Hanjiang Black Pig

Hanjiang Black Pig

　　The Hanjiang Black Pig has an all-black coat. Its head is of medium size, with a thick snout of moderate length. There are three types of snouts: long, dog-faced, and short lion-headed. It has large, drooping ears, many obvious wrinkles on the forehead, a sloping rump, a large belly that sags, and over 06 effective (traits). Adult boars and sows weigh 123.20±20.4 kg and 91.93±15.40 kg, respectively; their body lengths are 121.4±8.5 cm and 123.5±8.7 cm, respectively. The carcass lean meat rate and fat rate are 41.88% and 47.70%, respectively (the above data were measured during the original breed survey).

　　The Hanjiang Black Pig reaches sexual maturity early. Both boars and sows begin mounting and showing estrus behaviors at 2–3 months of age. Litter sizes (for multiparous sows) average 9.5±2.22 piglets, with 10.18±3.22 piglets recorded in 1998 for the Mian County Heihe Pig Conservation Population. They are highly protective of their young. Even in winter temperatures as low as -5°C without human care, piglets can survive, with very few cases of crushed piglets. The highest recorded litter was 24 piglets, with 18 live births.

　　The Hanjiang Black Pig itself has strong adaptability and excellent production performance. It produces large litters, has high survival rates, and produces numerous eggs. It also matures sexually early, shows clear estrus signs, and is easy to breed. Studies show that crossbreeds such as Yuehei (Yorkshire × Hanjiang Black Pig) and Changhei (Landrace × Hanjiang Black Pig) yield the most ideal results. Taking Yuehei as an example, the hybrid offspring’s average daily weight gain increases by 84%, and the lean meat proportion of the carcass rises by 8.95 percentage points. When these first-generation hybrids are used as dams, litter sizes increase by an average of 2.4 piglets. At the same time, the first-generation hybrids completely overcome physical disadvantages of the Hanjiang Black Pig, such as a large belly, sloping rump, and splayed legs. This hybrid model has been used in the main production areas of the Hanjiang Black Pig for over 20 years. In recent years, the Hanjiang Black Pig as a dam has gradually been replaced by other dam lines in crosses such as Changyue (Landrace × Yorkshire), Changhei (Landrace × Hanjiang Black Pig), and Yuehan (Yorkshire × Landrace), gradually shifting toward a production model focused mainly on (internal/external) two-way crossbreeding.

　　The Mian County Heihe Breeding Pig Farm selected and preserved a core conservation group of 100 foundation sows from over 600 sows in 1981 and 1990. After one and two parity test crosses and breeding performance evaluations, 10 family lines were chosen, with a focus on improving reproductive performance. After three generations of selection, the average litter size increased by 0.67 piglets. During the conservation and breeding process, a non-successive parity two-way crossbreeding method was used, including the cross patterns of Berkshire × Hanjiang Black Pig, Landrace × Hanjiang Black Pig, and Yorkshire × Hanjiang Black Pig. This approach supplied a large number of two-way crossbred sows to society and contributed significantly to the development of the local pig farming industry.