Keeping and breeding Vietnamese piglets at home
The reason for the choice of farms and households for keeping Vietnamese piglets is considered to be their fast, in contrast to white breeds, growth. In addition, after the first year of life, the mass of one pig is 100 kg, and the feed consumption is significantly lower. However, in order to take full advantage of the breed, it is necessary to choose the right pig, create comfortable conditions for him and provide a balanced diet.
History of the breed
The Vietnamese pot-bellied pig was introduced to Europe and Canada not so long ago - in the 80s of the last century. In a fairly short time, the breed spread around the world due to the profitability of breeding pigs. In Hungary and Canada, breeding work is still underway to improve the performance of the breed.
Description and characteristics of Vietnamese pigs
The main distinguishing feature of the Vietnamese breed is its rapid maturation, which is the reason for its rapid spread throughout the world. Piglets of this species are not afraid of either heat or cold. The only thing you need to protect animals from throughout their lives is drafts. Piglets react to them negatively and can get sick.
The name potato mumps received for its characteristic appearance. On relatively short legs, a huge body with a belly hanging almost to the ground. Today, there are both white and black piglets on sale, as well as those with a marbled color. There are small ears on the massive head, the back is slightly concave. The stigma has a large number of folds, which is why it somewhat resembles an accordion in shape. Vietnamese pigs have been growing for 5 years, although this process slows down every year. Usually farmers send animals for slaughter between 1 and 1.5 years old. Only the female and the boar are left for breeding.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before deciding on the choice of a breed, study its strengths and weaknesses.
The advantages of the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig include:
- Fast weight gain.
- Low body fat compared to other breeds.
- Unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention.
- Rapid puberty.
- Undemanding to the diet.
- Possibility of almost year-round walking.
- Almost complete absence of a specific smell.
- Strong immunity.
- Calm and good-natured character.
The disadvantages include only the higher cost of piglets compared to other breeds.
Pig selection rules
In order to raise healthy animals capable of producing healthy and strong offspring in the future, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the acquisition of piglets.
First of all, attention is paid to the following parameters:
- Ask the seller to show the sow from which the piglet is being sold.
- Inquire about the weight with which the animal was born and track its dynamics over 10 days.
- Evaluate the appearance of a pig - a healthy animal has well-developed muscles, strong, widely spaced legs, smooth hair and shiny eyes.
- Ask what the piglets were fed.
You should not buy animals if there were more than 12 in one litter and if the farm has one boar for several sows.
Features of the content
After acquiring young animals, it is important to provide him with suitable conditions of detention.
Experienced farmers willingly share secrets with novice breeders.
Room requirements
Criteria for arranging a pigsty:
- The best place for pigs is considered to be a brick shed with an equipped concrete floor.
- To protect animals from the cold in winter frosts, 2/3 are covered with wooden planks.
- For one machine with an area of 4.5 sq. meter should not be more than 2 individuals.
- A passage is left along the entire pigsty so that a manure collection cart can freely pass through it.
- A full-fledged ventilation system is organized so as not to provoke outbreaks of infectious diseases.
- They equip the heating system to your taste and capabilities. It is important that the temperature in the shed does not drop below 18-20 degrees, otherwise it will negatively affect the health of the sow and her offspring.
Taking care of animals is impossible without providing daily walking in the fresh air. If there are no trees in the selected area, they specially dig in several logs, because the animals love to scratch the backs. They also make sure to equip a shed so that the pigs can hide in rainy or sunny weather.
In addition, it will not be superfluous to build an impromptu mud pool. Its dimensions are 2 x 2 meters. Periodically, the water in it is changed to fresh.
Feeding and the necessary diet, scheme
The diet is different for piglets and adult pigs. Feeding is one of the most important steps in raising Vietnamese piglets. Also, not only health depends on this stage of care, but also the quality of the meat obtained subsequently. Coarse feed is not used for the diet of "Vietnamese" - this is due to the peculiarities of the structure of their digestive system. Pigs of this breed have small intestines and stomachs. Therefore, straw and fodder beets are excluded from the diet - such food will not bring any benefit to animals. Used to feed alfalfa or clover hay.
Also in the ration of animals there is always a compound feed, which in consistency resembles a thick porridge.
To improve the process of digestion and assimilation of food, use ground grain. The main part of the compound feed should be wheat and barley. Peas, oats and corn are also introduced, but make sure that the last component is no more than 10%. With an excess of this component, obesity begins in pigs. You cannot do without the addition of vitamins in the diet - fish oil is considered especially beneficial for animals, as well as fresh vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots and zucchini. Do not forget about milk and eggs as well.
Common diseases
If the conditions for keeping animals are violated, they develop diseases that are important to detect in time in order to start treatment. The most common diseases of the "Vietnamese" are the following:
- Salmonellosis. Refusal of food occurs, the animals develop a fever.It is most common in piglets, so it is important to stick to the vaccination schedule.
- Infection with worms. The reason is considered to be unsanitary conditions in the premises where animals are kept. Poor appetite, nervousness or, conversely, lethargy are the first symptoms of the disease in piglets. Sick piglets are isolated from the rest of the herd and any worm medication is used in the form of tablets.
- Dysentery. A more dangerous disease that also develops from dirt and untimely cleaning of the premises. It affects young pigs more often than adults.
- Aujeszky's disease. Refers to dangerous viral diseases. When an animal virus enters the body, it begins to walk in a circle, then lies on its side, it develops severe itching, then cramps and paralysis of the larynx. After the first signs appear, the animal dies after 2 days. Since there is no cure, it is important to vaccinate piglets on time.
- Erysipelas. The causative agent of the pathology is an erysipelas. Individuals most often suffer from the disease at the age of 3 months to 1 year. Difficulty breathing, skin redness, high fever, refusal to eat are the first symptoms of erysipelas. The outcome depends on the form of the disease. It happens that piglets die within a few hours after the first symptoms appear.
It is not recommended to self-medicate only on the basis of symptoms - only an experienced veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis of piglets and prescribe medication, if this rule is violated, there is a risk of losing all livestock.
Reproduction
Novice farmers are not engaged in raising pigs at home, since it is necessary to have some experience in this matter. A boar and a mumps are selected for divorce - it is important that they are not from the same family. If there are family ties between the animals, it will not be possible to get full-fledged offspring. By 4 months, the mumps are considered sexually mature. In the first farrowing there are usually no more than 5 cubs, in subsequent times their number increases and can reach 20. Youngsters appear on the 114th or 118th day of pregnancy. After that, it is important to provide babies and mothers with full-fledged living conditions.
