Which sow breed is good? What is the best sow breed?
There are actually many good sow breeds, but which one specifically suits you depends on the breeding conditions in your area. For example, whichever breed of pig sells well locally is the good one to choose. In fact, there are many sow breeds, and they differ greatly in meat quality and litter size. Let's take a look together.
Which sow breed is good
If you are producing commercial piglets, then two-way cross sows are certainly good, preferably the Landrace boar crossed with the Large White sow to produce the Large White x Landrace two-way cross sow. This two-way cross sow is then crossed with a Duroc boar to produce three-way cross lean-type commercial pigs, which grow fast, have a high carcass lean percentage, and high feed conversion efficiency. However, this kind of sow requires high feeding conditions.
What is the best sow breed
At present in China, the Taihu series sows are the ideal first choice for the vast majority of farmers. One of the characteristics of Taihu sows is high reproductive performance. The high-yield performance of Taihu sows is world-renowned, and they are one of the excellent breeds with the strongest reproductive capacity and the largest litter size among pig breeds in China and even the world, with Erhualian and Meishan pigs being the highest. The average for first parity is 12 piglets, for sows that have farrowed the average is more than 16 piglets, from the third parity onward each litter can produce 20 piglets, excellent sows can produce 26 piglets per litter, and the highest record is 42 piglets. Sexual maturity is early; the sperm quality of boars at 4-5 months of age already reaches the level of adult pigs. Sows show estrus at two months of age. It is reported that a 75-day-old sow can conceive and give birth to normal piglets. Taihu pigs have strong mothering ability, high milk production, and are careful when lying down and getting up, which can reduce piglets being crushed. The nursing rate and survival rate of piglets are relatively high.
How to raise sows
1. The purpose of production is to produce piglets that are numerous, large, and healthy. Under the condition of a fixed number of sows, the quality of sow feeding and management, especially the feeding and management of pregnant sows, directly affects the number and quality of piglets produced.
2. The effect of sows on reproductive capacity can be reflected by a long weaning-to-estrus interval and a small litter size. Sows that are too fat can also affect reproductive performance. Therefore, the feeding amount must be controlled. If too much feed is given, it will cause a waste of feed. It increases the metabolic burden on the sow (especially in summer). Feeding too much feed during this period will cause the sow to become overweight, which increases future maintenance requirements and raises costs.
Profit and cost of raising sows
1. The early period is about 2 months a year, calculated as 60 days, the average feed price is 1.4 yuan/jin, the daily amount used is about 2.75 jin, and the feed cost is about 230 yuan.
2. The later period is about 4 months a year, calculated as 120 days, the average feed price is 1.6 yuan/jin, the daily amount used is about 4.75 jin, and the feed cost is about 900 yuan.
3. The remaining period of a year is about less than 2 months, calculated as 50 days, the average feed price is 1.7 yuan/jin, the daily amount used is about 6.5 jin, and the feed cost is about 550 yuan. The following 10 days are a flexible period, either empty, or pregnant, or lactating, the average feed price is 1.56 yuan/jin, the daily amount used is about 3 jin, and the feed cost is about 45 yuan.
4. Besides feed costs, breeding also includes mating costs, labor costs, epidemic prevention costs, depreciation of pig pens and farrowing houses, and other costs. The cost of each mating per sow is about 40 yuan, and with two matings a year, the cost is 80 yuan.
5. The labor cost for sow breeding is about 350 yuan/head, epidemic prevention cost is about 50 yuan/head, depreciation of pig pens and farrowing houses is about 100 yuan/head, and other costs including water, electricity, and gas are about 50 yuan/head. The annual feed cost of 1 sow is 230 yuan + 900 yuan + 550 yuan + 45 yuan, and the other costs are 80 yuan + 350 yuan + 50 yuan + 100 yuan, totaling 2305 yuan, and for 30 sows that is 69150 yuan.
After reading all this, aren't you surprised? It turns out there are so many sow breeds, and the differences between breeds are so great. Here, the editor wants to say that which breed of sow you choose is related to what you want to do. If you want to raise pigs to sell for money, then of course you should choose sows with strong reproductive capacity.