Karmaly pig breed: description and characteristics, rearing and care, feeding

Karmals are not really a pig breed, but a heterotic hybrid between Mangal and Vietnamese pot bellies. The offspring from crossing as a result of heterosis has better productive qualities than the original breeds. But the appearance of animals is obtained on the principle of "how the genes will fall."

You can even compare photos of Karmal pigs:

On the first, the appearance of Karmala is closer to Mangal. In the second photo, Karmal has obvious features of a Vietnamese vismoth. But the wool is somewhat thicker.

If we remember that Mangal is also a hybrid between the Hungarian mangalitsa and a wild boar, then sometimes the result of such "double hybridization" is impressive. And it's good if you impress a pig of the Karmal breed, it will be productive characteristics and tasty meat, and not the character and habits of a wild boar.

The origin of the breed, varieties of karals

Karmals appeared as a result of selection work, the female mangalitsa and wild boar acted as parental forms. The resulting offspring were bred with a Korean pig, as a result, karmales were bred. They adopted features from their ancestors - their high resistance to diseases and good adaptability to any weather conditions speaks of the similarity with the wild boar. Hungarian braziers gave them a peculiar appearance, thanks to Korean pigs, karals are distinguished by an incredible calm temperament.

Karmal varieties are divided into two categories:

ordinary;
royal.

The breeders used a brazier and a Korean pot-bellied pig to obtain ordinary karmales. To breed royal karals, a hybrid was used, the parents of which were Mangalitsa and a Korean boar. Such offspring are intensively fattened, characterized by high meat-greasy characteristics.

Characteristics and description of the breed

The body of the karals is covered with thick, curly hair - it is their calling card. Abundant hair helps the animals withstand cold and heat, they even live in unheated pigsties. In terms of size, the pockets are larger than their ancestors, they are quickly fattened. Pigs are raised for meat as they have a small greasy layer. The meat is suitable for bacon production due to its small fat layer. Despite the fact that piglets are actively recovering, they are not prone to obesity, even when fed abundantly. The active phase of growth is considered a period of 4-5 months, by the year they already weigh 200 kg.

The Karmala pig breed is recognized by its exotic appearance and the following exterior characteristics:

animals have a medium-sized head, proportional to the body;
the snout is elongated, the ears are small;
pigs have a short, powerful neck;
adults are distinguished by short, strong and muscular legs;
skin without spots, has a white, even shade;
pigs are characterized by wide, massive hips.

The born offspring of karals can be easily distinguished from another breed by color. One sow gives birth to children of different colors, they have black, brown, gray colors. Often there are striped or two-colored babies. With the piglets growing up, the coat color becomes monotonous, the stripes disappear.The wool of an adult karmal is colored black, gray or brown.

Video

In the absence of uniform standards for karmal pigs raised by different owners, you can be convinced by watching the following videos:

Graduated from MGRI named after I. Ordzhonikidze. His main specialty is a mining engineer-geophysicist, which means a person with an analytical mindset and various interests. I have my own house in the village (respectively, experience in truck farming, gardening, mushroom growing, as well as fiddling with pets and poultry). Freelancer, perfectionist and "bore" in relation to his duties. Hand-made lover, creator of exclusive jewelry made of stones and beads. A passionate admirer of the printed word and an anxious observer of everything that lives and breathes.

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Pros and cons

Breeding karals has the following advantages:

Animals have a calm temperament, they are not aggressive, they will not break a fence or dig a tunnel.
The offspring becomes sexually mature after 7.5 months, they are already ready for mating, unlike other breeds, which at this time are only entering reproductive age.
Piglets have a strong, resilient digestive system to help them process any food. A strong body and an active metabolism contribute to rapid weight gain.
The advantage of animals is also called their thick hair - thanks to it, pigs live in non-insulated rooms, walk outside in hot or cold weather.
Piglets are distinguished by beautiful colors - their wool can be variegated, gray-gray, black, brown, mixed colors. Their backs are covered with stripes that disappear as they grow older.
The breed is distinguished by a minimum fat layer, while they have a maximum meat layer. The meat will not be covered with a layer of fat, even with abundant feeding.

Conditions of detention

You can keep small piglets in a barn for up to two months. Having matured, they are able to live in an aviary. It can be without a roof and solid walls. It is enough to fence a certain area with a net. The picture below shows an example of a cell for several pockets.

Net for keeping several piglets in an open area

Their behavior can rightfully be called calm. It is unlikely that when breeding them, you will encounter undermines and attempts to break fences. They do not attack other animals and people. The only thing that pockets can distinguish is lifting the upper body up with the help of a support.

If you leave them homeless for the winter, it is unlikely that something will happen to them. Due to the dense woolen cover and although not large, but the fat layer, karals can rightfully be called frost-resistant. So that pigs of this breed do not get sick, it is advisable to protect them from drafts.

As for space, they do not require large spaces. In any case, they will keep in the herd.

How to choose piglets when buying

Buying pigs should be approached responsibly. Despite good health, high adaptation of pigs to all living conditions, there is a possibility of acquiring an unhealthy animal. To acquire healthy piglets, it is recommended to observe the following rules:

When choosing animals, you should carefully examine the tail - in a healthy pig, it is covered with wool, does not adhere to the body.
So that cunning sellers do not fool the buyer and sell him another breed instead of a karmal, professionals recommend that you familiarize yourself with the photographs and biological characteristics of animals in advance.
When choosing piglets, attention is paid to their breathing.Pigs with wheezing do not get - they have a disease of the respiratory system, in which they will not live for a long time.
Newborn piglets are covered with thick hair, so if a bald or semi-bald pig is on sale, you should refuse to buy it.

Karmalov is considered one of the most popular meat breeds with a minimum body fat. To minimize fatty fibers in meat, it is recommended to acquire the noisiest, mobile piglets with powerful hooves and high legs. The activity of the animal will make its carcass more meaty.

Specificity of care

Karmals do not need special care, their content does not differ in any way from the breeding of other varieties. For the pigs to be comfortable, it is necessary to fence off their area of residence 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 draft.

The walking area is fenced off with a net without fear that the pigs will begin to break the fence and undermine the fence. Pigs are characterized by a phlegmatic temperament, they are calm and non-aggressive. It is recommended to make the fence higher, since pigs often come to the fence and push the enclosure with their front paws, which can lead to the breakage of the fence.

Food

Growing karmales is not particularly difficult, since the animals consume all the food that is given to them.

They eat:

hay;
grass;
silo;
grain;
cereals;
potatoes;
beets.

Such products accelerate the process of weight gain - by 7 months the pocket weighs from 85 to 125 kg. Karmals do not need to additionally steam the mash, they eat raw and chopped food. The advantage of the breed is that they are able to rapidly recover from food waste. This reduces the amount of feed they eat, unlike other breeds.

Despite the unpretentiousness of animals to food, it should be borne in mind that feeding karals with certain products changes the taste characteristics of meat:

from dairy products, meat is tender and aromatic;
when eating fish, the meat of karals is saturated with a peculiar fishy smell;
a large number of consumed cereals and vegetables makes the meat insipid;
due to feeds such as cake, soybeans, fishmeal, the characteristics of meat are reduced.

If the pig eats compound feed, its content should be no more than 65-70% of the total diet. The rest is allocated to cereals, vegetables, grass, dairy products, and bran.

Who is Karmal

First of all, I have to mention that sometimes Karmala is called a hybrid with a Korean pig. This opinion raises some doubts, since although the Korean pigs are close relatives of the Vietnamese one and also descend from the wild Chinese boar, the “Koreyanka” are little known in the world.

In Korea, these animals were kept for a long time as utilizers of human waste, and they are still poorly known in the world. Only from the 60s of the last century, the diet of Korean pigs began to be changed to a more civilized one, and for keeping, instead of a pit under a latrine, they began to build pigsties.

On the territory of the CIS, there is no distinction between the Vietnamese and Korean breeds. And if you add here various Chinese breeds, also descended from the same wild Chinese boar, you can get completely confused.

Karmaly pigs are of two types: the F1 Mangala / Korean hybrid and the backcross hybrid. Second option: F1 is crossed with Mangal again. For this reason, despite the effect of heterosis, the weight of Karmal can be very different. Vietnamese reach a maximum weight of 150 kg. Braziers can weigh 300 kg. An adult F1 hybrid weighs 220 kg. Where is the effect of heterosis? Improving the quality of meat. If you need to get a larger animal, F1 is crossed again with Mangal.The weight of the resulting pig Karmala in six months already reaches 150 kg. The taste characteristics of the meat of the Karmal pig breed with 75% Mangal blood is better than that of the original breeds, but in appearance this cross is already difficult to distinguish from Mangal.

The main difficulty with a hybrid is that from a photo and even a live pig Karmala is easy to confuse with a Vietnamese or Mangal. This is used by unscrupulous breeders selling Vietnamese piglets, which have become much cheaper today, under the guise of expensive Karmals.

The only guaranteed way to get exactly Karmala is to cross the Mangala sow with a Vietnamese boar yourself. To obtain the second version of Mangala, you will need to cross a Mangala sow with an F1 boar.

Benefits of Karmala

Karmal combines the positive qualities of the Vietnamese pig and Mangala. With full feeding, Karmal reaches sexual maturity at 4 months, like the Vietnamese pot bellies. By the year Karmal reaches 200 kg, like Mangal.

The big question is who this breed has the advertised low amount of lard. According to the owners of Karmalov piglets, after slaughter, no one has a layer of fat more than 3 fingers. It is the Vietnamese pigs that are distinguished by a relatively small amount of gained lard.

None of the original breeds has this property. You can get lean meat from Vietnamese if you keep them "on a diet" without giving them grains. But the bacon still adheres tightly to the meat and must be cut off.

Mangals inherited from Mangalits the ability to store fat between muscle fibers. With high-quality fattening, they also gain fat well and must also be cut off.

Karmal's frost resistance is clearly from the Mangal breed. Karmals, like Mangals and Hungarian Mangalits, can be kept outdoors in winter. They have a thick enough coat to withstand the winter cold.

An agreeable and good-natured character is often indicated as advertising in the merits. But this is how lucky and how tame the animal will be. The wild boar is the most dangerous inhabitant in the forest. Neither tigers, nor wolves, nor bears associate with adults. If the wild boar genes "jump" in Karmal, then he will hardly be docile and good-natured.

Another plus is called strong immunity, which supposedly does not require vaccinations. A very dangerous delusion that contributes to the spread of epizootics.

Piglets, are there any differences

On the external and productive characteristics of Karmalov piglets, the information is also quite contradictory. Some sources claim that all Karmalyats are born striped, like wild boars. Others argue that the color at birth of piglets of the Karmal breed can be almost any:

There are only statements about the birth of white or piebald pigs. Which is rather strange, since there are photos of Karmalov piglets of piebald or white suit next to one-color striped brethren.

It can be assumed that this is a photo of a mixed herd of piglets of different breeds. But a photo of a piebald sow of the Karmal breed with piglets refutes this assumption. Piebald not only the sow, but also the piglets themselves.

With age, the stripes disappear in piglets, as in a wild boar.

According to reviews about Karmaly pigs, they can be kept in an open pen in the winter from the age of one month. But if you need not just a piglet of an exotic breed, but a fattened pig, it is better not to keep the young in such conditions. Even in the young of wild animals in winter, in cold weather, growth slows down or stops altogether. Young growth begins to grow again only with the onset of warmth.

For wild animals, daily weight gain is not interesting, but for humans it is very important. Keeping a piglet for up to a year instead of 6 months is unprofitable. Therefore, feeding and caring for Karmal piglets is the same as for young animals of other breeds.

Even the video shows that due to the fact that piglets are hybrids, littermates have very strong differences.The productive characteristics will also be different.

Breeding features

The puberty of karals comes early - at 4 months they already enter the reproductive phase, at 7-8 months they mate and acquire piglets. Animals are distinguished by a high rate of productivity: the number of offspring per birth is from 10 to 20 piglets.

The sow gives birth on her own, she does not need human help. Enough milk is produced for feeding little pigs; babies quickly recover from abundant feeding. Caring for newborn gilts is not required, since karmala sows have a developed maternal instinct, they surround the piglets with care.

The only maintenance requirement is the construction of a small barn and a walking area. When the pigs are 1-1.5 months old, they are weaned from the mother's breast and transferred to herbal feed and soft cereals.

Feeding rules

As for feeding, in this matter, livestock breeders do not have any difficulties with the breed. Animals have an excellent work of the gastrointestinal tract, which helps them to digest almost any food. The only exceptions are piglets under two weeks of age. In this case, food must be produced according to a special scheme. From birth to the age of 7 days, the baby will have enough breast milk, which he receives from the sow in the required amount. During the second week of life, herbs and herbs are introduced into the diet. And after the piglet turns 15 days old, it is quite possible to transfer it to adult food. However, one should act without haste, giving the baby new products gradually so that the fragile stomach has time to adapt. In this case, it is necessary to monitor its condition.