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Karmaly - not pig breed in fact, it is a heterotic hybrid between the Mangal and the Vietnamese pot-bellied fish. The offspring from crossing as a result of heterosis have better productive qualities than the original breeds. But the appearance of animals is obtained according to the principle “how the genes fall.”
You can even compare photos of Karmal pigs:
In the first one, Karmal's appearance is closer to Mangal. In the second photo, Karmal has clear features of the Vietnamese Pot-bellied. But the wool is somewhat thicker.
If we remember that Mangal is a hybrid between the Hungarian Mangalitsa and wild boar, then sometimes the result of such “double hybridization” is impressive. And it’s good if the Karmal pig breed is impressed by its productive characteristics and tasty meat, and not by the character and habits of a wild boar.
Who is Karmal
First of all, it should be mentioned that Karmal is sometimes called a hybrid with a Korean pig. This opinion raises certain doubts, since although Korean pigs are close relatives of the Vietnamese pig and also descend from the wild Chinese boar, “Korean pigs” are little known in the world.
In Korea, these animals were kept for a long time as disposers of human waste, and they are still poorly known in the world.Only in the 60s of the last century did they begin to change the diet of Korean pigs to a more civilized one, and for maintenance, instead of a pit under a latrine, they began to build pigsties.
In the CIS, there is no distinction between the Vietnamese and Korean breeds. And if you add here various Chinese breeds, also descended from the same wild Chinese boar, then you can get completely confused.
There are two types of Karmaly pigs: a hybrid of F1 Mangala with Korean and a cross with backcrossing. Second option: F1 is again crossed with Mangal. For this reason, despite the effect of heterosis, the weight of Karmal can be very different. Vietnamese ones reach a maximum weight of 150 kg. Barbecues can weigh 300 kg. An adult F1 hybrid weighs 220 kg. Where is the effect of heterosis? In improving the quality of meat. If you need to get a larger animal, F1 is crossed again with Mangal. The weight of the resulting pig, Karmal, already reaches 150 kg in six months. The taste characteristics of meat from a Karmal breed of pig with 75% Mangal blood are better than those of the original breeds, but in appearance this cross is difficult to distinguish from Mangal.
The main difficulty with the hybrid is that in photos and even in real life, the Karmal pig can easily be confused with a Vietnamese or Mangal pig. Unscrupulous breeders take advantage of this by selling Vietnamese piglets, which have become much cheaper today, under the guise of expensive Karmals.
The only guaranteed way to get exactly Karmala is to cross the Mangala sow with a Vietnamese boar yourself.To obtain the second version of Mangal, you will need to cross the Mangal sow with an F1 boar.
Advantages of Karmal
Karmal combines the positive qualities of the Vietnamese pig and the Mangal. With adequate feeding, Karmal reaches sexual maturity at 4 months, like the Vietnamese pot-bellied cat. By the age of one year, Karmal reaches 200 kg, like Mangal.
The big question is which breed has the advertised low amount of fat. According to reviews from the owners of Karmalov piglets, after slaughter no one has a layer of lard more than 3 fingers thick. Vietnamese pigs are distinguished by a relatively small amount of fat gained.
None of the original rocks have this property. You can get lean meat from Vietnamese if you keep them on a “diet” without giving them grains. But the lard still adheres tightly to the meat and must be cut off.
Mangals inherited from Mangalits the ability to accumulate fat between muscle fibers. With high-quality fattening, they also gain fat well and this also needs to be cut off.
Karmal's frost resistance clearly comes from the Mangal breed. Karmalov, like Mangals and Hungarian Mangalitsa, can be kept outside in winter. Their fur is thick enough to withstand winter cold.
As an advertisement, the advantages often indicate an easy-going and good-natured character. But it depends on your luck and how tame the animal turns out to be. The wild boar is the most dangerous inhabitant in the forest. Neither tigers, nor wolves, nor bears associate with adult individuals.If the boar genes “jump” in Karmal, then he is unlikely to be docile and good-natured.
Another advantage is strong immunity, which supposedly does not require vaccinations. A very dangerous misconception that contributes to the spread of epizootics.
Piglets, are there any differences?
Information on the external and productive characteristics of Karmalov piglets is also quite contradictory. Some sources claim that all Karmalats are born striped, like wild boars. Others prove that piglets of the Karmal breed can have almost any color at birth:
- striped;
- “smooth” gray;
- red;
- black.
There are just no statements about the birth of white or piebald piglets. Which is quite strange, since there are photos of Karmalov piglets of pinto or white color next to their same-color striped brothers.
We can assume that this is a photo of a mixed herd of piglets of various breeds. But a photo of a piebald sow of the Karmal breed with piglets refutes this assumption. Not only is the sow piebald, but so are the piglets themselves.
With age, piglets' stripes disappear, just like wild boars.
According to reviews of Karmaly piglets, from the age of one month they can be kept in an open pen in the winter. But if you need not just a piglet of an exotic breed, but a well-fed pig, it is better not to keep young animals in such conditions. Even in the case of young wild animals in the cold winter, growth slows down greatly or stops altogether. Young animals begin to grow again only with the onset of warm weather.
Wild animals are not interested in daily weight gain, but humans are very important. Keeping a piglet for up to a year instead of 6 months is not profitable.Therefore, feeding and caring for Karmal piglets is the same as for young animals of other breeds.
Even the video shows that due to the fact that the piglets are hybrids, littermates have very strong differences. Productive characteristics will also be different.
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Adult Karmals can actually be kept in the open air, providing them with shelter from the rain. During periods of rapid growth, piglets require a closed room where the temperature will not drop below 15°C. For both adults and young animals, straw is laid on the floor, in which the pigs can burrow to retain warmth.
Feeding
What to feed Karmal depends on the purpose of keeping him. The diet of an animal for fattening is dominated by grain feed and grain feed.
No, Karmals are not herbivorous pigs as they are advertised on many sites. These are omnivores. Like any omnivorous animal, for normal digestion they need fiber, which they get from grass while grazing in the summer. In winter, Karmals need to be given root vegetables and other vegetables.
Karmals will be able to live on pasture alone, but in this case there is no need to expect productivity from them. Their diet should also contain animal proteins, which pigs can get from dairy products. You can also add meat and bone meal to your diet. Breeding stock not intended for slaughter are also given fish and fishmeal.
Reviews
Conclusion
Reviews about Karmaly pigs are very different. This happens due to the fact that Karmal is a hybrid. Consequently, even in the same litter there can be piglets with completely different characteristics. It is also impossible to say anything now about the real productive characteristics of the Karmals, since there is too little statistical data. It's still exotic. It is not yet known whether the Karmal hybrid will take its place in private farmsteads or whether pig farmers will prefer another breed of pig.
