Ranking of the top ten famous pigs in the world, I guess you have only heard of Two-headed Crow

Pork is one of the most common meats on our tables, and various breeds of domestic pigs are also very common, but many people have limited knowledge of pig breeds. Do you know the best breed of sows? This article will introduce the top ten pig breeds, including Duroc pigs, Yorkshire pigs, Landrace pigs, Hampshire pigs, Rongchang pigs, Jinhua pigs, Pietrain pigs, Polish pigs, etc. Let’s learn about them together.

1. Duroc Pig

Duroc pigs are one of the most famous pig breeds in places such as New Jersey and New York in the eastern United States. It was bred by crossing Duroc from New York State and Jersey Red from New Jersey. Duroc pigs are widely distributed in the United States and are one of the more popular breeds in the world. The biggest characteristic of Duroc pigs is their strong and strong bodies, and their ability to adapt to rough environments. They grow quickly and have high feed utilization, so they are called "universal pig breeds". This breed is very resilient and has excellent adaptability. However, one disadvantage of Duroc pigs is that they are not very fertile and are slower in the early growth stages.

2. Big York Pig

The Yorkshire Pig, also known as the Large White Pig or the Great Yorkshire Pig, originated in England. Because of their large size, strong reproductive capacity, high feed conversion rate and slaughter rate, and strong adaptability to the environment, this breed is widely raised in various pig-raising developed countries in the world. The Yorkshire pig is one of the most famous and widely distributed dominant lean pig breeds in the world. According to observations of introductions from various places, Yorkshire pigs can adapt to both the cold northern and warm southern climates in the country. In China, a relatively large number of large white pigs are bred. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, China's Central University introduced large Yorkshire pigs and conducted comparative observations with exotic breeds.

3. Landrace pig

Landrace pig is an excellent meat-curing breed, formerly known as "Landerth pig". It originated in Denmark and was formed by crossing local pigs with large Yorkshire pigs. Its entire body is snow-white, and its body is slender and streamlined; its head is slender, its ears are large and droopy, its back and waist are straight, its hind legs are well-developed, its thighs are plump, and its limbs are relatively tall; it grows quickly and can be efficient Use feed; thin skin, lean meat; can give birth to 11 to 12 piglets per litter. The weight of adult boars is about 400 to 500 kilograms, and the weight of sows is about 300 kilograms. Landrace pigs require good feeding and management conditions and are now widely distributed in countries around the world. China has introduced this breed since 1963.

4. Hampshire Pig

The Hampshire pig is one of the most widely distributed pigs in the United States. It was introduced to the Corn Belt states in the early 20th century and became one of the three major lean meat varieties in the United States. After being introduced in many countries such as Japan, Denmark, Canada, etc., its hybridization effect is good. Its advantage is that the back muscles and hindquarters are well muscled and the lean meat rate is high. Adult boars range in weight from 315 to 410 kg, and sows from 250 to 340 kg. Although it was called "thin-skinned pig" in the early days, its current name was changed in 1904. However, its disadvantages are poor fecundity and poor adaptability. Despite this, it is still a famous lean male parent breed in the world.

5. Rongchang Pig

Rongchang pig, as one of the eight excellent breeding pigs in the world, plays an important role in my country's pig industry. This breed has existed for more than 400 years because of its strong adaptability, easy semen collection by boars, good lactation performance of sows, strong ability to protect piglets, stable genetic properties, high lean meat rate, excellent meat quality, and good bristles and white matter. It is famous both at home and abroad for its unique characteristics. In 1957, Rongchang pig was included in the "World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds and Famous Breeds" published in the UK, becoming an internationally recognized valuable pig breeding resource. After evaluation by the National Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources Management Committee, Rongchang pigs were listed as excellent local pigs under national key protection by the Ministry of Agriculture for their "high lean meat rate, white color, and specific genetic traits" and were awarded in the "Seventh Five-Year Plan" received special attention.

6. Jinhua Pig

I believe that although many people have never heard of Jinhua pig, they have heard the name of Jinhua ham. Jinhua ham is made from meat provided by Jinhua pigs. Jinhua pig is one of the best sow breeds in my country. It has the characteristics of thin skin, thin bones, small head and thin limbs. The carcass has a lower skin-to-bone ratio and more edible parts. In addition, Jinhua pigs have high reproductive capacity and can give birth to more than 14 piglets per litter on average. It has a long breeding life. Excellent sows can maintain high yields for 8 to 9 years and can give birth to about 20 litters in their lifetime. Moreover, Jinhua pigs have a large number of nipples, strong milk secretion ability, good maternal performance, and high piglet feeding rate. In addition, Jinhua pigs are adapted to the climate environment in most areas of my country, so they have been exported to Japan, France, Canada, Thailand and other countries many times. In the China-EU Geographical Indication Agreement officially signed in 2020, only the pork breed "Jinhua Two Black Pigs" was selected.

7. Pietrain Pig

The Pietrain pig is one of the five most famous pig breeds in the world, originating from the Brabant province of Belgium. It is produced by backcrossing French Bayeux hybrid pigs with British Berkshire pigs, and cross-breeding with British Large White pigs. Pietrain pigs are world-famous for their high lean meat content. It has the highest leanness and the most muscularity of all the well-known breeds. Its back and lumbar muscles and leg muscles are well developed, which attracts great attention in the pig breeding market. Pietrain pigs are a very valuable breed in the current pig market that focuses on leanness and size.

8. Bozhong Pig

The Polish pig is a highly regarded black pig breed that originated in the United States and is one of the country's oldest breeds. It is a cross between Chinese pigs, Russian pigs and British pigs. It is black all over and has six white characteristics. The weight of adult boars is approximately between 390 and 450 kg, while the weight of sows is between 300 and 400 kg. In the United States, the annual meat production of Bozhong pig sows ranks first in the country. Bozhong pigs are renowned for their high-quality meat and high lean meat content, which was confirmed in the pork competition at the National Pig Show. In addition, Bozhong pigs can adapt to almost any environment, whether in free range or in captivity, so they are very popular among pig farmers. If you are unsure about black pig breeds and don’t know which breed is the best, I would recommend the Bald Pig without hesitation.

9. Horse body pig

The horse body pig is a famous local pig breed in China, originating from Shenchi, Wuzhai and Lingqiu counties in Shanxi Province. It is a famous black pig breed. In this vast and sparsely populated place, people usually raise pigs by grazing or a combination of grazing and housing. These pigs grow in a relatively difficult environment, so they have multiple litters and excellent piglet protection capabilities. Even in conditions of high cold and low nutritional levels, horse body pigs can still maintain normal reproductive functions. Although the growth rate is slow, the horse body pig has a higher lean meat rate, so we can see the horse body pig in various sow breeds. After field investigation, it was confirmed that the horse body pig is not only adaptable to the harsh environment, but its disease incidence rate is also significantly lower than that of other exotic pig breeds.

10. Ningxiang Pig

Ningxiang pigs, also called Ningxiang native pigs, originate from the Liushahe and Caochong areas of Ningxiang County, China. Therefore, it is also known as Caochong Pig and Liusha River Pig. As one of the four famous pigs in China, it has existed for more than 1,000 years. In addition to Tibet and Taiwan, Ningxiang pigs have been introduced in all provinces, cities and autonomous regions across the country. They have the characteristics of high reproductive rate, early maturity and easy fattening, loose meat, and resistance to rough feeding. They have a docile temperament and strong adaptability during the breeding process. . During a long period of selective breeding, Ningxiang pigs have developed unique characteristics: tender meat and delicious meat. It is known as the country's important livestock gene bank, and was listed as a recommended breed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in the 1970s.

The top ten pig breeds are mainly recommended based on the popularity/taste of the pig breeds, and with comprehensive reference to relevant Internet rankings/lists. The list is for reference only. If you have any questions, please leave comments/criticisms at the end.

animal tags： swine