23/12/2022
๐ORIG Trivia๐ท
The common breeds raised by small scale hog farmers in the Philippines are the Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Hampshire and Berkshire, all of which are foreign breeds imported either by government in the past or lately by the commercial hog farmers who value feed conversion efficiency as a means to improve the profit margin. However at the small farmers' level, it is seldom that the breeds are pure since they have limited access to pedigreed lines. Mostly they can only buy crossbred piglets from other small hog farmers.
The Large White as the name connotes, are white skinned and haired pigs with erect ears. They are preferred for their fast growth and efficient conversion as well as their relatively good mothering ability. Mostly, the Large White breeds available to small farmers are already crossed to other breeds but still maintain their basic features such as the white color, erect ears and other features that distinguish the breed.
The Landrace is another white breed but with drooping ears. Often, they have longer bodies than the Large White which for most farmers are preferred since they would have more prominent teats, an indication that it can nurse more piglets. Like the Large White, the Landrace is also a prolific breed and a fast grower.
The Duroc is a brown colored pig, noted also for its fast growth but is meatier or lesser fat than the white breeds. These are often used to cross breed with the white breeds so that it is easier for the farmer to record their genetics. This breed is often used as the male line, meaning they are preferred as boars where the white breeds are used as the sows or females.
The Berkshires and the Hampshires are black colored pigs but the latter has a white band across their backs near the front legs. Both breeds are also prolific, fast growers and meatier and like the Duroc are also preferred as male lines to cross with the white breeds.
There are still native strains grown in the rural areas but they are gradually being phased out in favor of the newer breeds. However these native strains have an advantage of being quite resistant to disease attack and their ability to survive and grow even when fed with low quality and indigenous feed sources. Many farmers have also crossbred the exotic strains to improve the traditional breeds in terms of feed conversion and faster growth rate but have retained their resistance to diseases as well as the ability to subsist on indigenous feed sources.
Source/reference: http://larry-simplybusiness.blogspot.com/2012/05/?m=1
