Landrace Pig Breed– Characteristics, Origin, Breed Info, and Lifespan

There are different types of pig breeds for commercial pig farming and the Landrace pig breed happens to be one of them.

But just before you buy Landrace pig breeds for your farm read this guide to learn more about them.

You need to know the characteristics of this pig breed, its reproduction rate as well as its suitability for pork production.

Knowing all of these pieces of information is very vital if you want to be successful in raising the Landrace pig breed on your farm.

So, continue reading this article till the end to know whether the Landrace pig is the best breed for your farm.

What are Landrace pig breeds?

The Landrace pig is one of the best pigs for commercial pig farming.

The way this pig was produced was by crossing the native pig in Denmark with the Large White pig breed.

Several years later, the crossbreed has gone through a lot of testing and breeding under strict government control

Today, what we have is the Landrace pig breed.

Interestingly, there are many varieties of Landrace pig breeds as you will find below.

What are the common types of Landrace pig breeds?

The most common Landrace pig breeds are:

• American Landrace pig
• Belgian Landrace pig
• British Landrace pig
• Bulgarian Landrace pig
• Canadian Landrace pig
• Danish Landrace pig
• Dutch Landrace pig
• Estonian Landrace pig (a.k.a. Estonian Bacon pig)
• Finnish Landrace pig
• French Landrace pig
• German Landrace pig
• Italian Landrace pig
• Norwegian Landrace pig
• Polish Landrace pig
• South African Landrace pig
• Swedish Landrace pig
• Swiss Landrace pig

While many of these pigs have selectively bred varieties, many have alternative names.

What is the origin and history of Landrace pigs?

The Landrace pig originally got its name from the Danish Landrace pig.

It is from this pig that the other Landrace varieties were derived through development and crossbreeding. 

The breed was named Danish Landrace because the foundation stocks were specimens from the local, free-breeding Landrace native to Denmark. 

The modern breeds are not themselves Landraces, since they are formal breeds maintained through selective breeding rather than natural selection.

In the mid-20th century, when people talk about Landrace, they are often referring to the Danish Landrace swine in particular.

That is because most of the others we have today had not been developed yet.

Why choose Landrace pigs?

There are several reasons why you should select the Landrace breed for your farm.

Here are some of the best reasons.

1. Landrace pigs can cross well with other breeds:

The Landrace pig breeds have the ability to cross well with other breeds. 

This means you can produce other pig breeds by allowing your Landrace to mate with another breed of pig.

2. They are prolific breeders:

Besides being able to cross with other breeds, Landrace sows are prolific breeders that farrow large pigs.

So, you can expect to fill your farm with a lot of baby pigs within a short time.

3. Landrace is good for meat production.

The Landrace pig breeds are also known for the long length of their body.

As a result, they have a high percentage of carcass weight in the ham and loin.

4. They grow very fast:

Landrace pig breeds are fast-growing pigs.

So, they reach maturity quicker than many other breeds.

5. They produce plenty of milk:

One of the major advantages of the Landrace pig breed is its high milk production rate. 

Landrace sows produce a lot of milk to feed their litter.

This brings us to the next point.

6. Landraces are good mothers:

Besides producing a lot of milk to feed their baby pigs, Landrace sows are good mothers.

They have an amazing way of taking care of their piglets.

The sows will continue to feed their piglets with milk until five weeks later when they reach their top milk production. 

7. They raise large-sized litter: 

This breed is not like many other pig breeds that produce piglets that are smaller in size than they are.

Landraces produce piglets that grow large in size.

8. Landrace pig breeds make good pets:

If you are a pet lover, then you will definitely love to keep a Landrace pig as a pet.

Landraces are really smart and pick things fast. 

They are social and like to interact with people. 

In addition, they are sweet and loving.

9. They are good for generating income:

Landraces produce a lot of litter which you can sell to make profits.

Also, you can butcher them and sell the meat as well.

You can also sell their manure to crop farmers and still make more money.

So, if you are still considering whether to rear Landrace breed or not, I guess you can make a decision now.

What are the disadvantages of rearing Landrace pigs?

Most of the disadvantages of this pig breed mostly affect purebred Landrace pigs.

The first disadvantage is the fact that it has weakened tanks and wiggles the rear part. These body errors are usually caused by their relatively weak hind limbs.

So, to improve the qualitative traits of this breed, it is best to breed Landrace with other local breeds of boars.

What are the characteristics of Landrace pigs?

The characteristics of the Landrace pigs make them different from other breeds. 

Also, knowing their characteristics will allow you to make a well-guided decision.

Here are some of the characteristics of the Landrace pig breed;

• Landraces have white skin and are free from black hair. 
• They are lop-eared pigs, meaning their ears droop and slant forward.
• They have long snouts.
• Their body is long.
• The average mature weight of the sow is 450-600lbs (204 to 272kg), and the average weight of the boar is 500-700lbs (226-318kg).
• It lacks the wrinkles and excess fat found in some other breeds
• Landrace pigs are excellent in ham development.
• A high percentage of the meat in their body is found in the ham and loin.
• They produce a large litter.
• They also have the ability to cross well with other breeds of pigs.

Frequently asked questions about Landrace pigs

A lot of different questions have been asked about the Landrace pig breed.

Here are a few of them and their corresponding answers.

How fast do landrace pigs grow?

Landrace pig breeds are capable of reaching a body weight of 220 lbs or 100 kg within 142 days after birth.

Are Landrace pigs good for meat?

Landrace pigs produce lean meat in their ham and loins which is very good for consumption. 

Also, Landraces are long, lean muscular pigs that produce many pounds of meat product per pig.

How many piglets can Landrace pigs have?

Landraces are prolific breeders that are able to produce up to 10 – 15 piglets in one farrowing. 

These piglets usually grow large in size as well.

When the sow is giving birth to the piglets, you may need to assist the sow to bring forth her first offspring.

This will help to prevent any major complications or deaths. 

What is the lifespan of Landrace pigs?

Normally, the Landrace pig breed will live for an average of 10-15 years naturally. 

However, farmed pigs become ready for slaughter after just six months of life.

What are Landrace pigs known for?

The Landrace pig breeds are known for being highly prolific breeders and have the ability to cross well with other breeds. 

When crossbred with other breeds they often help to improve the offspring of that breed.

Also, their very good maternal abilities make them stand out among other pig breeds.

They are known for the length of the body and the high percentage of carcass weight in the ham and loin.

It is a very intelligent animal and has an excellent sense of smell.

How big do Landrace pigs grow?

An average mature Landrace sow weighs about 450-600 lbs (204 to 272kg).

While an average mature Landrace boar weighs 500-700lbs (226-318kg).

Are Landrace pigs good for crossbreeding?

Landraces are excellent for crossbreeding with other pig breeds.

Doing this helps to improve the other breeds.

Conclusion 

Getting Landrace pig breeds for your farm is one of the best decisions that you can make.

That is because this breed comes with a lot of advantages. 

Also, the fact that the sows of this breed are prolific breeders is good news to farmers.

Farmers can make a lot of money by selling the piglets or training them until maturity before selling.

Please, share this article on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram to help more people learn about the Landrace pig breed.

Reference:

• Wikipedia 
• Sheed a doodle

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