Pig farm production technology and management

Author: Chief Editor: Yang Wenke et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-06-01
Features:
Segment 2: Breeding History: Denmark began the breeding work of Landrace pigs in 1887, introducing large Yorkshire pigs from the UK to cross-breed with local white pigs. This transformed fat-type pigs into lean-type pigs, selecting them to become one of the world's top lean-type pig breeds today.
Segment 3: Characteristics and Features: The entire body is covered in white hair. The ears are large and long, inclining forward and covering the face. The snout is straight and long, with a light head and shoulders, a narrow chest, a long body, a straight and slightly arched backline, and well-developed leg and hip muscles.
Segment 4: Domestic Production Practices: Landrace pigs are the basic breeding material for domestic pig production. Cross-breeding them with Large White pigs in both directions produces Duroc × Large White or Large White × Duroc hybrids. Landrace pigs themselves have excellent production performance, as shown in Table 1-1.
II. Large White Pigs
Segment 1: Origin and Distribution: Large White pigs, also known as Yorkshire pigs, originated in the northern Yorkshire region and adjacent areas of the UK. Due to their strong reproductive capacity, high feed conversion rate, and high slaughter yield, they have been introduced worldwide for cross-breeding and improvement of local pig breeds, achieving significant results. Many famous breeds now contain some of their lineage. For example, the Soviet Large White pig was developed from UK Large White pigs introduced to the Soviet Union, which were selectively bred over decades to become a national breed in the Soviet Union. Another example is the Landrace pig, which was developed by Denmark through cross-breeding UK Large White pigs with local white pigs, resulting in one of the world's top lean-type pig breeds today.
Segment 2: Breeding History: Originally, British pig breeds were large and coarse, with white hair and black or light blue spots on the skin. They were cross-bred with Guangdong pigs and Leicester pigs in China to produce excellent white pigs. By 1852, they were officially recognized as a new breed, called Yorkshire pigs.
Segment 3: Characteristics and Traits: Yorkshire pigs come in three sizes: large, medium, and small, with the large type being most common today. They are widely raised in countries like the UK and Canada. Small Yorkshire pigs are nearly extinct. Medium Yorkshire pigs are more common in eastern and central China. Factory farms in China primarily raise Large White pigs. Large White pigs are representative lean-type pig breeds. They are large, all-white in color, have long heads, wide and moderately concave faces, thin and large ears that stand upright forward, long bodies, deep and broad chests with widely spaced ribs, straight and slightly arched backs, full and firm abdomens, and wide and long hindquarters, though their hind legs lack firmness.
Segment 4: Domestic Production Practices: Like Landrace pigs, Large White pigs are the original breeding material for domestic pig production, with excellent performance, as shown in Table 1-2.
III. Duroc Pigs
Segment 1: Origin and Distribution: Duroc pigs originated in northeastern America. After being developed, they were introduced worldwide for breeding and raising, with a wide distribution. China had introduced Duroc pigs before the founding of the People's Republic of China, but their impact was limited. After the founding of the country, the second introduction of Duroc pigs to China occurred in 1972 when U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China, presenting a pair of purebred Duroc pigs to be raised at the Foreign Trade Breeding Farm in Xixian, Henan Province. Guangdong Province introduced some purebred Duroc pigs from the U.S. in 1978 and subsequently imported them from Japan, Hungary, the U.S., and Canada. Duroc pigs are now raised across various regions of China.