what kind of pig to get ?

[cluckinforfun]

TOTAL newbie always open to experienced info !! first time interest and no clue what breed to get the best out of . this country thing is all new to me but life is goood ! I have a wonderful mentor who says look it up and ask questions... bring me back whatcha found and we'll discuss it !

 

[cassie]

What do you want this pig for? My personal favorites are Durocs and Yorkshires. The ones I have had have been gentle, good mothers, and if raised for butcher they make a good carcass because of their long bodies. They tend to be lean and well muscled.

 

[cluckinforfun]

Thus is my first but I want to raise for meat. And I considered the possibility of letting a pair breed and raising a few to sell

 

[Fred's Hens]

Might want to spend some time with a full grown boar and see if this is something you're really interested in. To say they are huge is an understatement. LOL

Love the Duroc/Yorkshire cross.

 

[cluckinforfun]

I was truly amazed at how huge and lazy they can be especially the ones I've seen here that are just backyard pets a 200 lb pot York ie mix wow !

 

[piggirl19]

i would say try to find a yorkshire cross if you want a good mother and good meat. these pigs have wonderful mothering abilities... usually just make sure if you get one for breeding make sure they have a good underline that will allow them to raise 12-14 babies otherwise you might have problems with starving babies.they are also good for meat . they have a lot of meat on them and they do eat a lot so make sure they don't get to much fat on them. i wouldn't get a duroc they are very tempermental and they have smaller litters. they are good for meat but some of them like to bite. my personal favorite is a yorkshire/hampshire cross will give you big litters and are generally very docile if you spend some time with them. some people will refer to them as blue butts they are a white pig with grey spots generally on their face and or butts hense the name blue but they are also very meaty animals

 

[cluckinforfun]

Thank you so much I'm iso one right now

 

[cassie]

i would say try to find a yorkshire cross if you want a good mother and good meat. these pigs have wonderful mothering abilities... usually just make sure if you get one for breeding make sure they have a good underline that will allow them to raise 12-14 babies otherwise you might have problems with starving babies.they are also good for meat . they have a lot of meat on them and they do eat a lot so make sure they don't get to much fat on them. i wouldn't get a duroc they are very tempermental and they have smaller litters. they are good for meat but some of them like to bite. my personal favorite is a yorkshire/hampshire cross will give you big litters and are generally very docile if you spend some time with them. some people will refer to them as blue butts they are a white pig with grey spots generally on their face and or butts hense the name blue but they are also very meaty animals

I guess it depends on what lines you have, I raised Durocs for several years and I found mine to be gentle and good mothers. The only hogs I have had with bad temperament were Poland Chinas. We had one Poland China sow that was downright vicious. My husband and his brother raised Yorkshires when they were in FFA. They were excellent mothers and had very large litters. I like Landrace but I never had any. They look a lot like a Yorkshires but they have huge floppy ears. I liked the ears.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Since you say that you are new to the country, I have a suggestion. Look into the American Guinea Hog. Some of us who have them as our first breed of pig call them the "training wheels pig". They are an old heritage breed from the south eastern US. They are a lard type hog raised by homesteaders. They are smaller than modern production breed hogs but still big enough to supply a family with pork. The best part about them is they are much easier to manage and have a wonderful, docile temperament. Boars and even sows with piglets do not get aggressive. They are easier to contain, don't dig as deep and eat less. They are good foragers. I use mine to turn compost piles, rototill garden beds and rid the property of weeds, using a portable pen with electric netting.
I've really fallen in love with the breed and can't imagine having bigger hogs with the potential to get nasty. For other people, the breed is a good introduction to raising pigs and they move on to bigger breeds after gaining experience with this easy to manage breed.

Piglets are small enough to be shipped by air etc. in a puppy crate.

http://guineahogs.org/breeders-directory/

 

[animalgirl12]

I have heard Kune Kunes are good for meat.