Karmala pig breed: description and characteristics, cultivation and care, feeding

Starting breeding pigs, you need to decide on the breed. It is recommended to choose a variety that easily adapts to cold and hot climates. The Karmaly pig breed is considered the most unpretentious to the conditions of detention. They have good he alth, tolerate cold and heat well, and quickly gain weight. Karmaly pigs are valued by farmers for their excellent taste of meat and lard products, ease of care and breeding.

Origin of the breed, varieties of Karmals

Karmaly appeared as a result of breeding work, the female mangalitsa and wild boar acted as parental forms.The resulting offspring were bred with a Korean pig, as a result, Karmala pigs were bred. They adopted traits from their ancestors - the similarity with the wild boar is indicated by high resistance to diseases, good adaptability to any weather conditions. Hungarian braziers gave them a peculiar appearance, thanks to Korean pigs, karmalas have an incredible calm temperament.

Karmal varieties are divided into two categories:

• regular;
• royal.

To obtain ordinary karmals, breeders used a brazier and a Korean bellied pig. To breed royal karmals, a hybrid was used, whose parents were mangalitsa and Korean boar. Such offspring are intensively fattened, characterized by high meat and fat characteristics.

Characteristics and description of the breed

The body of Karmals is covered with thick, curly hair - it is their calling card.Abundant hair helps animals to endure cold and heat, they live even in unheated pigsties. Karmalas are larger than their ancestors in size and fatten quickly. Pigs are raised for meat, as they have a small greasy layer. The meat is suitable for the production of bacon because of the low fat layer. Despite the fact that the piglets are actively recovering, they are not prone to obesity even with abundant feeding. The active phase of growth is considered a period of 4-5 months, by the year they already weigh 200 kg.

The breed of Karmaly pigs is recognized by its exotic appearance and the following exterior characteristics:

• animals have a medium-sized head, proportional to the body;
• snout elongated, small ears;
• pigs have short, powerful necks;
• adults are characterized by low, strong and muscular legs;
• skin without spots, has a white, even tone;
• pigs are characterized by wide, massive hips.

The born offspring of Karmals are easy to distinguish from other breeds by color. One sow gives birth to children of different colors, they have black, brown, gray colors. Often there are striped or two-color babies. As the piglets grow older, the coat color becomes monochromatic, the stripes disappear. The coat of an adult karmal is dyed black, gray or brown.

Pros and cons

Karmal breeding has the following advantages:

• Animals have a calm temperament, they are not aggressive, they will not break the fence or dig.
• The offspring become sexually mature after 7.5 months, they are ready to mate, unlike other breeds that are just entering reproductive age at this time.
• Piglets have a strong, hardy digestive system that helps process any food. A strong body and an active metabolism contribute to rapid weight gain.
• The advantage of animals is also called their thick hairline - thanks to it, pigs live in uninsulated rooms, walk outside in the heat or cold.
• Piglets are distinguished by beautiful colors - their coat can be variegated, gray, black, brown, mixed colors. Their backs are covered with stripes that disappear as they grow up.
• The breed is characterized by a minimal fat layer, while they have a maximum meat layer. The meat will not be covered with a layer of fat even with abundant feeding.

There are practically no negative sides in growing karmals. The only caveat is their semi-wildness - even with a long stay in a pigsty, they can be afraid of the owner and other people. But this is not considered a significant disadvantage.

The Karmaly pig breed is a favorite among the varieties grown for meat products because of its calm temperament, high adaptation to any living conditions.

How to choose piglets when buying

The purchase of pigs should be approached responsibly. Despite good he alth, high adaptation of pigs to all living conditions, there is a possibility of acquiring an unhe althy animal. For the acquisition of he althy piglets, it is recommended to follow the following rules:

• When choosing animals, you should carefully examine the tail - in a he althy pig it is covered with hair, not adjacent to the body.
• So that cunning sellers do not fool the buyer and sell him another breed instead of Karmal, professionals recommend that you familiarize yourself with the photographs and biological characteristics of animals in advance.
• When choosing piglets, pay attention to their breathing. Pigs with wheezing are not acquired - they have a disease of the respiratory system, in which they will not live long.
• Newborn piglets are covered with thick hair, so if a bald or semi-bald piglet is for sale, you should refuse to buy it.

Karmalov is considered one of the most popular meat breeds with a minimal fat layer. To minimize fatty fibers on meat, it is recommended to purchase the most noisy, mobile piglets with powerful hooves and high legs. The activity of the animal will make its carcass more fleshy.

Specific care

Karmals do not need special care, their maintenance is no different from breeding other varieties. To make the pigs comfortable, it is necessary to fence off their area of \u200b\u200bresidence or build a pigsty.

It is preferable to make an aviary in a place where edible grass grows. For the sow and piglets, it is necessary to equip a special place, sheltered from the wind and draft.

The walking area is fenced with a net without fear that the pigs will begin to break the fence and dig the fence. Pigs have a phlegmatic temperament, they are calm and non-aggressive. It is recommended to make the fence higher, as pigs often come up to the fence and push the aviary with their front paws, which can lead to breakage of the fence.

Food

Growing karmals is not particularly difficult, since the animals consume all the food they are given.

They eat:

• hay;
• grass;
• silo;
• grain;
• porridge;
• potato;
• beetroot.

Such products speed up the process of weight gain - by 7 months, Karmal weighs from 85 to 125 kg. Karmals do not need to additionally steam the mash, they eat raw and chopped food.The advantage of the breed is that they are able to quickly recover from food waste. This reduces the amount of food they eat, unlike other breeds.

Despite the unpretentiousness of animals to food, it should be borne in mind that feeding karmals with certain products changes the taste characteristics of meat:

• dairy products make meat tender and fragrant;
• when eating fish, karmal meat is saturated with a peculiar fishy smell;
• a large amount of cereals and vegetables consumed makes the meat insipid;
• feeds like oilcake, soybean, fishmeal reduce the characteristics of meat.

If a pig eats compound feed, its content should be no more than 65-70% of the total diet. The rest is given to cereals, vegetables, grass, dairy products, bran.

Features of breeding

Maturity of Karmal comes early - at 4 months they already enter the reproductive phase, at 7-8 months they mate and acquire piglets. Animals are distinguished by a high rate of productivity: the number of offspring for one birth is from 10 to 20 piglets.

The sow gives birth on her own, she does not need human help. Milk for feeding small pigs is produced enough, from abundant feeding, babies quickly recover. Care for newborn gilts is not required, since Karmal sows have a developed maternal instinct, they surround the piglets with care.

The only maintenance requirement is the construction of a small barn and a walking area. When the pigs are 1-1.5 months old, they are weaned from the mother's breast and transferred to herbal food and soft cereals.

Diseases and their treatment

Pigs have a strong immune system inherited from their grandparents.Piglets do not require vaccinations, their immune system resists various infections. Veterinarians recommend regularly treating animals for worms. Pigs are bathed in a specially equipped bathing trough, where water with engine oil is poured - this method protects babies from various pathologies.

Taste characteristics of fat and meat

With proper feeding of animals, the meat is tender, juicy, fragrant. Priority in the cultivation of karmals is given to obtaining meat, the percentage of fat is no more than 10-15%. To preserve the juiciness and softness of the meat, pigs are slaughtered at the age of 1-1.5 years, when they weigh 200-225 kg.

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