A good farmer must know the breed of pigs they keep in order to appreciate the specific requirements for their growth.
In Uganda, the commonest breeds include camborough, Large White, landrace, duroc plus crosses of these varieties.
Camborough, whose mother breeds come mainly from South Africa have been identified as a breed that grows fast and produces many piglets in one litter (birth).
Camborough are long and slim. They can grow to 350kg.
Large White
The Large White breed is the top breed in England. And if you consider the Yorkshires in the US direct descendents of the Large White, this is the most popular breed in Uganda too.
Nearly every country in the world that values pig production has, at one point or another, imported the Large White.
This breed and its descendent Yorkshire are found in all crossbreeding involving three or more pigs worldwide.
They have excellent quality meat; great maternal qualities, are white; smallish, and have upright ears; long body with a straight back.
They are also a rugged, hardy breed where the sows have large litters, high milk production and good maternal instincts. Also, it has very tasty meat. It can grow to 400kg.
Duroc
The Duroc was developed in the US in the Corn Belt and in the East. Its original name was Duroc-Jersey and the early history is somewhat unclear as to exactly what the mixture of breeds was from which the Duroc was derived, but New York state is the first-known state where durocs existed.
They gained national recognition at the Duroc Jersey show at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. They claim the highest conversion rate of feed to meat of any breed.
They have a red skin with red, brown, or even black hair. Relative to other pigs, the duroc has what you would call an athletic build in the class of pigs.
Short, floppy ears; short snout and good meat. It can grow to 250kg.
Landrace
This is a medium size pig that grows to over 200kg. They are white, have fine hair coat, long snouts and heavy drooping ears.
They have long bodies, deep smooth sides and less fat compared to the other breeds. They are mainly bred for pork.
