EXOTIC PIGS RECEIVE DIFFERENT FATTENING DURATIONS FROM BHUTANESE FARMERS

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to assess the fattening period followed by Bhutanese pig farmers for exotic breeds of pig and estimate the final carcass weight at village level. A close ended questionnaire was used for the field survey. In total, 274 households were interviewed between February to April, 2017. Respondents either owned pigs at the time of interview or had fresh experience of rearing pigs. About 77% of respondents owned exotic breeds of pigs and the remaining 23% reared local breeds of pigs, including the crosses. About 63% of respondents fattened exotic pigs for duration more than 11 months before slaughter, while about 37% of respondents fattened for more than 12 months. Over 68% of respondents achieved carcass weight of more than 70 kg per pig. Generally, about 42% of respondents achieved carcass weight of more than 70 kg per pig within the fattening duration of 8-11 months. About 82% of respondents practiced wet feeding comprising thin stillage (waste from a distillery of Army Welfare Project) and kitchen wastes mixed with other locally available feed resources. However, such feeding practices appear to have not met the nutritional requirement of pigs, which likely contributed to slow growth and prolonged fattening period. To achieve more carcass weight in short duration, farmers need to adopt proper feeding management with balanced ration.