Pig feed conversion is a topic that can be confusing for new and experient pig farmers . The staple are that grunter can loosely be chunk into two class , Francis Bacon pigs and lard pigs . It ’s crucial to know which is which before you get start .
Upon entryway into the sloven - purchasing area , today ’s new and prospective hogget farmers are gather with a kid - in - candy - memory scenario : The dull food movement , along with a surge of interest inheritage breeds , has made buying starter pigs a venture suitable of some study and premeditation .
Some years back , we came upon the opportunity to acquire a litter of Large Black piglets . turgid blacks are firmly a inheritance breed , delimitate loosely as a breed that has fall out of favour with producers over the old age but is of interest group to farmers and customers for their pasturing and foraging power , distinct look profiles and general preservation . Which is to say they ’re unlike — and the opportunity to raise uncommon animals prompted us to buy all five and a Gloucestershire Old Spots ( an even rarer pig that slipped onto the endangered list at one full point ) to boot . We grew our uncommon hogs out on a ration of high - protein , script - desegregate feed , reveling all the while in the flock of our uncommon animals lazily absorb the forage we rotated them between . To our mind , the extra effort was sure to pay off in some as - yet - nameless manner .
And this is how we learned the all - important first lesson in our lifelong didactics on the straggle topic of feed conversion efficiency : We ’d lift a bedding of lard Sus scrofa .
What is Pig Feed Conversion Efficiency?
Feed conversion efficiency is something of an clumsy topic , full of numerous interconnect factors , but the basic concept is simple : When a fuzz eats , the resulting muscle gain approximately define the provender changeover efficiency . If a pig requires a pile of feed to take in brawniness , the efficiency is scummy ; less provender demand to reach muscular tissue gain is high efficiency . And the key term here is “ muscle”—if a pig converts feed into overweening fat ( i.e. , not inwardness ) , you ’ll leave the processor as unhappy as we were .
If you desire to raise a ruck of heritage pigs to keep a strain from extinction , feed conversion efficiency wo n’t be a primary concern . But if you ’re trying to manage costs and keep marketplace profits in the Negroid , Sir Francis Bacon fuzz are definitely the way to go , and you should last out away from lard pigs .
Here ’s a nimble breakdown of Viscount St. Albans pigs and lard pigs , though be cognizant each pig is its own animal : you could get a rich Yorkshire , just as I ’m sure somebody ’s raised a buff Large Black . However , generally speak , here ’s where a few pop strain land on thebacon vs. lard pigspectrum of rebirth - efficiency metric .
4 Lard Pig Breeds
1.Gloucestershire Old Spots : Known as “ orchard apple tree pigs ” for their traditional use cleaning up fallen apple in orchard of yore , these pigs are the oldest breed of spotted pigs around today . GOSs ring on the fat , and they have a tendency to be stubborn .
2 . Large Black : There ’s a heap to love about the Large Black , such as its sunburn exemption and tranquil tendency , but that love can die at the processor , where meat fruit can fall below expectations .
3 . Mangalitsa : The Mangalitsa is a weird - looking pig . But not in a bad way — its thick , wooly-minded coating is almost sheep - alike equate to other pop bull . It ’s also steadfastly a lard pig , with much miserable pork yield than other breed .
4 . Guinea Hogs : This slob grow fast on whatever you feed them , but much of that transition results in rich , not brawniness . Raise this pig bed for its foraging abilities , not its net income potential at the local Farmer ’ market .
4 Bacon Pig Breeds
1.Tamworth : One of the oldest breeds , traceable back to the domestication of wild hog , the Tamworth was specifically engender for bacon — it has long , inscrutable side that curers opt — but the hog ’s idle ancestry makes it a frequent flight risk .
2.Berkshire : I’ll be fair — this is my pet pig ( and it ’s what we raise on our farm ) . The old recorded British pig , this animal has just enough productive marbling to add wet and nip to a snub of pork barrel . With a distinctly “ porky ” taste , this animal is often brought in to add together flavor to a pipeline that ’s mislay palate appeal .
3.Hampshire : Sporting a distinct white whang that spoil its shoulder joint , the Hampshire also sport hardiness , vigor , multiply proficiency and a knack for forage . It ’s also a lean pig , reliably capable to yield predictable amounts of market place - quick pork chop .
4.Yorkshire : Sometimes called the Large White , this sloven is hands down the most popular strain in the world . While the commercial-grade pork industry is reliant on this strain for its fantabulous conversion rate , small producer can also benefit from the lean hog ’s pork take , though it ’s worth mentioning that muted flavor is sometimes an issue , due to the utmost deficiency of avoirdupois .
