How to Choose a Sow Breed? Key Points Farmers Must Know When Buying
The main job of sows in the whole pig herd is to breed piglets and improve the herd's continuous production capacity. Therefore, sows will directly affect the production of the entire pig farm. So the better the sow's performance, the more beneficial it is to the development of the pig farm and the profits of the pig farmer. Therefore, the selection of sows is very important. So from which aspects should we choose a sow breed? Let's take a look together below!
1. Choose according to technical level
There are many criteria for choosing a sow breed. First, we must choose according to our own farming level. For farms with mature farming technology and a large farming scale, it is best to choose hybrid breeds introduced from abroad. This is because sows of hybrid breeds grow very fast, and their lean meat rate is also relatively higher than that of local breeds. On the contrary, if you are a free-range farmer with a low technical level, then local breeds should be the main choice. Local breeds have strong adaptability, tolerance to rough feed, and good maternal instincts.
2. Feed resources
There are also very many types of pig feed on the market now, so when choosing a sow breed, we must also pay attention to choosing according to feed resources. For example, if you use complete formula feed for farming, then introduced breeds from abroad should be the main choice. And if high-quality green feed resources are abundant, then local breeds can be chosen. This is because experimental surveys show that the roughage tolerance of local breeds is clearly higher than that of introduced breeds. And if complete formula feed is used for farming, then the feed conversion efficiency of introduced breeds is far higher than that of local breeds.
3. Sales area
Before raising pigs, we must first determine the main sales area. This is because different sales areas will also affect the choice of sow breed. If the main sales area is rural areas and township areas, because rural areas have very high requirements for pork quality, local hybrid breeds should be the main choice. The pork quality of this breed is much better than that of introduced breeds from abroad. And if it is to be transported to cities for sale, then introduced breeds from abroad should be the main choice, as their lean meat rate is relatively high and they are more popular with city people.
4. Slaughter specifications
Many people use different slaughter specifications for raising pigs. For example, if the main purpose is to make roast suckling pig, then early-maturing local breeds with a high litter size and relatively simple management should be chosen. The first-generation hybrids of these breeds can also be used, because the body size and lean meat rate of hybrid breeds can basically meet the standard. If the goal is to raise large fat pigs, then late-maturing, large-bodied breeds should be chosen. These breeds usually have a relatively late reproductive development time and higher feed utilization, and their later growth speed is faster than that of small early-maturing breeds.
The above is a brief introduction to how to choose a sow breed. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone!