Yorkshire pig breed characterization

The Yorkshire pig breed is often called bacon and in livestock is in great demand both for production and for breeding.

Yorkshire pig breed

About the Yorkshire breed

By productive indicators, the Yorkshire breed is classified as universal, giving equal amounts of meat and lard. Yorkshire pigs appeared in livestock breeding as a result of lengthy breeding and were presented to the English farmers in 1851 at an agricultural exhibition.

Against the 19th century greasy pig population, Yorkshire pigs stand out for their activity and harmony.

The popularity of animals was achieved by fixing at the genetic level of qualitative productive characteristics in the process of crossing along related lines. They began to act as breeding material for breeding other lines when crossed with Portuguese, Chinese and Italian representatives.

Animals were brought to Russia in the post-war period. Yorkshire pigs initially appeared on the territory of the Sverdlovsk region, then they spread to the northwest and towards the central part of Russia.

Exterior characteristic

Characteristic of pork from Yorkshire is not classifies them as large representatives in pig farming. Unlike Landrases, who by the age of six months can gain weight up to 100 kg, such a mass of Yorkshire can only increase at the age of 7 months.The weight of adults is:

• boars – up to 0.32 tons,
• sows – up to 0.25 tons.

Characteristics of the breed Yorkshire pigs are more similar to the large white type from England, because they are often confused in photos and videos. Differences between representatives of different types are in the products received from them. If white English is a greasy type of pigs, then the Yorkshire breed of pigs is bred in most cases for meat. The main distinctive features of animals are light skin with almost no hair and no skin folds.

Productive differences

The breed has several advantages when breeding in private farming:

• early maturity,
• high growth rates,
• unpretentiousness in the content,
• attribution to pasture animals, which makes it easier for farmers to grow and becomes an additional incentive in favor of making a decision on breeding.

Products from this time ovidnosti consists predominantly of meat with the minimum width greasy layer. Pork carcass contains only up to 1.3 ccw bacon. The meat yield is up to 65%. At the same time, youngsters who have reached the age of 1 year and have gained weight of 100 kg are suitable for slaughter. Adult individuals produce fatty pork.

Russian pig breeding has about 1.5 million representatives of the breed. Piglets are sold at 12 breeding farms.The price for Yorkshire piglets starts at 5,000 rubles.

A Yorkshire pig is ready for fertilization by ten months to one year of age. She is able to bring offspring, numbering 10 or more piglets, which are born large in size (up to 1 kg). By the month of young growth reaches a weight of about 20 kg. When animals are provided with full-fledged feeds in the process of growing, their weight can be increased up to 0.2 tons and more in sows and up to 0.3 and more in boars by 10 months of age.

Yorkshire pigs are widely used in hybridization with large white lines from England, and this type of crossing gives a high positive result in the qualitative characteristics of the latter.

Growing principles

The breed is bred in domestic and foreign pig breeding, thanks to the uncomplicated process of growing and keeping the livestock, taking 4th place in terms of the prevalence of the breed. lines.

Among the basic requirements for content :

• a covered room that protects animals from cold and drafts,
• the presence of a fenced walking area.

In the process of growing livestock, you must remember that this line is often sick due to violation of the conditions of detention .. Among the main diseases that these pigs are susceptible to, rickets and vitamin deficiency are detected in young animals born in spring. To prevent the disease, coniferous branches are introduced into the animal’s diet.

Among the minuses of the breed, farmers indicate susceptibility to skin burns in the southern regions and the rapid accumulation of fat deposits during intensive feeding.

The main feed ration of Yorkshire pigs and piglets consists of feed and grass, bran and potatoes, vegetables (radishes, zucchini, beets), cereals (millet, oats, corn).