ears.
Siberian Black Pied
This small hairy pig comes from Siberia. It is black and white with prick ears.
Small Black
This small black pig from the UK with lop ears is now a rare breed. Traditionally it was a smallholder or backyard pig.
Small White
This small white pig from the UK has prick ears and is rare. It is still used to breed hybrids for commercial pig production. It has been selectively bred from so that its offspring are very small. These are then marketed as ‘mini pigs’. They are also called ‘designer pigs’. Purchasers should be aware that often they can grow into quite large pigs.
Swabian-Hall
This medium-sized pig from Germany is white with large black patches. It has lop ears and a long back. It is ideal as a bacon-producing pig.
Taihu Pig
This small black pig from China has prick ears and a long snout.
Tamworth
This large red pig from the UK is once again gaining in popularity as a smallholder pig supplying a niche pork market. It is a docile pig with prick ears. It is not a rare breed (Fig. 1.11).
Tsivilsk
This small all white pig with prick ears originated in Russia.
Turopolje
This medium-sized white black-spotted pig originated in Croatia and is considered by many to be one of the oldest pig breeds in Europe. Its origin is traced back to the prehistorical period when pigs, having been domesticated further to the east, were first introduced into Europe. It has lop ears.
Ukrainian Spotted Steppe
This small white black-spotted pig is an ancient breed which originated in the Ukraine. It has prick ears.
Vietnamese Pot Bellied
This relatively small pig, which tends to be obese as the name suggests, originated in Vietnam (Fig. 1.12). It also lives up to its name as it has a large pot belly. It can be black or mainly black with some white markings. It has a short snout and prick ears. It is the most popular pet pig in the UK.
Welsh
This small to medium-sized pig, as suggested by its name, originated in Wales. It is relatively rare now but is still bred in pedigree herds as it is often the basis of modern hybrid pigs.
Fig. 1.11. Tamworth growing pigs.
Fig. 1.12. A sow in north Vietnam.
West French White
This medium white pig is bred in France. It is an excellent bacon pig having a long back. It has lop ears.
Handling and Restraint
Baby pigs are easy to handle in a similar way to small dogs. They can be brought into the surgery in a cat basket (Fig. 1.13). It should be remembered that sows with suckling pigs can be extremely aggressive, therefore it is advisable to have the sow well contained and even out of earshot when handling her offspring (Fig. 1.14).
Commercial pig facilities normally have crates for handling sows and boars and weighing crates for handling fattening pigs. Some sort of crate is vital to contain adult pigs for handling and examination on smallholdings (Fig. 1.15). If a crate is not available, larger pigs can be controlled to some extent by pig boards. Weaner pigs can be controlled by holding their ears (Fig. 1.16). However, even very friendly pigs will endeavour to escape constantly. The ultimate method of control is a wire pig nose twitch or pig snare. This is placed on the upper jaw behind the canine teeth. The pig will try constantly to pull back and the wire, which is often in a hollow tube, should be kept under tension. Pet pig owners should be warned that pigs are very vocal but the noise is not in proportion to the pain. With big pigs owners should be warned of the danger of being bitten, savaged or knocked down.
Housing
Introduction
Housing for commercial pigs needs to be very sophisticated. For a smallholder in Laos, a bamboo stockade is fine (Fig. 1.17). Pet pigs in the UK can have very simple accommodation (Fig. 1.18). Accommodation costs are low for outdoor pigs (Fig. 1.19). However, outside pig arks need to be well maintained (Fig. 1.20). In Europe there is legislation limiting the tethering of pigs. Tethering pigs is a welfare issue (Fig. 1.21).
Space needs for growing pigs
This needs to be adjusted for the size of the pig. Normally the weight rather than the length is the parameter used. Values for outside pigs are shown in Table 1.1.
Fig. 1.13. Baby pigs can be brought into the surgery in a cat basket.
Health Planning
