Pig farming is an interesting venture, especially for someone who wants to earn a living. One interesting fact about pigs is that they are prolific, which means you can increase your stock quickly. However, the profitability of your labour and investments depends on the pig breeds on your farm.
Irrespective of your pig production goals, keeping high-quality pigs is very important to achieve this goal and make your investment worthwhile. If you intend to expand your piggery quickly and earn more, the Landrace breed is one of the pig breeds you should have on your farm.
Why? Let’s discuss the characteristics that make Landrace great.
Landrace Characteristics
1. High prolificacy
Pigs are generally known to be prolific. However, when it comes to giving birth to a large number of piglets (large litter size), give it to the Landrace pig breed. Landrace sows are well-known for producing many piglets per litter. Yes, a properly managed and healthy landrace should farrow nothing less than 10 live piglets at a time. They are also very good mothers. They are excellent at caring for their piglets until weaning with enough milk production. Moreover, more piglets often mean a high revenue or increased production.
2. Superb growth rate and feed conversion efficiency
Pure Landrace pigs grow rapidly and efficiently. Due to this, they reach market weight within a short period compared to some other breeds. In addition, Landrace converts feed into body weight more efficiently, significantly reducing feed costs and increasing profit. So, you should keep Landrace in your piggery for a quicker return on investment and improved production efficiency.
3. Lean meat production
Many people believe all pig meat has a high percentage of fat. However, the pork from Landrace pigs is usually lean, with a higher percentage of muscle mass and lower fat content. Health-conscious pork consumers usually prefer lean pork owing to its health and cooking benefits. If you farm in an area where people value lean pork meat, you will likely earn more from your Landrace pig meat. It is important to mention that pork quality also depends on the kind of feed. You should expect a higher fat-to-meat ratio if you feed your pigs only kitchen scraps or high-fat feed.
4. Adaptability to diverse environments
Landrace is one of the exotic pig breeds that can adapt to various environments or climatic conditions. Whether in tropical or temperate regions, they will do well. Furthermore, they can be raised in intensive and extensive farming systems. The most important thing is to provide the appropriate care required for them to perform well.
5. Docility
Docile pigs are always very easy to handle. Landrace pig breeds are naturally docile, making them easy for their handlers to manage or work on them without injuring or attacking the handlers. In-sows and lactating sows of this breed are also less aggressive.
Where to buy pure Landrace in Nigeria?
Getting pure Landrace pigs in Nigeria is quite hard. Most farmers or breeders who claim theirs are pure are not truthful. Besides, the breed is one of the pig breeds that has been “abused” through indiscriminate breeding. Same with the Large White pigs. However, Livestocking Farms has PURE Landrace weaners and growers on ur pig farm. They are produced from our healthy Landrace boar and sows. Most times, we are out of stock. Nevertheless, we know a few genuine and reliable breeders that can supply you with 99.99% Landrace weaners or growers. If you are interested, kindly contact us by clicking here.
