great profit to farms.
