Performance of pigs reared under traditional tribal low input production system and chemical composition of non-conventional tropical plants used as pig feed

The present study was carried out to document the pig rearing practices followed by the tribal farmers, to analyze the proximate composition of commonly used non-conventional feed stuffs and to study the growth performance of pigs under low input traditional pig production system. The study was conducted over a period of two and half years (2003–2005) in Mizoram, a hilly tribal state of North Eastern India. A total number of 320 farmers were surveyed all over the state (40 farmers per district in eight districts). The non-conventional pig feed materials/plants were collected, identified and evaluated for proximate composition. Besides this, a total number of 200 home made cooked ready to serve pig feed samples were collected from all over the state and analyzed for proximate composition. The average dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract, total ash and nitrogen free extract content of ready to serve pig feed were 14.80 ± 2.79, 6.66 ± 2.14, 31.65 ± 8.09, 4.71 ± 1.99, 6.89 ± 2.27 and 50.17 ± 5.86, respectively. Eight male and seven female piglets of each Hampshire, Large White Yorkshire (LWY) and Nondescript local pigs, reared by 15 different farmers were selected randomly to assess the growth performance under low input production system. There was significant (p < 0.05) difference in body weight between Hampshire, LWY and Nondescript local pigs throughout the study period. At 9 month age, the body weight of Hampshire, LWY and Nondescript local pigs were 50.50 ± 0.34, 48.68 ± 0.42 and 32.88 ± 0.35 kg, respectively. The average age at first farrowing was 14.58 ± 0.26, 14.23 ± 0.32, and 12.11 ± 2.51 months for Hampshire, LWY and nondescript local pigs, respectively. The litter size at birth varied from 7.40 ± 0.40 in nondescript local pigs to 10.44 ± 0.59 in LWY pigs. The litter size at weaning was 5.20 ± 0.66, 8.06 ± 0.66 and 8.33 ± 0.55 for Nondescript local, LWY and Hampshire pigs.