Pig. Domestic pig and its breeding

This animal, like no other, is perhaps surrounded by numerous and undeserved myths. There are many proverbs and sayings about the pig, usually offensive. They say: "dirty like a pig", "put a pig", "eats like a pig", "act like a pig". If you just call a person a pig, then he will hardly be happy.

So it seems that this animal is disgusting in all manifestations of its character and disposition. But such an attitude towards pigs was far from always. First of all, it is worth mentioning that man domesticated this animal second, after the dog.

In fact, pigs not only feed people, they even save our lives. And prejudices about these mammals most often turn out to be groundless. And scientists even brought out the appearance of miniature pigs (mini-piggs), which turn out to be much cleaner and smarter than other domestic animals.

Pigs are stupid. It seems logical that a smart creature wouldn't mess around in mud and its own feces. But pigs are much smarter than we think. In their intelligence, these animals are second only to humans, dolphins and monkeys. Studies have shown that pigs are much smarter than dogs, and video games with a joystick and snout play even better than some primates. Scientists believe that the intelligence of these animals, like a three-year-old child, they have good intuition and memory. Even piglets already a few weeks after birth can already respond to their own nickname. Pigs are quite emotional and sociable. In their natural environment, they live in groups in which their own hierarchy is maintained with the help of bodily and verbal language. Pigs use different sounds depending on the circumstances. It turns out that they grunt with pleasure, they can bark, warning of danger, squeal in pain, discontent or expectation of food. Pigs can notice if their relative is heading to a food cache and follow him, trying to steal food. But if he sees himself being followed, he will try to lure the sly either into a trap or to a fake cache. Pigs even show the rudiments of reason, being able to understand the desires of other creatures.

Pigs don't sunbathe. It turns out that the only animal that can sunbathe like a person is a pig. These creatures love to wallow in the gentle sun, bathing in light. The skin of pigs as a result forms a tan.

Guinea pigs are relatives of domestic animals. To many, the relationship of these creatures seems obvious - both of them are pigs. In fact, they only have one name in common. Guinea pigs have nothing to do with the family of non-ruminant artiodactyls. By the way, they also do not live in the sea. The first mention of guinea pigs occurs in 1580, it was then that the Spaniards brought such animals to Europe. For the first time, the meat of outlandish animals was tasted by conquistadors in Spain. And the food reminded me of pork. They prepared guinea pigs in much the same way as pigs in Europe. The similarity lay in the sounds made by the animals, it was reminiscent of the grunting of pigs.

Pigs don't smell. Life has shown that these animals have an excellent sense of smell, which is not much inferior to that of a dog. Pigs can dig in the ground for hours, looking for the most tidbits. A man noticed this quality when he taught pigs to look for truffles. Mushrooms growing underground proved to be much easier to find with the help of trained pigs, sometimes they reacted to delicacies growing at a depth of up to six meters. People used the talents of smelling pigs at the beginning of the 19th century, when animals even sometimes replaced hunting dogs. After appropriate training, the pigs could sense game birds at a distance of up to 36 meters. And during the war, pigs helped find mines, today they help customs detect drugs. The pigs also help in search and rescue activities - allowing you to find people under a thick layer of snow.

Pigs are so stubborn that they cannot be trained. In circuses, you can see four-legged actors, which themselves debunk this myth. Although pigs are indeed stubborn, they love to do tricks. Playfulness is in their nature, so training for them is an interesting and exciting game. As a result, pigs perform all tasks with pleasure, quickly assimilating commands thanks to intelligence. For example, the famous trainer VL Durov's pig Chushka-Fintiflyushka knew how to bow, waltz, carry a barrel, jump over obstacles and climb onto a barrel.

Pigs have nothing to do with humans. And although the comparison of a person with a pig is insulting, in fact, in terms of our physiology, we are incredibly close. This applies to the digestive system, genetics, blood composition. Yes, and the tissues of pigs are well compatible with ours. These animals even suffer from the same diseases that we do, so they can be treated with the same drugs and doses as humans. Pig organs are used in transplantation, an example would be at least a heart valve bioprosthesis. And in case of diseases of the kidneys, liver and spleen, cleaning of the croc is practiced by passing it through the corresponding organs of the pig. Extracts from the pancreas make it possible to obtain insulin, which, after simple processing, can be used in the treatment of people.

Pigs have always and everywhere been considered unworthy. The history of many ancient peoples debunks this myth. The pig was respectfully treated by the Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, Indians, Scandinavians and Germans. For example, in Egyptian mythology, the queen of heaven, the goddess Nut, was depicted precisely in the guise of a pig. The Scandinavian goddess of motherhood looked similar. And in Ancient Greece in some myths, it was generally said that Zeus was fed by a pig. In Germany, already in modern times, there is a law according to which the owners of such animals must pamper them by buying toys and paying attention. V Ancient China the domestic pig was considered a sacred animal, symbolizing prosperity. Eating pork was allowed only on religious and public holidays. However, this attitude was not observed everywhere. The Qur'an considers the pig to be a dirty animal, forbidding Muslims from eating its meat.

Pigs are very unsociable. Under natural conditions, these animals prefer to live in packs. As already mentioned, it has its own hierarchy and system of signals. In a similar way, pigs are used when communicating with humans. Very social and active are domestic pigs, which alone can get bored and even depressed.

Pigs are lazy creatures. It seems that all the pigs need is to wallow in a puddle and bask in the sun. In fact, these are very playful creatures, which, moreover, also show stubbornness, exactingness and resourcefulness. Even if the pigs do not succeed, they will certainly continue to do it until they achieve the desired result. Leaving a tame pig alone at home, you should prepare for unexpected results - he will not be bored and will quickly find something to do.

Home mini-pig does not need walks. There are also people who teach their pet to go to the toilet in a tray, but it’s better to take the animal for walks. There, the pig can run around to its fullest, pinch the grass, dig in the ground, and if it finds a reservoir, then swim. If a pet is deprived of such joys, then it will begin to gain excess weight which is bad for health.

The mini pig is an exotic animal and difficult to care for. In fact, care is needed about the same as for a dog. The pet should be taken for a walk every day, fed, bathed and rubbed with lotion to avoid dry skin. But there will be no such problems inherent in dogs as a haircut, cropped ears and tail. But you will have to file the hooves of the piglet three times a year and take it to the veterinarian annually.

Pigs are indifferent to their owners. Piglets become attached to their master no worse than a dog. Pigs feel the mood of a person and his emotions well, they are able to rejoice if the owner is kind and positive. And you can teach an animal a lot - give a paw, play ball, and just walk with it for a walk. It is said that mini-pigs can generally recognize their owners by their steps. Only when they hear familiar steps, the piglets will rush to the door to joyfully meet a loved one.

Pigs are calm animals. In the context of animal husbandry, a person would like pigs to be as calm as possible. However, the intelligence of pigs often plays a bad joke on them. Farm-dwelling creatures are extremely intolerant of routine change. Even a simple clap in a pigsty can alert all animals. They refuse to feed and become alert, as if waiting for the development of events and something terrible. Only after 30-40 seconds the pigs return to their previous activities, and most continue to experience anxiety for several more minutes. Even academician Pavlov, a Nobel Prize winner, noted that among the creatures living around a person, it is the pig that is the most nervous. It is known that these animals are predisposed to mental arousal. So, for example, a pig stuck in a narrow passage will begin to energetically and emotionally try to get out. In case of failure, a real hysteria begins, which can even lead to death. If animals are concentrated in large group, then mental irritations can lead to mass hysteria. That is why fattening animals are now divided into small groups.

Pigs can't swim. It seems that such a clumsy animal, in principle, cannot be a good swimmer. But pigs do not need to be taught to swim, they take full advantage of this natural gift. There are cases when wild boars swam across bays up to 40 kilometers wide. In the Pacific Ocean, there is Fakaofo Atoll, where wild fishing pigs live. Scientists have found that these creatures are not only excellent swimmers, but also dive for fish to a depth of fifteen meters. And in the Antilles, sailors of small boats today use pigs as a simple navigational device. If a ship goes off course in the Caribbean Sea, then a pig specially prepared for such an occasion is simply thrown into the sea. The animal unerringly begins to swim towards the nearest land.

Genetically, the pig is closer to humans, even than the monkey. This myth occurs frequently. But scientists think differently. The most genetically close to humans are chimpanzees, whose DNA repeats ours by 94-98%. And it doesn't matter what is present different number chromosomes. It is followed by a gorilla and an orangutan. In other words, primates are closest to us, not pigs. And in a person with a pig, some types of protein are simply similar to each other, which is determined by a relatively small number of genes. And since pigs are convenient for transplantation work, they were chosen. In addition, they are devoid of the shortcomings that are present in primates. There are not so many of them, they do not breed well in captivity, there is a high risk infectious diseases, and ethically for the sake of experiments, it is easier to kill pigs than primates close to humans. The fact that there are more than 700 million pigs in the world has made it possible to broad experiences on the adaptation of proteins and organs of these animals to humans. First, insulin of animal origin was obtained, and then the problem of organ rejection was solved.

Pigs occupy a special place among domestic animals. Initially having a very narrow application, they nevertheless played a prominent role in the history of human civilization. On the one hand, these ungulates have become one of the most popular types of livestock, on the other hand, they have earned the reputation of dirty and unworthy animals. Why did some people love pigs, while others despised them?

The history of the relationship between man and pig began 13,000 years ago with the domestication of a wild boar. We can say that the reason for domestication was given to people by the animals themselves. Wild boars, being omnivores, easily mastered cultural landscapes: they raided cultivated fields and willingly rummaged through the garbage near dwellings. In order to protect the crop, as well as to obtain meat, people began to catch these animals and keep them in pens. The most interesting thing is that this happened in the area where now there are no pigs in principle - in Western Asia. Around 8,000 years ago, the wild boar was re-domesticated in China. Subsequently, the fate of these two populations of pigs developed differently.

Pigs from Western Asia, together with people, gradually settled to the west and reached the territory of the Eastern Mediterranean. From the lands of modern Israel, they fell into the possession of the Greeks (present-day Turkey and Greece). It should be noted that in terms of the number of pigs in these places, they lost much to sheep and goats, and there was a reason for this. If sheep and goats could graze on barren rocks and perfectly tolerated the heat of semi-deserts, then pigs, being forest dwellers, did not tolerate high temperatures well, therefore they were kept only in a barn or limitedly pastured in local oak forests. In this way, big role they did not play in the economies of these countries. The culture of pig breeding was borrowed from the Greeks by the Romans, and from them this knowledge spread throughout Western and Northern Europe. Here, these animals are much more widespread, because temperate climate was especially favorable for pigs, and the endless forests provided them with an excellent fodder base.

However, even before Europeans got acquainted with pig farming, an event took place in the Middle East that once and for all deprived pigs of their “homeland”. Approximately between the XV and XIII centuries BC. e. a prophet appeared in the lands of Israel, who carried out a religious reform. His name was Moses, and among the laws he introduced was a ban on eating "unclean" food. Pigs were also included in the number of objectionable animals. From that time until now, pork has not been eaten by the Jews. Moreover, many centuries later, Islam, which originated in the Middle East, also borrowed this taboo, as a result of which the already few pigs in Asia Minor disappeared from all territories where Muslims settled.

But the European pig industry flourished. Moreover, it owed its rapid development to ... precisely the Muslims! And this amazing transformation took place in the early Middle Ages. In those days, the eastern borders of Europe were subjected to raids by the steppe hordes, who took away all the cattle with them, dooming the locals to starvation. However, the nomads who professed Islam never took pigs with them and even disdained to kill these animals. The peasants quickly realized that only pig farming would save them from starvation. Since then and until now, in the countries that once served as the eastern border of Europe (Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Belarus), pig breeding has been one of the leading industries. Agriculture.

As for the population domesticated in the Far East, no prejudices prevented its spread. So, in China, Korea, Vietnam, and some states of Southeast Asia, pigs have become almost the main domestic animal. In Australia and Africa, pigs are relatively few in number, but only because they do not tolerate the dry climate. In total, there are about 1 billion of these animals in the world, in terms of the number of livestock they are second only to cattle and sheep.

Outwardly, pigs are very different from wild boar. The only anatomical feature that they have not lost is fangs. True, in the household, for safety reasons, these teeth are removed for them as early as childhood. The body length of pigs varies from 0.9 to 1.8 m, weight - from 50 to 350 kg. Compared to the boar, their torso seems to be longer, and their legs are shorter. For this reason, pigs cannot run as fast as wild boars and are unable to jump over even a low obstacle. The muzzle of the pigs has shortened a little, and the ears, on the contrary, have become large and often hang over the eyes. But the main difference is the loss of the coat. In modern breeds of pigs, it is reduced, so their skin is either covered with sparse bristles or completely naked. As an exception, two breeds of pigs - Lincolnshire and Mangalitsa - have developed a normal coat, but it is the result of secondary crossing of domestic animals with wild boars. The color of pigs can be solid white, black, red (brown) or spotted. By the way, piglets in domestic animals do not wear a striped infant outfit, like piglets of a wild boar, but are born with a color characteristic of adults of this breed.

The tail of domestic pigs has acquired a characteristic “donut” bend.

Compared with appearance pig physiology has undergone minor changes. Among other domestic animals, they stand out primarily for their omnivorous nature. Pigs with equal pleasure eat root vegetables, fruits, vegetables, grains and animal feed, eggs, meat, fish, technical waste from oil mills and sugar factories, any food waste, from bread and skimmed milk to rotten foods. They have high food plasticity, therefore they easily adapt to the daily changing "home" diet, and to eating the same type of food. For example, in the old days, special feed mixtures were not prepared for pigs at all, but they were simply pastured like cows and sheep. They fattened especially intensively in autumn, when the harvest of acorns and nuts was ripening. Since then, in many European countries, the custom of slaughtering pigs in November has been preserved.

The Lincolnshire breed of curly pigs is endangered.

The transition from free grazing to barn keeping was associated with the intensification of fattening. High-calorie and crushed components contribute to the record speed dial weight (according to this indicator, pigs are unmatched among domestic animals), improve the structure of meat and its palatability. However, in this matter, too, it is necessary to observe the measure, since the abundance of water in the feed and its too soft consistency can lead to excessive salting of the meat. The ability of pigs to accumulate large reserves of subcutaneous and internal fat causes another salient feature these animals - sensitivity to high temperatures. Peasants are well aware of cases when pigs died from heat stroke in the summer because they did not have the opportunity to cool themselves. In nature, wild boars are active mainly at night, so domestic pigs are relatively easy to put up with low light in the barn. In warm climates, they are tolerant of high humidity, but in the temperate zone they can suffer from dampness and cold.

The pig, flushed from the heat, takes a mud bath with pleasure.

Other distinguishing feature pigs - extreme fertility. These animals reach puberty as early as 5.5-6 months. One sow can bring an average of 8-12 piglets, although in large offspring there are 15-20 newborns. The number of nipples in females is also variable, they can be from 10 to 16. Usually, as many piglets are left under the uterus as there are nipples she has, and the rest are artificially fed. The sex of pigs significantly affects the quality of their meat: in boars it has bad smell and unusable. To get rid of this deficiency, male piglets are castrated before fattening. A similar operation can be performed with an already adult boar, but it can be slaughtered only a few months after emasculation.

Piglets on a farm are curiously examining a photographer who has come to them.

Pigs are not naturally very keen-sighted, so vision does not play a big role in their lives. But the sense of smell is of great importance for them. With its help, they accurately find food even at a great distance or under a thick layer of soil, in this sense they are in no way inferior to predators. The delicate scent of pigs even has an advantage over that of a dog when it comes to vegetable odors, to which these ungulates are more sensitive. In France, pigs are trained to search for delicious truffles, the fruiting bodies of which are hidden underground. In addition, in some countries, pigs act as police bloodhounds and are used to search for drugs and explosives.

The voice of pigs is a characteristic grunt ( listen ), in moments of danger turning into a piercing screech ( listen ). If the pig is aggressive and, on the contrary, threatens the enemy, then it makes sounds similar to deaf barking.

Relatively recently, scientists have paid attention to the high intelligence of pigs, which for a long time went unnoticed due to biased attitude to these animals. Pigs are almost non-aggressive unlike dogs, but they are also socially oriented. They easily get used to a person, especially if they are brought up from childhood, they are able to learn a nickname, various teams, they know their place, they can perform some tricks (to the extent of their clumsiness). In our age of total separation of man from nature, these qualities are in great demand. Yes, in big cities some owners keep pigs as pets. Under these requests, a special direction of breeding even began to develop - breeding pigs of a tiny size, the so-called mini-pigs. Their weight in adulthood does not exceed 20-40 kg. Already now these animals can be safely called decorative.

A mini-pig piglet is no larger than a teacup.

Some similar elements of physiology also bring pigs closer to humans, in particular, the structure of the digestive tract and skin. Other organs (kidneys, heart) are also convenient for medical research, since in young animals their mass and weight are the same as in humans. That is why some groups of cosmetic and pharmacological preparations are tested on pigs, and they also work out the technique of organ transplantation.

The breed variety of pigs is relatively small, which is explained by their narrow application. Until recently, these animals were bred only for slaughter. Pork in its organoleptic properties is not similar to any other type of meat products. It successfully combines the pronounced fibrous structure of the meat and unsurpassed juiciness due to the high fat content. At the same time, pork fat freezes at a lower temperature than beef or mutton fat, which allows pork dishes to retain their appetizing appearance for a long time. Both meat and pig fat have a pleasant smell when fried and smoked, so these products are indispensable in the production of sausages and ham. Pork makes excellent balyki and ham. At the same time, melted internal fat (lard) is practically odorless, which is why it is used in baked goods, including such gourmet dishes as Christmas pudding. In addition to meat and fat, almost all parts of a pork carcass are used in cooking: heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, intestines, tongue, brain, ears, tails and hooves. Leather with a thin layer of fat is used for frying (greaves), and dressed is used for the production of saddles, harnesses, bags and shoes. For tailoring, it is used less often, since it is thicker and heavier than morocco and sheepskin. Paint brushes are made from stiff bristles.

Currently, about 100 breeds of pigs are known in the world. All of them are divided into meat, meat-sebaceous and sebaceous. In addition, mini-pigs can be distinguished into a separate group, which can be conditionally classified as decorative breeds.

meat pigs

Landrace - the best breed of meat direction and, in general, one of the most popular breeds of pigs in the world. Bred in Denmark by crossing local stock with animals of the Large White breed. Boars of the Landrace breed weigh 280-300 kg, sows - 200-220 kg. These pigs are characterized by a white color, large ears hanging over the muzzle, a narrow chest, thin skin with soft bristles, a strongly elongated body and a greater number of vertebrae compared to animals of other breeds. Due to the greater length of the body, they have more developed skeletal muscles (especially hams), they are also characterized by more massive internal organs. Slaughter yield is 80%. Landraces use feed energy well (3.97 feed units per 1 kg of weight gain), but the best results are shown when fattening with mixtures rich in protein. On average, they add 700 g per day, and reach a mass of 100 kg by 189 days. The fertility of sows is 10-12 piglets, by the time of weaning they weigh 19 kg each. Landraces are characterized by a large thickness of the muscle layer, a relatively thin layer of subcutaneous fat, low interest intramuscular fat. This breed is especially popular in countries where bacon is preferred in the cuisine (USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia), and recently it has become widespread in Eastern Europe.

Landrace pig.

Duroc - a breed bred in the USA by crossing New York and Jersey pigs (formerly called Duroc Jersey). Most notable hallmark- suit, it is almost always red in these animals, the shades can vary from golden red to chocolate brown. Like all breeds of the bacon direction, the Durocs have a stretched body and a large mass, the slaughter yield reaches 86%. Boars weigh 350-370 kg, sows - 260-320 kg. The main advantage of this breed is a very high growth rate, the daily weight gain during fattening can reach up to 1016 g! In general, these pigs are unpretentious, although they prefer protein feeds. They have a calm disposition. At the same time, Durocs are characterized by low fertility, usually there are only 9-10 piglets in a litter.

Duroc pig.

vietnamese bellied - a breed of Asian origin, rapidly gaining popularity in Eastern Europe. Color black and white. Pigs of this breed are small, their weight is only 50-80 kg, so they are not used for industrial breeding. But their compactness has made them very popular in subsidiary farms, some even have them in apartments as pets. Vietnamese bellied pigs have all the advantages necessary for this: they do not need high-calorie feed (herbivores), disease resistant, very calm and friendly, cleanliness and practically do not have a specific smell. They can happen from the age of 6 months, in the first offspring there are usually 5-10 piglets, and then the sow brings 10-20 babies. True, these pigs are quite thermophilic and easily catch cold in drafts and in a damp room. It is very close to the Vietnamese folded belly Korean breed. Korean pigs are larger (weight 90-100 kg) and have a strongly wrinkled stigma.

Vietnamese bellied pig.

Meat-greasy pigs

Ukrainian steppe white - a breed bred in Ukraine, in addition to its historical homeland, is widely bred in the Caucasus. Animals are distinguished by a rough constitution and strong bones. They have small ears hanging over their eyes, strong legs, and an elongated head. The color is only white. The live weight of boars reaches 300-350 kg, sows - 240-260 kg. Pigs of this breed are considered quite undemanding and hardy. They tolerate the grazing regime well and are unmatched in their resistance to high temperatures and drought. That is why Ukrainian steppe white pigs compete with more pampered breeds in southern countries. For 1 kg of weight gain, they spend 3.8-4 feed units, and reach a weight of 100 kg by 7 months. Fertility averages 11-12 piglets.

Ukrainian steppe white pig on pasture with shoots.

Mangalitsa (Mangalitsa) - a rare breed bred in Hungary. Obtained by crossing the local population of Carpathian pigs with wild boar. Little known outside the homeland, but recently it has been rapidly gaining popularity in Ukraine. Animals of strong constitution with powerful legs. Mangalits cannot be confused with any other breed, because their body is covered with thick curly hair, which makes them look like sheep. The color of animals is white, red, black-spotted. From wild boar these pigs have inherited many useful qualities. They are very unpretentious, tolerate low temperatures well, feed easily on low-calorie feeds (herbivores), calm and stress-resistant. Mangals are distinguished by excellent health, strong immunity and do not need to be vaccinated. The meat and fat of these pigs has a very high taste, so the breed is considered elite in its kind. The main disadvantage of mangalics is their low fertility: in one litter, on average, there are only 4-6 piglets.

A pig of the Mangalitsa breed with a wild-colored piglet.

greasy pigs

Meishan - a breed bred in the province of the same name in China more than 400 years ago. Of all the currently existing breeds, it is considered the most ancient. The appearance of these pigs is quite specific. These are medium-sized animals (weight 130-170 kg) with thick, folded skin covered with sparse bristles. Deep folds cover the sides and especially the snout of meishans. Very wide ears hang down on the muzzle. The color is black with characteristic pink markings on the snout and legs. These pigs are unpretentious, use roughage effectively, are resistant to many diseases, have a calm disposition, well-developed maternal instinct, high milk production and survival rate of piglets. In terms of fertility, they generally do not know their equal. Each sow is capable of producing 2 offspring of 12-18 piglets each year. The absolute record was 40 piglets in one offspring! Meishans reach puberty as early as 3 months, although they are allowed to mate no earlier than 8-9 months. The main disadvantage of the breed is considered to be late ripening; these animals also reach slaughter weight by nine months. The meat of this breed is of good quality, although some do not like its excessive fatness (the thickness of the bacon reaches 2.5-3.5 cm). The breed is widespread in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, little known in continental Europe. Due to their late maturity, meishans are almost never bred on an industrial scale, but are often kept in zoos.

Meishan pigs.

Read about the animals mentioned in this article: wild boars, sheep, cattle.

Among other elements of the body, the hoof of pigs is one of the most problematic and potentially traumatic areas. The health of these artiodactyl animals plays an important role in their economic breeding. After all, they serve not only as a source of meat and fat, but also pancreatin. The latter, as a digestive enzyme, is of great importance in various pharmacological studies. Hence the close attention.

Features of the structure of the hoof

The musculoskeletal system of a pig does not just play a significant role in the life of a pig. Its normal functioning determines its usefulness and efficiency from the point of view of animal husbandry as a branch of agriculture. Separately, it is worth dwelling on the structure of the hoof and its features as a support for the body.

The hooves of the pig are tips of hard leather. They are located on the phalanx of the fingers and perform the function of protecting them from possible injuries. By themselves, they represent a keratinized area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe skin, in which various parts have a different consistency and heterogeneous structure.

Another feature of such a site is its layered arrangement. The hoof consists of four parts:

• border;
• whisk;
• wall;
• sole.

The role of the border is a strip having a small width, passing between the skin from above and the corolla from below.

It is thanks to the border that the hoof differs in brilliance due to the stratum corneum produced by it, which has no color. This epidermal layer also covers the corolla, which is located below.

In height, the rim occupies about half of the hoof; it is located in a wide roller at the bottom of the border. The largest and most massive part of the hoof is its wall.

On the bottom there is a concave plate called the sole. This layer of the epidermis is quite soft and can be cut with a knife, which plays a special role in trimming the hoof.

Conditions under which injury may occur

Diseases of this part of the musculoskeletal system can affect pigs at any age, no matter how old she is. Also, they are not distinguishable in the sexual issue, since both wild boar and young animals can get problems with the hoof, as well as they are affected in sows.

Most of all, the hoof in pigs is at risk in industrial complexes. This is due to the fact that animals are kept in conditions that are not the most suitable for them. For example, there are often large gaps in the floor, and the coatings themselves are often made of poor quality material. It can be concrete floors with a lot of potholes. During operation, concrete can undergo severe destruction. Chips and gouges, as well as exposed gratings, cause injuries to pigs.

Lack of padding wooden floor is also a potential threat of injury to animals.

Splinters may stick out of the floor or there are protruding nails that pigs can run into, receiving injuries of varying severity.

Most common hoof diseases

Lack of padding and uneven floors can lead to injury to the crumbs and sole, as well as to rapid abrasion of the horn on the hoof. Swelling red spots may appear on the crumbs, and after 3-4 days this leads to the formation of phlegmon.

Due to cracks in the floor and hooves getting into them, wounds and bruises on the corolla can be observed. The result in almost all cases is tendon sprain. With the recurrence of injuries, ulcers form on the skin, which over time lead to necrosis and death.

A serious danger is inflammation of the crumb. In this case, cracks appear on the surface of the stratum corneum, in which soft horny tissue is formed. Because of this, the animal acquires a shaky and unsteady gait, the toe part of the hoof begins to play the main supporting function.

Another serious threat is purulent inflammation that affects the hoof joint. In this case, there is swelling of the corolla, which brings the pig quite a lot of pain. An indicator of the presence of problems will be the condition of the fingers. Patients increase much in size, plus fistulas form on the corolla.

Among other diseases, cracks appearing on the hoof horn and deformation of the hooves in the form of an elongation of the horn capsule can be noted.

After the appearance of bright red spots and subsequent phlegmon, you should call a veterinarian for treatment. This procedure involves cutting the phlegmon and treating the area with appropriate antiseptics.

Softening of the stratum corneum and inflammation of the crumb can be eliminated on their own without the intervention of a specialist. To do this, it is necessary to remove the tissue affected by the disease and accompany this by applying a bandage with Vishnevsky ointment. This procedure is repeated until the animal recovers.

Detection of purulent inflammation of the fingers and joint involves only surgical intervention. Only specialists should perform this procedure. Cracks in the skin are treated with unsalted fat or tar, which lubricate problem surfaces. However, it is better to avoid such a nuisance with the help of preventive measures, which consist in moistening the flooring, trimming horny tissues and bathing animals.

The treatment of many diseases in pigs is associated with quite serious complications, so prevention plays a crucial role. Constant supervision by veterinarians is the key to success in the livestock sector and the preservation of the herd in a healthy state.

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Animal pig - one of the most common on earth. How many types of pigs exist and what is interesting about them Everyday life? Now we'll tell you everything...

As you know, pigs are valuable pets. Valuable, because it is thanks to them that a person knows what a steak, barbecue, goulash and other goodies from our table are. But not all cultures consider pigs an indispensable product. Some avoid eating pork, believing that pigs are dirty and omnivorous creatures, and therefore there is no benefit from their meat.

The inseparable friendship of pigs and humans began about 13 thousand years ago, when people thought of taming and domesticating the well-known wild boar. The first to turn this animal into livestock were the inhabitants of Western Asia. Then the Chinese repeated their experience, and so began the "breeding" of pigs in human farmsteads.

Difference between wild boar and domestic pig

Centuries passed, evolution did its job, and today domestic pigs can no longer be compared with their wild ancestors - forest boars. The only trait left from wild boars is the tusks, but these are usually removed by household owners from their pigs as early as childhood.

What else has changed in appearance? Body dimensions: domestic pigs have become longer (up to 1.8 m), heavy (up to 350 kg) and short-legged. As you may have guessed, this is due to the achievement of the goal of getting a larger percentage of meat from the content of these animals. Among other things, domesticated pigs gradually lost the density of their hairline and now there is nothing left of their boar hair, except for sparse hairs. There is a true exception to the rule - the so-called woolen pigs, the shaggyness of which will outshine even the most "overgrown" wild boar!

In domestic breeds of pigs, a shorter muzzle is noted, while the ears, on the contrary, have become larger and in some species even hang down.

Domestic pigs are more fertile, which brings undoubted benefits to humans, because the more offspring, the greater the benefit (especially on an industrial scale).

Listen to the voice of the pig

Even small children know how a domestic pig talks: it grunts and sometimes even squeals.

Breeding different breeds domestic pigs have recently reached a real climax: what colors and appearances do not exist today! We will tell you about some of them in more detail below ...

Something about meat pigs

From the name it is clear that the selection of these breeds was carried out in order to build muscle mass in pigs. In this group, the main breeds of pigs can be distinguished: Landrace, Duroc and Vietnamese bellied pig.

Landrace. It is considered the best breed of pigs in the world in terms of meat content. Representatives of this breed weigh up to 300 kilograms. The pigs are painted white, have a thin skin, an elongated body, the bristles are very soft, almost invisible. When slaughtering such a pig, the yield of healthy meat is 80%, which is very high rate. A breed called Landrace has gained wide popularity in Scandinavia, England, the United States and Eastern Europe.

Duroc. This breed was obtained by crossing pigs of the North American continent. To distinguish these pigs, just look at the coat color: it is fiery red. The mass of Duroc reaches 370 kilograms. These pigs grow very fast, they are able to gain more than one kilogram per day! There is one significant drawback in this breed - low fertility.

vietnamese bellied pig. The breed is native to Asia. However, the Europeans quickly mastered the care of these pigs, and today the Vietnamese pigs already successfully live outside their original territories. The color of the bellied pig is black and white. This breed thrives on a plant based diet. These pigs cannot boast of weight: only from 50 to 80 kg, but they are disease resistant and very prolific.

Meat-greasy domestic pigs

Mangalitsa is a woolen pig.

The first breed was bred in Ukraine. Individuals of this species weigh up to 350 kilograms. The color of the pigs is white. These pigs are characterized as hardy and unpretentious in content.

What is "PIG"? What is the correct spelling of this word. Concept and interpretation.

PIG A mammal with a large body, short legs, an elongated muzzle, with a large cartilaginous nose - a snout. One of the most common pets. The word pig, according to some researchers, goes back to the ancient root su-, which may be associated with the meaning ‘to give birth, to produce’. Other scholars consider the root su- to be onomatopoeic. The Russian pig has a playful name - Khavronya (distorted Fevronya). Pigs are bred in large pig farms and kept in individual peasant (see peasant) farms - for meat, lard and skin. Pig meat - pork - is eaten in Russia no less than beef (see cow). Shchi is cooked from pork, second courses are prepared (for example, pork chops or roast), they make stuffing for dumplings. Ham, pork sausages and salted lard are very popular. A delicacy is a suckling pig (a very small baby pig), which is prepared for the holidays. Despite their love for pork, Russians have little sympathy for the pig itself. Pig - the main character of the famous Russian folk tale"Golden Bristle Pig"; it is often found in fables, where such human vices as greed, ingratitude, ignorance, base habits, inability to behave decently in society are ridiculed. A classic example is the pig from I.A. Krylova "Pig under the oak", which all her life ate acorns (oak fruits), but ungratefully undermined the roots of the tree. One of the few exceptions is the cute Piggy pig - the hero of one of the most popular children's TV shows, Good Night, Kids! In a figurative sense, a dirty, rude and ignorant person is called a pig. If someone eats loudly and carelessly, then they will say about him: he chomps like a pig. If he laughs ugly, he grunts like a pig (the onomatopoeia "oink-oink" in Russian denotes the sounds that a pig makes). If he does not understand anything in anything, then he understands like a pig in oranges. If someone is constantly unclean (both physically and morally), they can say about him: a pig will find dirt. Dishonest, unceremonious, boorish behavior towards someone is called disgusting. This behavior is mentioned in proverbs and sayings: Put a pig at the table, she and her legs are on the table, or the Goose is not a comrade to the pig. To commit a dishonorable act towards someone, meanness means to put a pig on it. The use of adjectives derived from the word pig differs. The adjectives swine and swine are used to characterize the type or actions of a person and have the meaning - ‘primitive, rude’ or ‘dishonest’ (swine look, swine act). The pork variant usually means a simple belonging to a pig (pork fat, pork tail, pork skin), although the expression pig snout can be used as a swear word in relation to a person’s face, hence the proverb - With a pig snout and in a kalash row, meaning a discrepancy between the claims of her personality opportunities. Pig Farm: Illustration for I.A. Krylov "Pig under the oak" Artist E. Rachev. 1983:

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