BIOCHEMICAL AND MINERAL PARAMETERS IN PIGS OF TWO BREEDS REARED IN LARGE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES OF WESTERN SIBERIA

Pig farming has a long tradition in Russian agriculture. The objectives of the present study were to investigate some indicators of blood biochemistry and hematology, and mineral metabolism in pigs (aged 6 months) of Landrace and Kemerovskaya breeds reared and kept in large industrial complexes named “Chistogorsky” and “Altaimyasoprom” (250 thousand heads in each) and to determine differences between two breeds in biochemical, hematological and mineral parameters. The Kemerovskaya breed belonged to local one but the Landrace breed was introduced from Ireland 3 generations ago. Concentrations of albumins, urea and phosphorus were higher in the Landrace breed then in the Kemerovskaya breed. In contrast, there was increased concentration of globulins and AST activity in animals of the Kemerovskaya breed in comparison with the Landrace breed. In addition, there were differences between breeds in some hematological indices and mineral metabolism parameters excluding phosphorus. The average population levels of the parametersinvestigated in two pig breeds could be used as reference values to evaluate animal’s interior at other pig farms in Western Siberia. The selected biochemical indices are recommended to farmers to assess the physiological status of animals in large industrial pig-raising plants