When choosing pigs for growing and breeding, farmers pay attention to the fact that the meat and lard are tasty, and the content of the pig and its care are not expensive. Pig pockets fit perfectly into this description, because they are completely unpretentious in food and in housing, but they are very prolific. And the taste of meat and fat pockets is incredible.
In fact, pockets are not a breed of pigs, but a hybrid of two breeds.
Hybrid story
Karmaly appeared as a result of crossing two breeds of pigs: Korean herbivore and mangalitsa. From its ancestors, this hybrid took all the best qualities:
- animals rarely get sick;
- they have a large mass and they are growing rapidly;
- insensitive to cold and heat;
- unpretentious in food;
- in a sow many piglets are born at once (about 22);
- pockets are very kind and curious, completely not aggressive.
There are two types of pockets: regular and royal. The ordinary appeared by mating a Vietnamese boar and a Korean pig, and the royal one was formed in a more complex way. Pigs of this breed appeared only after a generation. So, at first the brazier mated with a Korean boar, and then, when their pigs were born and raised, they were crossed with Vietnamese boars. The meat of this hybrid is considered a delicacy and its cost is much higher than usual.
Description and features of the hybrid
As we have noted above, pockets are very kind, they have absolutely no aggression, and they do not attack either other pigs or people, they do no harm to birds.
Pig pockets are large, with a wide pectoral part and thick curly hair. The color of the newborn pig is usually black, red or gray, striped. Thick wool helps karmalas survive even in very cold climates. In severe frosts, these pigs willingly play in the snow and do not freeze.
Young piglets have long legs. They are very curious and agile. In adulthood, pigs and wild boars are not as thick as other breeds, they look quite graceful.
Pigs have large hams, a short but strong neck, also strong legs, muzzle extended forward, ears small.
Pigs are very neat and behave well. For them, you need to leave a place for walking with an ordinary fence, since they do not seek to escape to freedom and do not undermine.
Karmalis produce meat to a greater extent. They have a broad back, sacrum, and chest. Pig productivity depends on what type of pockets you breed. So, ordinary ones weigh about 150 kg in a year and a half, and royal ones weigh up to 220 kg.
Advantages and disadvantages
As we wrote above, pockets have many advantages, which makes them quite popular in agriculture. In addition to the advantages already described, there are also such:
- High survival of pig offspring.
- Sows take good care of piglets.
- Thick curly hair pockets protects them from the cold.
- Pigs eat any food: dry, steamed, juicy.
- These pigs have a lot of meat with a thin layer of fat. It tastes much better than regular pork, as it is very tender and juicy.
Breeding pockets is very profitable from a financial point of view. The cost of buying a pig and caring for it pays off in the first year.
Unlike other pig breeds, you do not need to spend a lot of money on buying expensive feeds, building a special pigsty with heating, and also practically do not need to treat piglets, as they have very strong immunity.
Selling meat pockets, you will get much more benefits than selling regular pork. Therefore, the choice in favor of this type of pig will bring you a much better result.
Despite the advantages, there are also disadvantages. Due to the fact that the breed is hybrid, in subsequent offspring splitting of characters occurs. In simple pockets, piglets may appear exactly like Asian lop-eared ones, but it is likely that a piglet is obtained for almost 100% of the brazier breed.
Care and conditions
For pigs of pockets it is necessary to make a place for walking with a fence. Do not worry that animals can break the fence and escape, this breed is very neat and friendly. Sometimes they stand at the fence on their hind legs just to see what is happening behind him: pockets are very curious.
These pigs are family pigs, they like to always be near relatives. Karmals usually choose the leader of their herd. Therefore, in order to drive animals into the barn, you must first send a leader there.
In the pen for pigs you need to install feeders and containers for drinking. And in the summertime, pockets should have access to fresh grass. In addition, it should be remembered that these pigs do not like dirt, therefore, in their place of detention, a tank with water for bathing animals must be installed.
Necessary conditions for keeping individuals of this hybrid:
- In winter, pigs need to walk, thanks to their coat they will not freeze.
- An ordinary wooden shed is suitable for keeping pigs, but it is better to keep piglets in a building where there are no drafts.
- Pockets sometimes start parasites, despite strong immunity. You just need to follow preventative measures. They also get vaccinations against viral infections (depending on the region).
- When the piglets turn two months old, they are neutered.
Feeding pockets
Karmalam is suitable for almost any food: cereals, potatoes, beets, silage, food waste. Karmalam, unlike other breeds, needs much less special feed and animal feed. So, for an adult pig, compound feed should be no more than 70% of the total daily ration, then its meat will be tasty.
In addition, pockets are very fond of grass from a garden or meadow, so it is necessary to give it to pigs, especially in summer.
Raw or boiled vegetables, apples, acorns and grains may also be present in the diets of these animals. Due to the fact that there were herbivores in the relatives of karmal, feeding pigs with expensive feeds is completely useless, and in some cases even harmful. To improve the taste and smell of pork, fresh greens and dairy products are added to the animals.
Despite the unpretentiousness in food, it is extremely undesirable to give fishmeal and soybeans to karmalas. Since this will lead to a deterioration in the quality of meat.
Small piglets can be given soft grass from two weeks old. And with the 3rd - you can add porridge and grated carrots to the diet. From the beginning of the fourth week it is allowed to enter boiled potatoes in the menu. It is also worth adding a little adult food, but you need to do this only in the right ratio: 5% fish (make sure there are no large bones), 5% legume flour, 20% vegetables and 70% feed.
In addition, it is also important to observe the sequence of introduction of adult food into the diet. So, vegetables, mashed in mashed potatoes are added first: carrots, beets and pumpkin, then cereals, then boiled chopped potatoes and after that - feed.
For pigs, it is also important that there is enough calcium in the food, as it enhances immunity and bones are built from it. But calcium is not enough in ordinary feed. Therefore, experts suggest adding feed chalk to the diet of pockets. It contains about 38% calcium, which helps pigs to be healthy, improves metabolism and increases reproduction, and in young piglets it also prevents the development of rickets.
However, in the use of such an additive, one should also know the measure: the norm depends on the state of health of the animal, its age and size. On average, 20 grams of chalk per day are produced per adult pig.
How to choose piglets when buying?
The best time to buy piglets is spring, as during this period it is possible to feed the piglet with grass and vegetables.
When choosing a piglet, you need to be careful and pay attention even to small details:
- The animal’s chest should be wide, the back should be straight, the legs strong and long, the hooves should be shiny, and the ears should be small and pink.
- The tail should be dry and not adjacent to the body, usually it is twisted by a ringlet.
- Even a very small pig should not be bald, it is covered with thick hair, most often striped. No bald spots on the body of the animal are allowed.
- Make sure that the eyes of the karmal react to your movements, they should shine vibrantly.
- The piglet must be very active and slightly fussy, this indicates his good health.
- The pig’s head is usually heavy, which means that the pig will be premature.
- Choosing a pig, you need to feed him and see how he eats. The animal should eat quickly, with appetite.
- The two jaws of the piglet must be the same in size, as otherwise the animal will eat poorly.
- Do not think that a fat big piglet at a young age is a good choice. Most likely, he was specially fed milk with the addition of sugar in order to prepare for sale. Such a pig does not want to eat ordinary food, but only sweet.
- If you pick up the pig, then he should scream loudly. If his cry is quiet and deaf, then this indicates that the animal is weakened or has diseases.
How to breed pockets?
Pockets can be raised in any region and under any climatic conditions, as they are resistant to cold, heat and various diseases. Pigs can easily and happily spend all day in the cold, playing in the snow, and not catch a cold from this. All this is due to their thick wool, which they got from the barbecue.
Pockets ripen at 4 months, but it is better to mate them for about 7-8 months. Thanks to this property, pockets are considered the leader of fertility. Pregnancy in this hybrid lasts about 4 months. After giving birth, the pig does not need human help. Karmalas are very smart and take good care of their offspring. The only thing that needs to be done: in the pigsty to build a small structure for piglets.
The sow can give birth to piglets with different colors. So, in the brood can be young from black to reddish stripes with bright stripes.
In the offspring of pockets, more females are always born than males.
After the birth, the female has a lot of milk, which is enough for all piglets. From birth, they develop immunity to various diseases, and piglets are also very active.
As soon as the pig gave birth to piglets, after a month she is again ready for mating and the appearance of another offspring. Due to this feature, pockets are a constant source of meat and, as a result, income for farmers.
To breed these pigs, it is enough to have only one boar. However, it should be remembered that in males puberty occurs a little later than in females.
Boars of pockets can also be mated with pigs of other breeds in order to improve their quality characteristics.
You can see how pigs look like one month old, what size they are, and what color they can have, in the video:
Pig Care
Young offspring of pockets do not require any special conditions and care. But if you feed piglets correctly and balanced, then their meat will eventually be tasty and juicy.
If the piglets eat only cereals and vegetables, then their meat will be tasteless. If you give young fish, then the meat can give the smell of fish. Strongly worsen the taste of pork also soy, fishmeal and meal. While dairy products, on the contrary, will make the meat tasty, juicy, and the piglet will be healthy and grow faster.
Before the cold comes, small piglets need to add vitamins and mineral supplements to the feed. But in order to choose the right dosage, discuss this with a specialist.
Newborn piglets do not need to be vaccinated against infections due to their high immunity. However, these measures must be taken when they have reached puberty. And also karmalas need to carry out anthelmintic treatment. After all, the worms in these animals lead to weight loss and allergies. And many types of helminthiases can even be transmitted to humans. Therefore, taking preventive measures is simply necessary. Medicines for this are in the form of injections, powder and solutions.
If you purchased the product in powder or suspension, mix it with food, then dilute it a little with water and place it at the feeding place. On the day of this procedure, you should reduce the amount of feed by one third. For small piglets, you can dilute the feed with the preparation with milk or broth. Weaker piglets are best fed separately, in a group of up to 30 individuals. The remaining animals should be dewormed separately.
Sometimes during this procedure, pigs may experience vomiting. To prevent this, do not give animals water before and after the procedure. It is possible to feed after deworming after 7 hours.
Do not give pigs medicine on the tongue, as in this case the effect of the drug will be greatly reduced. And besides this, there is a chance of it getting into the lungs, because of which the piglet can die.
Also, experts advise adding machine oil to the tank for swimming piglets, it will protect animals from many diseases.
Taste features of fat and meat
Karmal pig meat tastes like tender veal. In pork there is a thin layer of lard, thanks to which it makes the perfect bacon.
The fat layer on the meat at the pockets is small and easy to separate from the meat. The fat skin is soft and thin, white. The piglets' meat is very soft and plastic, as well as tasty and aromatic.
Karmal meat contains a huge amount of B vitamins, as well as many vital minerals and amino acids. Each 100 grams of pork obtained from this hybrid contains 66% histidine, 44 - valine, 52 - threonine and tryptophan. This is what makes the meat of pockets not only incredibly tasty, but also beneficial for the human body.
Growing and breeding this hybrid of pigs on the farm as pockets is a very profitable solution, as you can get tasty meat for yourself and for sale, the price of which is much higher than the cost of regular pork. However, due to the unpretentiousness of this type of pigs, you will not spend all your income on their maintenance.