There are 16 species of breeds you can choose from to start pig farming in Nigeria. And guess what? Pigs interbred easily. You can easily interbreed a domesticated pig with a wild pig, and trust me, you will get the desired results. With domesticated pigs, you have hundreds of breeds to choose from. Although, commercial pig farms concentrate on about 25 pig breeds. The kind of pig farming you intend to venture into will determine the breed of pig to rear. For instance, lean pigs are recommended for producing streaky or belly bacon.
Without further ado, let’s have a quick look at the types of pigs in Nigeria. It makes sense to stray a bit from our main topic and dig a little into this sub-topic, because the type of pigs you rear will determine your productivity in pig farming. We won’t go into the full details in this article, so check our resources for the article that talks deeply about the best breeds of pigs to rear in Nigeria.
There are four common pig breeds in Nigeria- Duroc, Landrace, Yorkshire, and Hampshire. Some commercial pig farmers also rear the crosses of the pig breeds mentioned. These pig breeds have high resistance to disease and a good conversion rate. The Hampshire is best for bacon production, while the Duroc is great for pork, thanks to their fast growth rate. The Landrace and the Yorkshire are recommended for upgrading local pigs because of their valuable traits and economic characteristics.