Pig Breeds for Small Farms: From Berkshire to Yorkshire and Everything Between
Before you pick a breed, you need to learn the language. Pig farming has its own vocabulary, and if you do not know the basics, everything else will be confusing.
Pig Terminology You Need to Know
- Pig / Piglet - a young pig
- Boar - an intact (uncastrated) male pig
- Barrow - a castrated male pig
- Gilt - a young female pig that has not yet had a litter
- Sow - a mature female pig, usually one that has had at least one litter
- Farrow - to give birth, or the litter itself
- Live weight - what the pig weighs while still alive
- Hanging weight - the weight of the carcass after slaughter, with head, skin, and organs removed
- Market weight - the target weight at which a pig is ready for slaughter, typically 220 to 300 pounds
- Shoat - a young pig that has been weaned
- Feeder - a young pig being raised for slaughter
- Finisher - a pig in the final stage of growth before reaching market weight
- Market hog - a pig that has reached market weight and is ready to sell or process
Pig vs. Swine vs. Hog
People use these words differently depending on where they live and how formal they are being. But they all refer to the same animal. “Swine” is the most formal and scientific term. “Hog” is common in the South and Midwest, often referring to a larger, mature animal. “Pig” is the most casual and widely used. Do not overthink it. They are all the same creature.
The Breeds
Now the fun part. There are a lot of pig breeds out there, and they are more different from each other than you might expect. Here is a breakdown of the main breeds covered in the book.
Commercial Breeds
Yorkshire is white, long-bodied, and the most recorded breed in the United States. They are excellent mothers with large litters. If you have seen a pig on a commercial farm, it was probably a Yorkshire or a Yorkshire cross. They are a solid all-around choice.
Duroc pigs are red and muscular. They grow fast and produce high-quality meat. Duroc is one of the top three breeds in the US and a favorite for crossbreeding because they add muscle and growth rate to any mix.
Hampshire pigs are black with a distinctive white belt around their shoulders and front legs. They are lean, muscular, and popular in commercial operations. Good meat quality and solid growth.
American Landrace pigs are long-bodied and white with large, floppy ears. They are known for being excellent mothers and producing good bacon. Their long bodies mean more belly, which means more bacon per pig.
Chester White pigs are all white and originated in Pennsylvania. They are durable, good mothers, and produce quality meat. A dependable breed that does not get as much attention as it deserves.
Poland China pigs are large, black with white markings, and come from Ohio. They were one of the first breeds developed in America. Big framed and meaty.
Heritage Breeds
This is where things get interesting. Heritage breeds are older breeds that have fallen out of favor with industrial farming but carry traits that are incredibly valuable for small farms.
Berkshire pigs are black with white points on their nose, feet, and tail. They are one of the oldest identifiable breeds. Berkshire pork is known for its exceptional quality, marbling, and flavor. If you care about taste, Berkshires are hard to beat.
Tamworth pigs are red or golden and one of the oldest pig breeds. They are outstanding foragers and do well on pasture. A great heritage breed for small farms where you want your pigs to actually graze and root rather than just stand around a feeder.
Large Black pigs are the only all-black British breed. They are endangered but make excellent grazers. Their black skin protects them from sunburn, which is a real problem with white-skinned breeds on pasture. They are docile and easy to manage.
Gloucester Old Spot pigs are white with black spots. This heritage breed nearly went extinct at one point. They are good foragers, have a calm temperament, and were traditionally raised in orchards where they would eat windfall fruit.
Hereford pigs are red with a white face, similar in coloring to Hereford cattle. They are well adapted to pasture-based systems and have a good disposition. A solid choice if you want a heritage breed that does well outdoors.
Red Wattle pigs are red and have distinctive fleshy wattles hanging from each side of their neck. Nobody is entirely sure what the wattles do. They are a heritage breed known for lean, flavorful meat and good foraging ability.
Critically Endangered and Rare Breeds
Guinea Hog is a small, black pig that is critically endangered. They are an excellent homestead pig because of their smaller size. They are good foragers, easy to handle, and perfect for someone who does not want a 300-pound animal running around their property.
Mulefoot pigs are solid black and named for their solid, non-cloven hoof that resembles a mule’s foot. They are critically endangered and one of the rarest breeds in America. Hardy and good on pasture.
Ossabaw Island Hog is a feral breed that lives on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Georgia. They are small, hardy, and critically endangered. Their isolation on the island for hundreds of years made them genetically distinct from other American breeds.
Choctaw pigs are a heritage breed associated with the Choctaw people. They are rare, small to medium sized, and carry important genetic and cultural history.
Piney Rooter pigs are feral pigs found in the pine forests of the southern United States. They are not a formal breed in the traditional sense but represent a type of pig that has been living semi-wild in the South for generations.
Picking a Breed
If you are raising pigs for meat on a small farm, you have two basic paths. You can go with a commercial breed like Yorkshire, Duroc, or Hampshire. They grow fast, they are widely available, and there is a ton of information out there about raising them.
Or you can go with a heritage breed. They often grow slower, but the meat quality can be exceptional. You will also be helping preserve genetic diversity, which matters more than most people realize. When 75% of the country’s pigs come from just three breeds, every small farm raising a Tamworth or a Guinea Hog is doing something important.
There is no wrong answer. It depends on your goals, your land, and how much time you want to invest.
Book: Backyard Farming: Raising Pigs Author: Kim Pezza ISBN: 978-1-57826-621-0 Publisher: Hatherleigh Press, 2016