Adventures in Pig Raising

Pig raising. A new adventure for us :)

My honey has always loved pigs, he even has
some figurines he calls "Pigurines" :)

We have been wanting to venture into animal raising, my hopes were Mini-Jerseys, but Michael had his heart set on hogs.

After a year or two worth of researching different varieties, we settled upon Large Blacks. That is the breed name, not just how they look.

Large Blacks are a heritage breed and also critically endangered on the list for the Livestock Conservancy website.

They are originally from Cornwall, England and are known for having a docile temperament, great mothering skills, their large ears (and sensitive hearing), and their size. A mature Sow can get as large as 600-700 pounds and the Boars 700-800 pounds. Their meat is marbled like beef and is a darker color than regular pork. We plan on breeding the Large Blacks not only for the freezer but to keep the breed going.

Meet.....Endeavour

 

Our Large Black Boar. He is such a lover! He gives me cuddles whenever he sees me :)

Meet.....Rosie

Okay, now you are probably wondering why she isn't black :)

Rosie is our rescue pig :) We found out that pigs are herding animals and we weren't able to get a Large Black gilt right away so we picked up Rosie so Endeavour would have some company. She has a different personality, that's for sure. When we got her she was not very healthy. Really we should have left the place we purchased her from. My husband felt sorry for her so we brought her home. It has been great seeing her thrive and she is so much healthier now. Rosie is a Hampshire/Duroc cross.

Meet.....Trudy

Trudy is out Little One but growing fast! She squeals like you wouldn't believe and is finally getting more comfortable around us. When we brush the other pigs she comes over whimpering for attention and sounds like a squeak toy at times :)

I used to be afraid to raise livestock since neither  my husband or myself had any experience. Not even chickens! So far, we are loving it.

~smile~