Farming Friends

Commercial Breeds Of Pig

Pigs which are kept by farmers for commercial purposes are;

• Large White
• British Landrace
• Welsh
• British Saddleback (Wessex Saddleback)

The two most important breeds for pig farmers are the Large White and the British Landrace.

Large White and British Landrace Pigs

• Sows of both breeds consistently produce litters of 10-12 piglets.
• Both breeds produce good quality pigs for meat production.
• They both grow quickly.
• The skin of both breeds is white.
• Both breeds are very efficient at food conversion.

Large White Pigs

• A very popular breed.
• The breed was developed by Yorkshire factory workers during the 19th century.
• It’s a strong breed.
• Easy to rear.
• Produces lean meat.
• These pigs have white skin, prick ears and alert feature.

British Landrace Pigs

• This breed originated in Scandinavia.
• The pigs are suited to indoor systems.
• This breed is not hardy.
• They are a lean breed with a good length.
• Their long carcase makes them very suitable for bacon production.
• The pigs have white skin and lop ears.
• The piglets grow faster than other breeds.

Welsh Pigs

• This breed is similar to the British Landrace.
• A popular commercial breed.
• The pigs have white skin.
• They are a lean breed with a good length.
• This breed can be reared indoors and outdoors.
• The sows have good mothering abilities.

British Saddleback Pigs

• British Saddleback pigs have a blackcoat with a white saddle just behind their front legs.
• Also known as the Wessex Saddleback.
• A hardy outdoor breed.
• Popular for crossbreeding.
• The sows have good mothering abilities.

Minor Breeds

• Gloucester Old Spot
• Tamworth
• Large Black
• Middle White
• Berkshire

Gloucester Old Spot Pigs

• An English breed.
• Gloucester Old Spot pigs have white coats with distinctive black spots on them.
• Originally lived in apple orchards and woodlands.
• A hardy breed.
• Produces fine bacon.
• Can produce many offspring.

Tamworth Pigs

• An outdoor pig.
• Dual purpose breed for lean pork and bacon production.
• Tamworths are moderate sized pigs with long, lean bodies.
• They have a red coat and prick ears.
• Tamworth sows can produce large litters.
• They can be lively pigs.

Large Black Pigs

• This is a hardy and docile breed of pig.
• They are a long, black coated pig with lop ears.
• Large blacks produce excellent bacon.
• The sows have very good mothering qualities.
• This breed are capable of rearing large litters.

Middle White Pigs

• Middle White pigs originate from Yorkshire.
• They have been bred from Large White and Small White stock.
• This breed has a white coat with a flattened face and nose.
• They have pricked up ears with feathery hairs around the edges of the ears.
• These are early maturing pigs.
• Middle Whites are reared for pork.
• They are good natured pigs.

Berkshire Pigs

• Quite a rare breed of pig.
• Berkshire pigs now have a black coat.
• Originally had a reddish coat which sometimes had spots on it.
• They have prick ears with white on their face, feet and the tip of their tail.
• This breed are fast growing.
• They are produced for their juicy pork joints and chops.
• Berkshire pigs have a good temperament.

Imported Breeds

• Duroc
• Hampshire
• Belgian Pietrain
• Maishan
• Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig

Duroc Pigs

• Originates from United States.
• A very hardy breed.
• Has an attractive colour.
• Can grow quickly.
• Quality of meat good.
• Meat is juicier and flavoursome.

Hampshire Pigs

• Originates from the United states.
• Good for cross breeding.
• Quality of meat good with high lean content and good hams.
• Not a prolific breed.

Belgian Pietrain Pigs

• Good quality meat with high lean content and great hams.

Maishan Pigs

• Originate from China.
• A prolific breed whose sows can produce 20 piglets.

Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs

• An ornamental breed.

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Daily routine of feeding cats and letting the poultry out follows the same pattern. I open the backdoor to be greeted by a group of hungry felines who quickly trot behind me as I head towards the barn, known affectionately as the cat barn, to feed them. Then I head towards the poultry hut to let out the eagerly awaiting birds so that they can have their freedom for the day.

However this morning I had a little lie in and when I opened the door the hungry felines where nowhere to be seen. This is a little unusual because normally if I’m late they are knocking on the door as they rub their bodies up against it so that they can get my attention (what clever cats!). Yet with no cats in sight, I headed straight for the poultry hut to give Hatty the Hen and the guineas their daily freedom.

All the birds where eagerly awaiting my arrival so that when I unlocked the door the polka dotted guineas and Hatty the Hen shot out of the hut like rockets on bonfire night. They where obviously keen to explore the farm and find another hiding place to lay their eggs that I again will not be able to find. Let’s just hope that the magpies can’t find the egg hiding place either!

The poultry hut is situated near a barn full of hay and sometimes the cats like to sleep on the top of the bales. This morning as I went to see to the birds, Fluffy jumped down from the bales to greet me. Soon I was met by all five of my cats who readily followed me to the cat barn for their breakfast feast of chicken (Sshh! Don’t tell Hatty!). Although before we managed to get there, our journey was interrupted by a crying cat.

Usually before I see Stripe or Snowball, I will often hear them crying to let me know that they are nearby but as the five felines gathered at my feet this morning I could still hear a crying cat and it wasn’t coming from Stripe or Snowball or indeed any of my other cats. So where was it coming from?

As I looked around I realised that the cries where coming from above. No it wasn’t the ghostly cry of Go-cat, my beloved cat that passed away in January, but a cute, fluffy, ginger kitten who was obviously lost and away from it’s mum. Sitting on the top of the bales, the kitten spotted me and anxiously waited to see what I would do. I tried to coax it out further but it became nervous and retreated into the bales. I decided to take my five fluffy cats for their breakfast and then return with the ladders, a bowl of milk and my camera.

When I returned, the kitten was sitting round the back of the bales with the sun shining on it. As I foolishly approached with ladders in hand, the kitten shot into the bales. That was the last I saw of the kitten so I have yet to get my photograph of the newly found kitten. Watch this space to see if I manage to get my feline foto!

Fancy checking out your knowledge of egg facts? Then have a go at the ‘eggcellent’ crossword!

Click on the image or link to view the crossword and download the pdf file.

A Crossword All About Eggs

Read the articles on eggs to find out some of the answers in the crossword.

eggs Food Puzzles School Activities

What is Grass Staggers?

• Grass staggers is a metabolic disorder of cattle and sheep.
• The correct medical term for this condition is hypomagnesaemia and it can also be referred to as grass tetany, lactation tetany, milk tetany or calf tetany.
• This disorder occurs when there are low levels of blood magnesium.
• Staggers results from an inadequate absorption of magnesium from the digestive system.
• It is a difficult disorder for the animals to control since there is very little magnesium reserves in the animals skeletal structure, and thus a daily intake is required.
• It commonly occurs in lactating cows when they have just been turned out to grass in the Spring.
• It can also occur in Autumn when there is a late flush of grass growth.
• The disorder can be chronic in beef cattle that have been fed a poor quality Winter feed and in outwintered animals.
• The condition typically occurs on a cold/wet day when the cattle do not consume as much grass as normal.
• This disease can occur in both adult cattle and calves of beef and dairy breeds.

Symptoms

• Nervousness.
• Restlessness.
• Loss of appetite.
• Twitching muscles, particularly in the face and the eyes.
• Grinding of teeth.
• Hyperirritability.
• Staggering gait.
• Violent convulsions.
• Paralysis.
• Death.

Reduction in milk yield may occur in milking cows before an attack.

Often the attack comes on so rapidly that the animal shows no symptoms. (more…)

This photograph shows the different parts of a chicken’s body. Click on the photograph to enlarge.

Comb - The comb is a red fleshy appendage on the top of the chicken’s head.

Eyes -Chicken have two eyes, one on each side of their head and the eyes should be dark and prominent.

Ear Lobes - Chicken have two ear lobes, one on each side of their head.

Beak - Chicken have an upper and lower beak. The beak is usually a yellowy colour.

Wattles - Chicken have two wattles which hang below the beak. Wattles are fleshy skin and are generally red in colour.

Breast - The breast is at the front of the bird and should be broad and plump.

Wings - Chicken have a set of wing feathers on either side of the body which allow them to fly.

Tail Feathers - The tail feathers are the same colour as the other feathers and point upwards.

Vent - The vent is the external opening referred to as the anus or cloaca. This is the opening which allows the birds to excrete and for the females to lay their eggs.

Hock - The hock is the leg joint which bends in the opposite direction to a human knee.

Shank - The shank is the bird’s lower leg. Chicken have two legs which have a scale like appearance.

Toes - Chicken have four toes on each foot. Three of their toes point forward and one faces back for balance.

This photograph shows the different parts of a female guinea fowl’s body. Click on the photograph to enlarge.

Helmet/Casque - The helmeted guinea fowl has a pointed crown on the top of her head which is often called the casque.

Eyes - Guinea fowl have two eyes, one at each side of their head and the eyes should be dark and prominent.

Ear Lobes - Guinea fowl have two ear lobes, one on each side of their head and they are generally white in colour on this variety of guinea fowl.

Beak - Guinea fowl have an upper and lower beak. The upper beak is usually a light red colour fading to a yellowy tip.

Wattles - Guinea fowl have two wattles which hang below the beak. The female guinea fowl generally have smaller wattles. Wattles are fleshy skin and on this variety of guinea fowl they are red with white markings in the middle of the flesh.

Breast - The breast is at the front of the bird and should be broad and plump.

Wings - Guinea fowl have a set of wing feathers on each side of their body which allow them to fly.

Tail Feathers - The guinea fowl has short tail feathers that are the same colour as the rest of the plumage.

Vent - The vent is the external opening referred to as the anus or cloaca. This is the opening which allows the birds to excrete and for the females to lay their eggs.

Hock - The hock is the leg joint which bends in the opposite direction to a human knee.

Shank - The shank is the bird’s lower leg. Guinea fowl have two legs which have a scale like appearance and are a light pink colouring.

Toes - All guinea fowl have four toes on each foot. Three of their toes point forward and one faces back to provide balance. Their toes should be light pink colouring.

What is a Broody Hen?

• A broody hen is a hen that has decided to sit on her nest (with or without eggs) and will not leave the nest at all.
• The term broody means having maternal instincts that make the hen want to hatch her eggs.

Problems

• Broody hens can, if left sitting in a nest box, suffer from a loss of body weight and egg production.
• Location of the nest box is very important when a hen decides to sit because the other hens in the coop could attack the sitting hen or take over her nest.
• Parasite control is important when a hen is sitting, so applying a parasite product to the hen is a good idea.

(more…)

Broody Hen Chickens Hens