Evaluation of the growth and development of pigs of different breeds during the periods of rearing and fattening

Abstract

The main purpose of pig farming is not only to increase the pork productivity of animals, but also to minimize labour expenditures, funds and time for pork production. The study of the lifetime and post-slaughter indicators of animals is a promising task studied in pig breeding, because a lot depends on how the animals will grow, how they will eat. For example, removable live weight by the end of fattening, quantitative and qualitative indicators after slaughter. Therefore, the assessment of the growth and development of young animals is relevant and has practical significance. The purpose of the research was the comparative evaluation of the growth and development of young pigs of different breeds such as Large White, Landrace and Duroc during the period of rearing and fattening under the conditions of the Oktyabrskoye pig complex owned by the Miratorg-Kursk Agricultural Complex. It has been revealed that by all weight indicators, Large White breed was superior to the rest of the studied breeds. At the end of fattening at the age of 196 days the highest live weight 113,4 kg was in pigs of Large White breed. Pigs of Landrace and Duroc breeds gained less live weight 98,6 and 95,8 kg, respectively. The average daily gain in live weight for the entire technological cycle was in the range from 338,1 to 880,9 g. At the same time, the highest rates were in animals aged from 119 to 196 days. The best average daily gain over the entire period of rearing was characterized by the young pigs of Large White breed 613,1 g, and pigs of Landrace and Duroc breeds had 526,2 and 514,8 g, respectively. The absolute gain in live weight was the highest in pigs of Large White breed, and in Landrace and Duroc pigs it was about the same. The difference between pigs of Large White breed and Landrace was 15,2 kg, and between Large White and Duroc it was 17,2 kg. Relative gains in live weight were high at the very beginning of rearing, and then they began to gradually decrease, because adult animals during the fattening period grow and develop more slowly than young ones.