Compare and Contrast Heritage Breeds?

[oxhill]

I have been lurking for a bit and I see a lot of comparison between Large Blacks and GOS but I was wondering if anyone had a good link or personal experience to compare and contrast some of the other heritage breeds? How well do they do raised in the old homestead fashion? temperament? Meat type and quality? etc..

My personal interest is in GOS, Large Blacks, Tamworth, Mulefoot and Red Wattle.

Thank you.

Andrew

 

[bonbean01]

Welcome Oxhill

We don't have pigs here...yet...but hubby is interested in getting a few in the spring, so I will be following the answers you get. Some very experienced people on here that will be able to answer your questions.

Have been checking out the Pig section to see just what we'd be looking at as far as feeding and housing requirements. I'm not sold on getting pigs yet, but do have an addiction to bacon

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

- From the Great State of North Carolina!!


I'm betting that soon Cornish Heritage will answer you're questions soon. She is great when it comes to pigs. It seems like she knows everything about them. ahah

 

[Cricket]

My new piglets are Tamworth/Berkshire crosses, so I can't help. Think maybe it's all good!

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Hey Andrew

I'm betting that soon Cornish Heritage will answer you're questions soon. She is great when it comes to pigs. It seems like she knows everything about them. ahah

LOL! Now I'm blushing. I do not know everything about pigs but will share what I know about each breed you mentioned:

Tamworths - never had them but have spoken to other breeders who tell me that the Tamworths are very highly strung & not as laid back as other heritage breeds. A little on the "barky" side. However there is a breeder in TX who crosses the Large Blacks with the Tamworths creating the "Blackworth" which is supposed to be an excellent meat hog.

Red Wattles - have raised these in the past. Great hogs. Good tasting pork, fairly laid back, good mothers with good sized litters. Do root a little more than the Large Blacks. We crossed the Large Blacks with the Red Wattles to create a Black Wattle. Registry is run by the ALBC - very efficient.

GOS - raised these for a while - in fact we were one of the few farms in the USA with all four color groups. The GOS are known as a sausage/lard hog. They are stockier than the Large Blacks, root a little more than the LB's, fairly good temperaments & good mothers. Registry undergone some changes over the last year or so and is in much better shape. There is a big breeder in New York state that supplies alot of the restaurants up there - they use every part of the hog even the lard as "herbed butter."

Mulefoot - once again never raised these but do know some breeders who do. The registry is in a mess! There is one couple running it & I have heard a LOT of complaints over the last couple months which is a real shame. IMO the Association needs a shake up & a board of directors needs to be put in place in order to preserve this breed. This is a hardy breed that does well on pasture but I have heard complaints of small litters. However having not raised them ourselves I do not have any personal experience of them.

Large Blacks - for Richard & I this breed is the best overall. Does not mean they are perfect but overall they are the best. They are superb mothers, both boars & sows are very laid back. Of course you get the odd one that doesn't perform as it should & then we enjoy that as sausage and bacon etc. They are known more as a bacon pig as they have long backs. They do not have large hams. In fact a Large Black's front shoulders are normally bigger than its rear end. Still taste good. We have been raising the LB's for over 4 years now & just had Litter #45 - love them. They graze like cows - so fascinating to watch them. We let them farrow out on pasture which does have its risks (just lost a litter born in a tremendous thunderstorm) but on the whole they do great. They will root a little but not big holes & not the whole pasture. You can walk out in our pastures & see lots of green grass/weeds.

The meat from most heritage breeds is very deep pink - it is not the other "white" meat. Our Large Black stew meat is almost the color of beef. Very tender & tasty - does not need a lot of seasoning like the "stuff" you buy from the grocery store.

Hope this helps,

Liz

 

[oxhill]

Thank you for the information. Good point about the registry. I didn't think to ask!

 

[Dino]

Why nothing about the Berkshire? Supposedly it is the oldest saxon breed as I understand? Something that I've noticed is there seems to be a similar counterpart betwixt the two types (ears up or ears down)... am I wrong? Ie... York vs Landrace, Berkshire vs Poland China... etc.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Correct me if I am wrong but I think the Berkshires are actually more classified as a "commercial" pig. They are definitely not one of the breeds on the ALBC site - (American Livestock Breed Conservancy) & although many are raised on pasture I personally don't actually class them as a "heritage" pig. I know absolutely NOTHING about a Berkshire but a Yorkshire, for example, has been "played around with SO much genetics wise that it is no longer like it's ancestors therefore not a heritage breed. Just like a Holstein cow - it was NEVER created to have such a huge bag originally.

The Yorkshires are now bred for their large litters, personality or mothering instincts are not considered that much. A) Their confined lives are not that long - maybe 3 litters, 4 if you are lucky. B) They do not have to be naturally good mothers as they have no choice - crammed in a small area where they can either stand or lie down.

Liz

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

We have Red Wattles and RW Crosses.

Have found them to be much better than our Durocs in pasture conversion and tolerance of temperature extremes. They do not do well on the traditional "waste food slop" diet that some people feed back yard pigs. They are carb sensitive and can get laminitis if they get into high concentrate feeds or too much sugar..

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Have found them to be much better than our Durocs in pasture conversion and tolerance of temperature extremes.

True heritage pigs tend to be much hardier & healthier and are able to adapt to all temps as long as they have shelter & somewhere to wallow when hot.

Enjoy your RW's - they are a great breed & taste good too.

Liz