Ossabaw x Berkshire

[islandgal99]

I am experimenting - partially for my own curiosity, partially to satisfy a constant request for "freezer pigs" and larger heritage style hogs, and partially because the opportunity presented itself. I have read that the outcrosses are very evident, and so wanted to see for myself. And I do have requests to breed heritage girls to my boar, but I haven't been able to say what the piglets will be like.

I was able to obtain 2 F1 Ossabaw x Berkshire sows. This was the dad with one of the Berkshire ladies...I don't know if a stool was provided or not, but he apparently got the job done even though he's much smaller!






These F1 girls are very tame, very well mannered and very Berkshire in looks and size. I was curious to know how many generations after an outcross it would take for the Ossabaw traits to become dominant again. Well F1 generation in what I see in the two mommas, there is a whole lot of Berkshire and the only thing Ossabaw are the spots and some of the head traits.

And here is the F2 generation - which are already looking to be built more like Berkshires with the body shape, head shape and thick haunches, and they are growing like weeds but all my piglets do. I have another litter I'm anxiously waiting for...

 

[Baymule]

What a litter of cuties! Makes me want pigs! Actually want to get my feet wet this coming spring with a couple of feeder pigs, then butcher in the fall. I may do that a few times, then decide if I want to "take that next step". LOL Your pigs are beautiful and I am very interested in your breeding experiment. Be sure to keep us updated.

 

[Baymule]

Your tag says you are on the new farm now, care to enlighten us? (we just signed papers yesterday on a house on 8 acres 160 miles from here to be closer to our DD, DSIL, grandkids)

 

[islandgal99]

We moved to our small farm in January, though some of my pigs and sheep lived here for 6 months before I did! We have had our share of trials and challenges this year, including a broken tailbone one month in, a snowstorm collapsing our chicken house, having to re-fence all the cross fencing because ONE pig taught all the others how to escape the electric nets, the line from our well to the house has broken - twice - and 600 yards in length currently remains broken, so we were scrambling to capture some of that beautiful rain into our cistern. My location for the market garden turns out to be a boulder bed, but we're too far into it to change it now, so we're pulling big boulders out as we prepare the permanent raised beds for next year. Lots of challenges. I was fortunate to discover the Ossabaw Island Hogs, quite by chance really, and now have the largest herd in Canada of them. The minute I set eyes on them I knew they were for me. We currently have 47 hogs including 3 litters of babies, and we use every square inch of outside land for the livestock, and the basement for hatching too! People are usually shocked when the find out we've been here less than a year - it's easy to fill things up. I just secured another 5 acres for pig pasture though...

 

[Baymule]

If you don't mind my asking, how many acres is your farm and how many acres does it take for you 47 pigs? I have been on permies.com studying pastured pigs and I like the whole idea of happy, healthy animals. We just bought 8 acres. We have 3 horses and a mule (holes in your pockets you dump money in LOL) 20 chickens, 3 ducks, 3 dogs, one of which is my chicken guarding Great Pyrenees. I want to start with feeder pigs, but might veer off into raising them. I have to try them out, so to speak, first.

Part of the 8 acres will be for a HUGE garden and a fruit orchard. I love reading Walter Jefferies web site, he raises pigs on 70 acres. I think he has something like 1,000 acres, total, but is on a mountain side and much of it is in timber. http://sugarmtnfarm.com/home/
Tons of information on his site. I have read about constructing double fencing, planting fruit and nut trees down the middle. The double fencing protects the trees from the pigs and drops fruit and nuts in their pens for what is basically, free feed that you don't have to handle. So many ideas!

Thank you for sharing your own farming experiences with us. I have learned so much from others on this site and several others, that my own fledgling efforts will have a better chance of being successful.

 

[islandgal99]

The 47 is including 3 litters of babies, so I have 1 boar, 8 sows, 22 babies and the rest are eating pigs growing out. I have 5 acres, 2 is a large wooded area for the herd when they are not with baby though I've had 3 litters born out there with no problems, another acre is the baby and baby raising area, 1/2 acre is poultry and the rest is in sheep. When I secure the 5 acres beside me, that will be mostly for pigs, and I plan to set up a pasture rotation system and re-seed the entire property with higher protein permaculture type seeds blend with 22 different plants in it, hopefully cutting down my feed bill for next year.

 

[Baymule]

Ok, now I have to ask what is in your 22 different plant mix? LOL

 

[islandgal99]

I can look it up if you like. It's mostly perennials and uses mostly plants native or that grow well in our area, with deep roots that can handle a little nuzzling by the pigs. I think that's the trick, is to find plants that will grow in your local area without being weeds to your community - but some of those weeds make great pasture plants - look at dandelion! It's meant to provide a variable diet to the pigs, sheep and poultry as they rotate through the areas. I won't know how effective it is/was till late next year.

 

[Baymule]

I already have a bag of dandelion seeds I saved from mine this year. I let them grow wild in my garden, pick the flowers, pull the petals and make tea, jelly and wine from them. I also already bought turnip and daikon radish seeds to plant in the pig area. I plan to toss in some rye grass seeds as well. But a 22 seed mix? Oh, I have to know what else I can plant! LOL

 

[islandgal99]

The seeds will include: Orchard grass, Perennial Ryegrass, Indian Ricegrass, Annual Ryegrass, Crested Wheatgrass, Single Cut Red Clover, Ladino (white) Clover, Sainfoin, Small Burnet, Birdsfoot Trefoil, chicory, plaintain, dandilion, kale, sunflower, and then in small quantities echinacia, western yarrow, blue flax, yellow prairie coneflower, calendula, chickweed and a bit of oats and winter wheat to kickstart the program and provide some bulk and shade over the winter.