Mangalitsa Pigs

Facts about Mangalitsa Pigs, The "Mangalitsa pig" are believed to originate from Hungary. This is not proven though according to statistics they are widely reared in Hungary. The Mangalitsa Pig are known by different names in Europe and United States. The Europeans call them Mangalitsa whereas the Americans call them Mangalitza pigs. But their original name and spelling is actually Mangalica.

Mangalitsa pigs are breeds developed from old pigs known as Hungarian. Hungarian pigs were crossed bred with the wild boars of Europe at first. Afterwards they were crossed with Serbian breeds and Alfold breeds. Hungarian pigs are hardy and believed to be extinct. The cross breeding of these pigs was done in the 18th century. Later in the 19th century, the breeds were improved with the purpose of making them better.

Mangalitsa pigs have a very big resemblance with sheep. Most people mistake them to be sheep if they do not look at them closely. Their hair is long and curly, a feature that is not very common with pigs. The only pig that had such feature was Lincolnshire Curly Coat of England. This too is believed to be extinct.

Mangalitsa Pigs can carry a variety of diseases and can pass them to humans. Pigs have small lungs compared to their body size.

The term Swine: is any variety of omnivorous, even-toed ungulates of the family Suidae, this includes hogs, boars and pigs having a short neck, thick skin a movable snout and a stout body.

Mangalitsa pigs feed on pasture that can be supplemented with other foods like pumpkins and potatoes. This makes rearing them easier because these foods are mostly grown on our farms. The Mangalitsa Pig are heavy feeders and when left free ranging they feed on their own.

Mangalitsa pigs meat is lean considered with other pig breeds. This has led to the breed replacement by other types of breeds that have a high production of meat.

The meat of Mangalitsa pigs prepares variety of dishes. Sausages are most common though it is good for minced meat too. People who have consumed its meat confess that it is tender, juicier and very sweet. Suckling pigs produces fresh and more juicier meat, and so most prefer to slaughter them at that age.

In Europe, farmers prefer to set the Mangalitsa Pig free. If kept in pig houses, it is wise to feed them with foods that are rich in protein in order to produce pigs that are large with stockier bodies.

Mangalitsa Pigs are very intelligent, not like people think, that pigs are dumb animals. A Mangalitsa Pig can drink between 10 to 14 gallons (37.8 to 53 liters)of water in a day. Mangalitsa Pigs are omnivores like humans, an omnivores, (definition-they eat both other animals and plants). The Mangalitsa Pig snout is its most important tool for finding food. The pigs snout is used for their excellent sense of smell and have poor eyesight.

The Mangalitsa Pig young ones are born with stripes all over their body. This is one of the features of wild boars. Their mother takes care of them ensuring that they feed well.

At around 12 months, they are ready for slaughtering. This though differs because some farmers prefer to wait longer. They claim that the purpose of waiting is to allow fattening. But in the UK market, it does not like buying the fat ones claiming that they have excessive fats.

Mangalitsa pigs were very common back in 1950. Most households were rearing these pigs for their sweet meat. By then, they were around 30,000 in Hungary alone. Recently, the number has reduced significantly. The reason for that is that they go in search of foods in other places. There are families that keep them, though they do that as a hobby, not for commercial use.

There are reported to be around 7,000 Mangalitsa pigs in Hungary presently and produce an average of 60,000 piglets in a year.

The saliva of Mangalitsa Pigs contains pheromones-( A chemical substance used to attract a mate) similar to that of other pig breeds that communicate their sexual wants. The male Mangalitsa Pigs discharge this steroid and female pigs will go to vast lengths to acquire a smell of the sent.
Mangalitsa Pigs are raised for there meat such as ham, sausage, bacon and pork chops. Pigs can make great pets. "A wild male pig is called a boar"- meaning uncastrated male pig, that lives in the wild and can be hunted. "Feral pig or hog is defined as a wild boar" can be a very big danger where humans habitat.

Mangalitsa Pigs unlike is said, happen to be very clean animals. Pigs make sure their bathroom area is far away from where they eat, lie down and rest, even piglets (baby pigs) will find a place to go to the bathroom, far away from their nest. A Mangalitsa Pig averages 6 to 10 baby piglets in a litter and will have two to three litters per year. The sow Mangalitsa Pig nurse their piglets for about three to five weeks. When Piglets are weaned off of their mother’s milk, they are not called piglets but are known as shoats. Piglets at birth weigh about 2.5 pounds (1.1 kilograms), and on average, will double their weight in one week.

Mangalitsa Pigs Feet

The four feet and four toes of the pig are called "trotters" that humans eat as a delicacy called pigs feet or pigs knuckles. A Mangalitsa Pigs foot has four toes that are pointed downwards when the pig walks, it walks on the tips of its toes, rather than its whole foot and only uses two of the toes in the middle and the outside toes for balance. The Mangalitsa Pig has tougher feet at the ends that are hooves. The two toes in the middle of the foot are slightly webbed, this helps the pigs balance for walking.

Mangalitsa Pigs have 44 teeth when full grown, when they are baby pigs (piglets) the have 28 teeth which will fall out when they are 12 months old. Just like human teeth, the pig has an enamel coating that makes the pigs teeth stronger and helps it curb disease. Mangalitsa Pigs chew their food because pigs have a digestive system similar to a human digestive system and cannot digest food that is not chewed.

A pig is the last of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. The pig represents, happiness, honesty, fortune and virility in China. A female adult Mangalitsa Pig is called a (sow) and the male adult Mangalitsa Pig is called a (boar). The lifespan of a Mangalitsa Pig is between 9 and 15 years

Mangalitsa Pigs do not sweat a lot, that's why they cover themselves in the mud to keep their bodies cool. The expression "sweating like a pig" comes from a reference to pig iron, which comes form iron smelting.
"Scientific name for Pig Sus scrofa", the wild swine (Boar) from the old world with a narrow body and prominent tusks is from where most domestic swine come from. The "fear of pigs Swinophobia".