![]() Five Additional Pig Breeds. As promised in the March/April issue of Grit (“Grit’s Guide to Pigs”), here are five more breeds for you to consider adding to your property. The information came from Oklahoma State University, at www. ANSI. OKState. edu/breeds/swine. Landrace pigs were originally bred in Denmark, and it was due in large part to this pig that Denmark had such a booming bacon- export business. In 1. 93. 4, the U. S. Department of Agriculture received a shipment of (2. Pigford & Corey, LLC REALTORS® serves all your real estate needs. Call us at (601) 482-8515. Whether you are buying or selling a home, interested in. Five Additional Pig Breeds To complement "GRIT's Guide to Pigs," here are five more swine breeds to consider Caleb Regan. American Guinea Hog: A Small Pig Breed for Homesteaders A heritage hog breed, the American Guinea hog may be the best pig for your small homestead. Carnival is all about FUN! And that includes everything from spectacular entertainment to fun activities for the whole family to a delicious array of dining options. Pig gift donations can help a family in need. Your donation of a pig helps reduce world hunger with a sustainable income and a fertilizer for maximizing crops. Carol Ekarius in her book, Storey’s Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep Goats Cattle and Pigs) Landrace pigs from Denmark. Originally, the foundation for the American Landrace breed were pigs directly descended from the original imports, or those with a slight infusion of the Poland China breed. Shortly thereafter, 3. Norway carrying Norwegian, Danish and Swedish Landrace blood. These three variations of the Landrace are bred with the American Landrace today, broadening the breed’s genetic make- up. Hair on an American Landrace must be white for registration, and dark white spots are seen as undesirable. Freckles on the skin are permitted, but black hairs are not. FUNCTIONALITY: Meat, and sows are known for milk- producing and being prolific reproducers. APPEARANCE: White; long, straight back, with 1. SIZE: Large with long back. CONSERVATION STATUS: Population good. PLACE OF ORIGIN: United States (for the American Landrace), original Landrace from Denmark. KNOWN FOR: Milk production, good maternal proliferation. Lacombe. The Lacombe breed was originally conceptualized and bred at the Canadian Department of Agriculture Research Station in Lacombe, Alberta; hence the name. The foundation stock was formed by taking top Berkshire sows from Canada and mating them with imported Landrace- Chester White crossbred boars from the United States. It took 1. 2 years of selective breeding to arrive at the desired genetic output that is present today. In 1. 95. 4, all Lacombes that entered the breed were backcrossed with Berkshires, and any offspring with black hair were taken out of the gene pool. In 1. 95. 7, Lacombe boars were made available to the public, and the first sows a year later. At that time, they were estimated to contain 5. Landrace, 2. 3 percent Berkshire and 2. Chester White blood. Today, they are the fifth most popular breed in Canada, and they were designed to thrive in Canada – especially the central part of the country – although they are present in other countries. They have high fertility, and they are very hardy and docile. How to Start a Small Pig Farm Everything you need to know to buy, feed and raise pigs for meat. By Sarah Funk. About us “In Sacramento, Mad Butcher Meat is known as one of the most well-loved specialty shops in the area“. Save money by shopping at Piggly Wiggly grocery stores located in Wisconsin and Illinois. Don't forget we cater too! Shop savings, shop quality, shop The Pig! North Carolina Zip Code Listings 2016 At 53,819 square miles, North Carolina is the 28th largest state in America. Administratively North Carolina is divided into 552. FUNCTIONALITY: High quality meat, high fertility in both boars and sows, terminal sires. APPEARANCE: White; medium- sized; large, droopy ears; relatively short, strong legs. SIZE: Medium. CONSERVATION STATUS: Population extremely low and typically not available to farmers as breeding stock. PLACE OF ORIGIN: Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. KNOWN FOR: Fast growth in both boars and sows, hardiness, docility, Canadian origin. Minzhu. These pigs hail from extreme northern China. They were introduced to the United States through an effort headed by three organizations: the USDA, the University of Illinois and Iowa State University. The cold, dry climate of far northern China makes this breed tolerant of extremely cold temperatures and bad feeding conditions. Minzhu is believed to be mean “folk pig.” As a result, they have a tendency to be slow- growing and fatty, but the meat from the Minzhu is generally regarded to have a great taste. ![]() The Minzhu, because of their feeding tolerance, will forage on poor feed and other roughages, and they are very disease resistant. They are recognizable by their long, coarse black hair and grow a dense, woolen underbelly hair in the winter, enabling sows to give birth (farrow) in an open shed at temperatures as low as 4. Litter rate averages 1. FUNCTIONALITY: Good- tasting meat, maternal farm by- product and roughage cleanup. APPEARANCE: Long, coarse black hair with long bristles; dense woolen underbelly in the winter; large body size with narrow, level back and loin. SIZE: Large body size; sows grow to just under 3 feet tall. CONSERVATION STATUS: Healthy population, mostly in China. ![]() Click on a state to find the town with a Piggly Wiggly store nearest to you. Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned and operated, and some have a local website.![]() ![]() PLACE OF ORIGIN: Northern China. KNOWN FOR: Tasty meat; long, bristly hair; hardiness. The Saddleback came into existence by combining the gene pool of the Essex and Wessex breeds in England. Both the Essex and Wessex Saddleback pigs contributed to the development of the Hampshire prior to 1. Foundation stock of the Hampshire was exported to the United States beginning in 1. American Hampshire). The Saddleback and Hampshire breeds’ similarities begin with the appearance. Both are black with a white belt- like stripe – varying in width – that starts at about the front leg and runs down around the belly. ![]() The belt is seen as a mark of low heritability, but the size of it varies and has from the earliest existence of the breed. The white may extend almost the entire length of the body, or the opposite may be the case. Saddlebacks are meat pigs that have excellent maternal characteristics. They are a large breed and are excellent milkers. They have been used to produce sows that are cross- bred with white pigs for commercial production. FUNCTIONALITY: Meat, sows used for commercial reproduction. APPEARANCE: Black with white stripe of varying size, droopy ears. SIZE: Large. CONSERVATION STATUS: Healthy population in the United Kingdom. PLACE OF ORIGIN: England. BEST KNOWN FOR: Appearance with the white belt; sows have large litters. Welsh. The history of the Welsh swine breed is somewhat unknown. These pigs have been present in Wales as early as records indicate. Special breed improvement began in the 1. For breed improvement, Landrace blood was infused into the gene pool. Today, Welsh pigs are the third ranking breed in Britain, but there have only been a limited number of exports to other countries. The Welsh pig has relatively short legs, and this makes the back and torso seem extremely long. Sows average around 1. FUNCTIONALITY: Carcass yield, reproduction, cross- breeding with the Large White and British Landrace, two breeds not closely related. APPEARANCE: White, short legs making the back seem long, slightly dished face, muscular. SIZE: Short but medium body build. CONSERVATION STATUS: Healthy population. PLACE OF ORIGIN: Wales. BEST KNOWN FOR: High carcass yield, short legs. Caleb Reganand his wife, Gwen, live in rural Douglas County, Kansas, where they enjoy hunting, fishing, and raising and growing as much of their own food as they can. Caleb can’t imagine a better scenario than getting to work on a rural lifestyle magazine as a profession, and then living that same lifestyle right in the heartland of America. Connect with him on Google+. The American Guinea Hog: A Small Pig Breed for Homesteaders - Homesteading and Livestock. Few animals are as useful as pigs on the homestead. They have provided their owners with valuable lard to cook with and flavorful meat for the table for thousands of years. To many, they represented food security through lean times, because, prior to refrigeration, pigs served as an on- the- hoof food- storage system. Pigs can also perform a number of tasks around the farm. Their rooting behavior makes them natural rototillers, and they can help control unwanted species, such as snakes and rodents. When deciding whether pigs will work for you, don’t assume all breeds are similar. Hogs can grow into massive animals, with breeding boars tipping the scales at nearly 8. Some breeds produce large amounts of meat (1. A small breed such as the American Guinea hog may be the best choice for many homesteads. One Guinea hog will yield 6. This rare and storied breed has a fascinating history. One theory suggests the American Guinea hog could have a close association to the Improved Essex hog, a small British breed now extinct in the United Kingdom. DNA analysis conducted in 2. Canadian Animal Genetic Resources Program, led by Dr. Yves Plante in collaboration with The Livestock Conservancy, found that the Guinea hog’s genetics consistently cluster it with the Gloucestershire Old Spots pig. Because the Old Spots and the British Improved Essex share the Old English Pig and unimproved Berkshire in their foundation, these findings support the idea that our American Guinea hog is, in fact, descended from the British Improved Essex hog, which British farmers favored because it was hardy and could feed itself by foraging. During the Guinea hog’s heyday in the late 1. As the use of lard diminished, so did the American Guinea hog’s numbers. The breed was fairly common in the South up until the 1. These pigs were mainly kept on small farms and were used for meat and lard production, cross- breeding, and as yard pigs to till the garden and keep snakes away. By the 1. 99. 0s, there were fewer than 1. Guinea hogs left in the United States, and it is now considered one of the rarest heritage hog breeds. It is an easily managed, mild- mannered small pig breed that fattens well. These are great beginners’ pigs, with sows typically reaching only 1. Boars grow to approximately 2. You can expect a butchering weight of approximately 1. Home cooks will find pastured pork from American Guinea hogs to be rich enough in fat to stay succulent in cooking, whether in the high, dry heat of grilling and roasting or in the low- and- slow, moist heat of braising and barbecuing. Caring for a Guinea Hog. Guinea hogs are wonderfully adaptable to both cold and hot climates. During hot weather, provide ample water, shade and mud- bathing opportunities to keep the pigs comfortably cool. Move mud wallow locations every few weeks so algae and bacteria don’t build up and the water doesn’t become stagnant, which can be unhealthy for the pigs. Hogs can handle cold weather — but not if they’re wet. They need housing to keep them dry and out of the elements. Pigs particularly like deep straw bedding (6 to 1. The shelter should be sufficient for all the pigs in your herd to fully stretch out, up to 1. Several options are available for fencing hog enclosures. The most effective way to keep a pig inside an enclosure is to provide good food and a comfortable place to live. These essentials will prevent your pigs from wanting to escape. Effective physical barriers include welded metal hog panels secured to wooden or metal posts, which work as long as the pigs don’t dig or push under the panels. Electric fencing for pigs is another good option, given you provide proper training for the hogs. Introduce them to the “hot wire” with a solid barrier behind it, so when they touch the live wire for the first time, they will be more likely to back away from the physical barrier rather than try to push forward through the wire. Pigs are highly intelligent and need only one or two experiences with electric fencing before they learn to avoid it. You’ll not need the solid barrier behind the hot wire after the pigs learn to respect the electric barrier. The ideal enclosure replaces the solid barrier used in training with a fence of hog panels and a line of hot wire inside the fence about 6 inches off the ground. This will deter hogs from pushing on the panels or digging under them, and is also best for enclosing piglets. If using electric fencing alone, place one strand 6 inches off the ground, one at 1. And beware: Hogs will always know if the electricity goes out before you do. Solar chargers may be a better option than hard- wired units in areas prone to power outages. Space, Feed and Water Requirements. Pigs are kept in two types of outdoor free- range enclosures — dry lots and pasture. Dry lots are open areas where groups of pigs can range together freely. With this setup, you’ll need at least 1. Include dry areas with sure footing, plenty of shade during summer heat, and shelter from the cold. When managing hogs on pasture, you’ll need a minimum of 2 acres per pig if you don’t practice rotational grazing, but you can manage up to 1. Much depends on your location and the quality of your pasture. Pigs eat roughly 4 percent of their live weight daily — for instance, a 1. This could include kitchen scraps, restaurant waste, purchased grain or outdated milk, for example. Even with the finest pastures, your animals will need this supplemental feed; with high- quality forage, however, you can reduce supplemental feed by up to 1. Depending on your herd size, you have two options for purchasing grain: If you have a small herd, stick with bagged food; with a larger herd, bulk purchases will be more cost- effective. Feed should be used within six months to maintain optimal nutrition. Each Guinea hog will require 3 to 5 gallons of clean, fresh water daily. Lactating sows may require an additional 1 to 2 gallons per day. Automatic waterers, especially those that are frost- resistant, are a good option for providing ample, readily available clean water during both hot and cold weather, but aren’t required. The biggest challenge with raising the American Guinea hog is weight control — they put on weight more easily than other breeds. Overly heavy pigs will have fertility issues and eventually will have joint problems and lameness. Monitoring food intake will be very important to keep your pigs healthy and content. The Guinea is a social animal and will welcome a little company and a good back- scratching every day. Pastured Pork and Lard Production Keeping stress at a minimum is important when moving your pigs, and it’s rarely productive to try to make a pig do something it doesn’t want to do. If you’re moving pigs from one pen to an adjacent pen, food is often a successful motivator. For longer distances, desensitize the pigs to the shipping crate or trailer that you’ll use to move them ahead of time. Start by placing it in the enclosure with the pigs and feed them inside of it daily. Over several days or a week’s time, the pigs will learn to become comfortable in that space and, eventually, you can close the door behind them. If you do need to urge them forward or push them into an area, use a baffle board so that your legs are protected from potential bites or accidental grazing by tusks. Guinea hogs are making a comeback, thanks to the increasing demand for pastured pork and the rising popularity of charcuterie, or cured meats, such as ham, bacon and salami, as well as specialty cuts, such as lomo and prosciutto. Chef Craig Deihl (pictured above) of Cypress restaurant in Charleston, S. C., was one of the first chefs to embrace the Guinea as a fine charcuterie pig with an ample supply of bright- white, flavorful lard. When the pigs have grazed on acorns and forest mast, the resulting meat and lard have a beautiful, earthy flavor. Another benefit of pasturing and foraging is that the pork will have higher levels of omega- 3 fats, which are essential to a healthy diet for humans. The flavorful Guinea has become the toast of Charleston, thanks to Deihl, and its fame has spread to restaurants throughout the South, from Georgia to Virginia. While most meat processors will have no issues with these smaller hogs, it’s wise to confer with your processor before you take your pig in for butchering. If you’re interested in charcuterie, discuss this in advance with the processor, to be sure you’ll receive caul fat and other nose- to- tail cuts from your animal, if you want them. Guinea hogs are small enough that, should you choose to have your animal returned to you whole or halved, further butchering can be finished in a home kitchen. American Guinea Hog Resources. If you think American Guinea hogs may be a good choice for your needs, find breeders, discover more about this breed, and learn about raising pigs in general from these sources. Will III and Karen K.
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