When starting to breed pigs, you need to decide on the breed. It is recommended to choose a variety that easily adapts to cold and hot climates. The Karmala pig breed is considered the most unpretentious breed of pigs. They have good health, tolerate cold and heat well, and quickly gain weight. Karmaly pigs are valued by farmers for the excellent taste of meat and fat products, ease of care and breeding.
Origin of the breed, varieties of karmals
Karmals appeared as a result of breeding work; the parent forms were female Mangalitsa and wild boar. The resulting offspring were bred with a Korean pig, and as a result, Karmaly pigs were bred. They adopted traits from their ancestors - their similarity with wild boar is evidenced by their high resistance to disease and good adaptability to any weather conditions. Hungarian barbecues gave them their unique appearance; thanks to Korean pigs, karmals are distinguished by their incredibly calm temperament.
Varieties of pockets are divided into two categories:
- ordinary;
- royal.
To obtain ordinary pockets, breeders used a barbecue and a Korean pot-bellied pig. To breed royal karmals, they used a hybrid whose parents were a Mangalitsa and a Korean boar. Such offspring are intensively fattened and are characterized by high meat and fat characteristics.
Characteristics and description of the breed
The body of the Karmal is covered with thick, curly fur - it is their calling card. Abundant hair helps animals withstand cold and heat; they even live in unheated pigsties. The size of the karmals exceeds that of their ancestors, and they quickly fatten up. Pigs are raised for meat because they have a small layer of fat. The meat is suitable for the production of bacon due to its small fat layer. Despite the fact that the piglets are actively recovering, they are not prone to obesity even with abundant feeding. The active growth phase is considered to be a period of 4-5 months; by the time they are one year old they already weigh 200 kg.
The Karmaly pig breed is recognized by its exotic appearance and the following exterior characteristics:
- animals have a medium-sized head, proportional to the body;
- elongated snout, small ears;
- pigs have a short, powerful neck;
- adult individuals are distinguished by short, strong and muscular legs;
- the skin is without blemishes, has a white, even tint;
- Pigs are characterized by wide, massive hips.
The born offspring of Karmals can be easily distinguished from another breed by color. One sow gives birth to children of different colors; they have black, brown, and bluish colors. Striped or two-colored babies are often found. As piglets grow older, the coat color becomes monochromatic and the stripes disappear. The fur of an adult karmal is colored black, gray or brown.
Advantages and disadvantages
Breeding karmals has the following advantages:
- Animals have a calm temperament, they are not aggressive, and will not break a fence or dig under a fence.
- The offspring become sexually mature after 7.5 months, they are already ready to mate, unlike other breeds, which at this time are just entering reproductive age.
- Piglets have a strong, resilient digestive system that helps them process any food. A strong body and active metabolism contributes to rapid weight gain.
- The advantage of animals is also called their thick hair - thanks to it, pigs live in uninsulated rooms and walk outside in hot or cold weather.
- Piglets are distinguished by their beautiful colors - their fur can be variegated, gray, black, brown, or mixed colors. Their backs are covered with stripes that disappear as they grow older.
- The breed is distinguished by a minimal layer of fat, while they have a maximum layer of meat. The meat will not become covered with a layer of fat even with abundant feeding.
There are practically no negative aspects to growing karmals. The only caveat is their semi-wildness - even with a long-term stay in a pigsty, they can be afraid of the owner and other people. But this is not considered a significant drawback.
The Karmaly pig breed is a favorite among the varieties raised for meat products due to its calm temperament and high adaptability to any living conditions.
How to choose piglets when purchasing
The purchase of pigs should be approached responsibly. Despite good health and high adaptation of pigs to all living conditions, there is a possibility of acquiring an unhealthy animal. To purchase healthy piglets, it is recommended to follow the following rules:
- When choosing animals, you should carefully examine the tail - in a healthy pig it is covered with hair and does not adhere to the body.
- To prevent cunning sellers from fooling the buyer and selling him another breed instead of the Karmal, professionals recommend familiarizing yourself with photographs and biological characteristics of the animals in advance.
- When choosing piglets, pay attention to their breathing. They don’t buy pigs with wheezing - they have a disease of the respiratory system, with which they will not live long.
- Newborn piglets are covered with thick hair, so if a bald or semi-bald piglet is offered for sale, you should refuse to buy it.
Karmalov are considered one of the popular meat breeds with a minimal fat layer. To minimize fatty fibers on meat, it is recommended to purchase the noisiest, most active piglets with powerful hooves and high legs. The activity of the animal will make its carcass more meaty.
Specifics of care
Karmals do not require special care; their maintenance is no different from the breeding of other varieties.To make the pigs comfortable, it is necessary to fence the area where they live or build a pigsty.
It is preferable to make an aviary in a place where edible grass grows. For the sow and piglets, it is necessary to equip a special place, sheltered from wind and drafts.
The walking area is fenced with a net without fear that the pigs will begin to break the fence and dig up the fence. Pigs have a phlegmatic temperament; they are calm and non-aggressive. It is recommended to make the fence higher, since pigs often approach the fence and push the enclosure with their front paws, which can lead to breakage of the fence.
Nutrition
Raising karmals is not particularly difficult, since the animals eat all the food they are given.
They feed on:
- hay;
- grass;
- silo;
- grain;
- porridge;
- potatoes;
- beets.
Such products speed up the process of weight gain - by 7 months, the pocket weighs from 85 to 125 kg. Karmals do not need to additionally steam their mash; they eat raw and chopped food. The advantage of the breed is that they are able to quickly recover from food waste. This reduces the amount of food they consume, unlike other breeds.
Despite the animals’ unpretentiousness to food, it is worth considering that feeding karmals with certain products changes the taste characteristics of the meat:
- Dairy products produce tender and flavorful meat;
- when eating fish, the meat of the karmals is saturated with a peculiar fishy smell;
- a large number of consumed cereals and vegetables makes the meat bland;
- Due to feeds such as cake, soy, and fishmeal, the characteristics of meat are reduced.
If a pig eats mixed feed, its content should be no more than 65-70% of the total diet.The remaining share is allocated to cereals, vegetables, grass, dairy products, and bran.
Breeding Features
Sexual maturity of karmals occurs early - at 4 months they already enter the reproductive phase, at 7-8 months they mate and have piglets. The animals are distinguished by their high productivity: the number of offspring per birth ranges from 10 to 20 piglets.
The sow gives birth on her own and does not require human assistance. Enough milk is produced to feed the little pigs, and the babies recover quickly from abundant feeding. Caring for newborn pigs is not required, since Karmala sows have a developed maternal instinct and surround their piglets with care.
The only maintenance requirement is the construction of a small shed and a walking area. When the pigs are 1-1.5 months old, they are weaned from their mother's breast and transferred to grass feed and soft cereals.
Diseases and their treatment
Pigs have a strong immune system, inherited from their ancestors. Piglets do not require vaccinations; their immune system resists various infections. Veterinarians recommend regularly treating animals for helminths. Pigs are bathed in a specially equipped bathing trough, into which water and machine oil are poured - this method protects babies from various pathologies.
Taste characteristics of lard and meat
With proper feeding of animals, the meat turns out tender, juicy, and aromatic. When growing karmals, priority is given to obtaining meat; the percentage of fat is no more than 10-15%. To preserve the juiciness and softness of the meat, pigs are slaughtered at the age of 1-1.5 years, when they weigh 200-225 kg.
