Pig Breeds
All About the Major Pig Breeds
There are eight main pig breeds that are used for breeding purposes, in the United States. The five breeds that are darker – Spot, Poland China, Hampshire, Duroc and Berkshire – are most well known for their ability as sires to pass on their meatiness, leanness and durability to their get. The white breeds – Yorkshire, Landrance and Chester White – are very adept at reproducing good-sized produce, and mothering them.
Here is some information about the main pig breeds:
The Yorkshire is the breed that is most sought-after. These are good mothering sows, and they have many piglets in their litters. They have a big, long frame and they are white, with ears that stand erect.
The Chester White is solid white in color and has droopy, medium-sized ears. They also have good-sized litters, and they have a great ability for mothering. The Chester White boars tend to be aggressive.
The Berkshire is one of the pig breeds that is darker in color. They are black overall, with white on their legs, tail and nose. They have a dished and short snout, and ears that stand erect. They are very virile as sires and they work well even in areas that are enclosed.
The Duroc hogs are most notable for their ability to grow quickly and make good use of their feed. They have droopy ears and are reddish in color. This breed needs less feed to make muscle than the others.
The Hampshire hogs are mainly black, with a white belt-like shape that goes around one front leg, over their shoulder and back down the other front leg. They are meaty and lean, and sellers like this breed.
The Poland China hogs have six parts of white on bodies colored black. They have droopy, medium-sized ears, and they are good at producing carcasses that are meaty, and that have large loin eyes.
The Spot is one of the pig breeds that is almost all one color. It is black with one white spot, hence its name. These hogs produce pigs with an excellent rate of growth.
The Landrance hog is a white pig, and is best known for having sows that are excellent mothers. They have long bodies and floppy, large ears. They have the best success rate of pigs living beyond the weaning stage.
There is no one superior breed of swine. Select your animals from any of the pig breeds, making sure that each individual has good conformation and a good history of siring or throwing big, healthy litters. Base your selections on the character traits that you can see, and on information about relatives, if that information is available. The best of feeder pigs should look alert, vigorous, thrifty and healthy.