Pigs of the Landrace breed are known for the high quality of their meat. At the same time, it is known that protein synthesis in these animals is accelerated. This article will tell you about the features of the breed and the rules for keeping Landrace pigs.

Breed information

There are usually three main types of pigs chosen for breeding: for bacon, lard or meat. The Landrace breed is known as a meat and bacon breed.

These gilts have a slight layer of fat. Another feature is the high quality of meat, which is combined with the ability to quickly gain weight.

However, if a livestock breeder decided to start raising this breed, he must take into account that Landrace pigs require certain conditions of detention and are picky about feed. However, experts believe that the increased requirements for care are more than offset by the quality of the products and the speed of weight gain.

The history of the breed goes back over 100 years. She was bred by breeders from Denmark. The appearance of the Landrace breed was the result of crossing the Large White with the Danish Fold pig.

Pig breed Landrace

On the territory of Russia there are nurseries where you can buy Landrace piglets for growing. To do this, you can contact, for example, a farm in the Neklinovsky district of the Rostov region. Also, some agricultural enterprises in the Sverdlovsk region are known for raising pigs of this breed.

Characteristics and features of the breed

Representatives of this breed have the following external features:

  1. These animals have weak legs and sides.
  2. Landrace pigs have a wobbly gait.
  3. They have large drooping ears and a long torso.

In addition, they have poor endurance.

In its pure form, this breed is rarely bred, it is usually used for crossbreeding. The Duroc pig breed is one example of such a cross. The result is a significant improvement in the meat quality of the bred breed.

Interesting. After mixing Landrace with other breeds, the resulting species has a strong physique, good stamina, high rate of weight gain and exquisite meat quality.

The elongated body has a powerful neck and a relatively small head. The legs are squat with a large ham.

These animals have a thin and pink skin on which uneven bristles are visible.

Landrace belongs to the large breed type

The Landrace is considered to be of the large breed type. The length of the body in adults, as the description says, can reach two meters. With this size, the girth of the chest can be up to one and a half meters.

The sows are slightly smaller. Their usual length is 1.5-1.7 m. The weight of the wild boar ranges from 270 to 310 kg. The average weight of a sow is 200 kg.

The solid weight of these animals is combined with high mobility.

This breed is characterized by the fact that its representatives have little fat, as well as a high rate of protein synthesis in the body. Piglets of the Landrace breed are capable of gaining 700 g per day. In just six months, these animals are capable of gaining 100 kg.

The survival rate of piglets in the Landrace breed is very high. One of the reasons for this is the pronounced maternal instinct in sows.

Growing and breeding

When rearing, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the Landrace pig breed, which indicate that at a young age Landrace pigs are vulnerable to disease, exposure to drafts and to sudden temperature changes.

Growing and breeding of Landrace pigs

They need illumination. At the same time, there should be no situations when the temperature in the pigsty drops below 20 degrees. Careful control is required so that there is no draft in the room. Another important problem that will need to be addressed is cramped conditions. Landrace pigs growing in such an environment are much more prone to disease.

In order to reduce the likelihood of diseases, pigs need to be vaccinated, and also bathe often enough. It is important to pay attention to the quality of the litter available on the pig. They must be dry and clean. They need to be changed if necessary.

The time when the piglets appear comes 114 days after the mating of the boar and the pig. The weight of newborn piglets is relatively small - it is about one and a half or two kilograms.

To prevent the newly born Landrace pigs from freezing and getting sick, they are placed next to an incandescent lamp, laid on a clean and dry bed.

Important! It is known that farrowing in various large-breed pigs is often associated with complications. Therefore, it is especially important to help the sow with farrowing and feeding.

As soon as the piglet is born, you need to do the following:

  1. A newly born little piglet first of all needs to be wiped dry.
  2. There should be a clean bedding prepared in advance, on which to put the newborn.
  3. An incandescent lamp should be near. It is necessary for heating piglets.
  4. Until the first hour has passed since birth, each pig must be brought to the nipple of the sow in order for it to eat and gain strength.

Piglets Landrace

One common pen is allocated for the sow and her suckling pigs. However, it must be partitioned into two parts.

It is important to do this for the following reasons:

  1. One of the reasons is that Landrace pigs are large and with one careless movement are able to crush a piglet.
  2. These animals are capable of experiencing stress and aggression. At the same time, their behavior becomes unpredictable. Unfortunately, there are cases when they attacked their piglets and bit them.

When determining which diet they need, it is necessary to take into account that pigs of this breed prefer highly nutritious food. If they receive insufficient amounts of it, this can lead not only to a decrease in productivity, but also to the occurrence of diseases.

This food contains a full range of vitamins and nutrients, which is necessary for rapid weight gain and for the delicious taste of the meat supplied.

When choosing a suitable type of feed for Landrace, it makes sense to pay attention to high-quality compound feed with a high nutritional value. However, they are not enough. It is important to add both grains and a variety of green foods to the diet. In addition, these animals should be provided with fresh vegetables and herbs.

Food for Landrace

Here are two possible options for feeding Landrace pigs:

  1. To do this, mix soy and cake together with fish meal.
  2. If you take cereals and silage, add pumpkin, beets and peas, you get another feed option.

Here are some supplements to supplement these animals:

  • herbs, including alfalfa or clover;
  • whey or milk;
  • bone meal.

In order to calculate how much feed is required per kilogram of the live weight of an animal, you need to proceed from the fact that the weight gain is multiplied by a factor ranging from 3.9 to 4.2.

In summer, Landrace pigs are fed twice a day.In this case, it is necessary to strictly monitor that the interval between meals does not exceed twelve hours. In winter, it is allowed to feed three times a day. At the same time, it is recommended to do this at regular intervals (every eight hours).

On a note. If you do not pay enough attention to the feeding schedule of pigs, this can lead to their obesity. In this case, the market value of the animals will decrease. These animals are not able to control the amount of food eaten. Therefore, when feeding, you must strictly follow the schedule.

In the warm season, if the weather is right, it is recommended to let the pigs go for a walk in the fresh air. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that it is possible to shelter animals from the bright sun under a canopy.

On a walk

In winter, outdoor walks are possible, they should be short. It is also advisable to let them go for a walk in the barn at this time of year.

Breed advantages and disadvantages

Landrace pig breed has important advantages:

  1. The Landrace breed is capable of gaining weight quickly.
  2. Pigs have high fertility and a good survival rate for newborn piglets.
  3. Refined meat taste combined with high nutritional value.
  4. The consumption of feed per kilogram for gaining weight is considered to be quite moderate.
  5. Landrace pigs have not only a lively but also a benevolent temperament. Animals get along well with each other, do not show aggressiveness towards people.

On a note. These features of the breed make Landrace pigs very popular both for growing in agricultural holdings and in small livestock farms.

The disadvantages of this breed are:

  1. Loss of the rate of weight gain as a result of changes in their care or use of a different diet.
  2. This breed has a high susceptibility to causes that cause stress. For example, the cause of aggression can be a change in the weather or a move from a spacious pen to a closer one.
  3. Substantial dependence of the obtained meat quality on the composition of pig feed.

In connection with the above reasons, the breeding of pigs of this breed is economically justified only if it is possible to provide them with the kind of care they need.

Landrace pigs produce quality meat, while showing a high rate of weight gain. However, they need to provide quality care and nutritious food.