Pigs are relatively easy to raise indoors or outdoors, and they can be slaughtered with a minimum of equipment because of their moderate size (see meat processing: Hogs). Pigs are monogastric, so, unlike ruminants, they are unable to utilize large quantities of forage and must be given concentrate feed. Furthermore, pigs have only one primary economic use—as a source of meat (pork) and lard—unlike most other livestock, such as cattle and sheep, which have many other important economic uses. Female pigs can have as many as 20 piglets in a litter. China holds the record for having the largest population of domestic pigs. The United States is second. Female pigs can have as many as 20 piglets in a litter. China holds the record for having the largest population of domestic pigs. The United States is second. © Corbis Breeds There are more than 300 known breeds or local varieties of pigs throughout the world. Following is a brief description of the better-known commercial breeds. Selected breeds of pigs name use distribution characteristics comments Duroc boar. Duroc, or Duroc-Jersey lard North and South America medium length; light gold-red to dark red 1/2 Jersey Red, 1/2 Duroc Hampshire boar. Hampshire meat U.S. breed medium weight; long body; black with white forelegs and shoulders active, alert; good grazer Landrace boar. Landrace meat northern and central Europe, U.S. medium-sized; white, often with small black spots several breeds; raised for bacon Spotted boar. Spotted meat developed in U.S. black and white spotted (ideally 50/50) sometimes called Spots Yorkshire boar. Yorkshire (in England, Large White) meat worldwide white, sometimes with dark areas a bacon breed; sows are prolific The Hampshire pig, which originated from the Norfolk thin-rind breed of England, is black with a white belt completely encircling its body, including both front legs and feet. There should be no white on the head or the ham. Hampshire boar. Hampshire boar. © Larry Lefever/Grant Heilman Photography, Inc. The Yorkshire pig, which originated early in the 19th century in England, where it was considered a bacon type, is long, lean, and trim with white hair and skin. Found in most countries, this breed is probably the most widely distributed in the world. Yorkshire (Large White) boar Yorkshire (Large White) boar J.C. Allen and Son The Duroc-Jersey breed originated in the eastern United States from red pigs brought by Christopher Columbus and Hernando de Soto. The modern Duroc, originated from crosses of the Jersey Red of New Jersey and the Duroc of New York in the late 19th century, ranges from golden-red to mahogany-red in colour, with no black allowed. This breed proved particularly suitable for feeding in the U.S. Corn Belt (parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma; all of Iowa) and has been extensively used in Argentina, Canada, Chile, and Uruguay. It is recognized for the quality of its meat. Duroc boar. Duroc boar. Grant Heilman Photography The Poland China originated about 1860 in southern Ohio from a number of different breeds common to that area. The Spotted Poland China originated in Indiana about 1915 from crosses of the Poland China and the native spotted pigs. Poland China pig. Poland China pig. National Pork Board The Chester White, which originated in Chester county, Pa., after 1818, is restricted to the United States and Canada. Advertisement The Berkshire, which originated in Berkshire, Eng., about 1770, is used for fresh pork production in England and Japan; a larger bacon type has been evolved in Australia and New Zealand. Like the Duroc breed, the Berkshire is noted for the quality of its meat. The Landrace is a white, lop-eared pig found in most countries in central and eastern Europe, with local varieties in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. World attention was first drawn to the Landrace by Denmark, where since 1895 a superior pig has been produced, designed for Denmark’s export trade in Wiltshire bacon to England and developed by progeny testing (the selection of boars for breeding on the basis of the scientific assessment of their progeny). Sweden also has progeny tested from Landrace stock but for a shorter period. Pigs from Sweden were first exported to England in 1953, when prices of up to £1,000 were paid. This resulted in a worldwide Landrace explosion, and most major pig-producing countries have since taken stock. Landrace boar. Landrace boar. © Larry Lefever/Grant Heilman Photography, Inc. The importance of the Asian pig breeds was recognized in the use of Chinese and “Siamese” pigs from southeastern Asia in the improvement of early European and North American breeds and is reflected in the name of the world-famous Poland China. China leads the world in pig numbers, and pork is traditional in the Chinese diet. Daweizi pig. Daweizi pig. Zhang, Z.G., Li, B.T. & Chen, X.H. (eds.) (1986) ‘Pig breeds in China' Breeding and growth Purebred production, or line breeding, is used to concentrate desired genes—for example, litter size or growth rate—within a population of animals. White pig breeds are generally noted for large litters (a maternal characteristic) and coloured breeds for rapid growth and meat quality (paternal characteristics). Advertisement Before 1980 most genetic material was available through purebreds, such as Yorkshires, Hampshires, and Landraces, raised by many small producers. Commercial breeding companies in the 1980s began developing different lines of pigs based on the genetics of the pure breeds in a system called crossbreeding. Modern swine crossbreeding techniques involve mating a boar (male) from a breed with rapid weight growth and sows (females) selected for their history of producing large litters. Sows have a gestation period of 110–120 days with a 21-day interval between periods of estrus, the time during which they will accept mating by a boar. Sows have an average litter size of 12 piglets (somewhat fewer for a first pregnancy and somewhat more for certain Asian breeds), each piglet with a birth weight of about 1.4 kg (3 pounds), and typically produce two litters per year. A mature boar can mate as often as five to seven times per week. Gilts (young females) are usually mated by eight months of age and typically have a reproductive life of three to six litters, although individual sows may have 10 or more litters. Most countries with developed pork production rely on artificial insemination. In fact, the semen from one boar ejaculate can be diluted to make 20 inseminations, each containing two to six billion sperm. In addition to reducing the number of boars needed for breeding, artificial insemination allows the selection of boars with the highest genetic merit, which results in more rapid improvement of the herd population. The semen may be collected and processed from boars raised by producers or purchased from stud farms that specialize in semen collection and marketing. Piglets move to the sow’s udder to begin nursing moments after birth and are weaned between two and five weeks, with about a 15 to 20 percent pre-weaning mortality rate from stillbirths and being crushed by the lactating sow. Pigs that weigh between about 18 and 57 kg (40 and 125 pounds) are known as growing pigs, from about 57 to 100 kg (125 to 220 pounds) as finishing pigs, and more than about 100 kg as hogs or market pigs because they are ready for butchering. Hogs are typically brought to market when they are five to six months old. Most males are castrated shortly after birth to avoid an off-flavour in their meat. Castrated males are called barrows.