Phenotypic Characterization and Production Performance of Village Pigs in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Village pigs are considered as a valuable component in rural farming systems, especially in the Western coastal area of Sri Lanka. This population is considered stagnated due to the absence of a comprehensive improvement and conservation strategy. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the phenotypic and production attributes and present management and utilization status of these pigs. A total of 60 randomly selected swine farms rearing village pigs in Kalutara, Puttalam, Kurunegala and Chilaw were used for the study. Morphological traits and reproductive performance were measured in males and females separately. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain socioeconomic and management information. Thirty nine percent of the farmers had kept crossbreds with village pigs and others had only village pigs. The predominant coat color of the village pigs was black with 85% of them having some skin pigmentations. Mean adult body weight was 50.62±1.92 kg for males and 44.00±3.47 kg for females. The majority of them had erect ears (7 %) with upward or horizontal orientation, while 72 % had narrow straight tails. The village pigs with stocky body shape showed higher girth, height at withers and body length than animals with angular body shape while length and width of head, pairs of teats and tail length were not significantly different (P>0.05) between the two types of body shapes. The mean litter size was 6.4±1.19. The mean days at first farrowing and the farrowing interval were 292±78.3 and 265±74.7 days, respectively. The gestation length recorded in the present study varied between 100 and 115 days. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in reproductive parameters of the individuals found in the four geographical areas except for the age at first farrowing and farrowing interval. Village pigs were reared predominantly under extensive management systems with occasional tethering. Farmers exhibited limited knowledge on pig farming and improved management though they are reared mainly for commercial purposes. Easy management, low cost of production and disease tolerance were the main advantages of village pig farming over other livestock enterprises.