[Wood]

Hi,

We want to get 3 weaners for fattening and have sourced locally the following breeds:

Berkshire
GOS
Mangalitzas
British Lops

Question is which should we go for. We do not know anything about the different breeds other than what we have read. We have a 3 year old boy, 20no chickens and a dog to throw into the mixed and thus think friendly pigs is vital!

As for meat cuts etc I have no idea although would have thought Bacon is a priority. I am sure they will end up spoilt pigs and get too fat but what do you do??

People have asked if I am not worried the chickens will excape one day, I have told them the chickens get treated better than me and I am surpirsed other chickens aren't flying in!!

Any advice ASAP please

[HappyHippy]

Hiya,
If you're wanting bacon - the Berkshire is possibly the least advisable as they're smaller pigs and are prone to getting over fat if you keep them til the recommended 10 months for bacon size, they're also the most alert (pricked ears  )
British lops are really friendly and docile and have loooooong bodies, so plenty of bacon potential there, as well as great pork.
Mangalitza's meat (I believe) is slightly gamier and stronger tasting - but that's all I can tell you about them I'm afraid 
And GOS is good for everything.
Me, personally, for a first time keeper - I'd go for the lops 
But everyone's going to have a different opinion 
HTH
Karen x

[Hilarysmum]

I have kept all those breeds at one time or another.  I would go for GOS every time.  If they are just for meat then neutered males if at all possible.  (Thats just my choice).  GOS are perfect for bacon. 

My second choice would be Lops.  Another really good pig.  I love mangalitsas but found them more flighty than even my tamworths, but that may just have been my pigs.  Also our abattoir was not too happy with the hairy offspring.  But they are pretty picky.

[JulieS]

I would say GOS.  But then I suppose I'm biased!!   

[chickenfeed]

 :pig:LOPS every time a great bacon pig and the pork is delish 

so far we have had GOS, OSB's, saddlebacks, tamworths, hampshires, and the lops are always popular with everyone that has tried their produce, along with that they are docile. we always keep boars for meat but never had them casterated and never encountered a problem with them.

my advise as always is keep what you like the look of.

[Eve]

Yes, have a look at lops and GOS and see which one you like best. You'll presumably keep them until they're 6 months old? In which case you can choose between gilts or boars, we keep our uncastrated GOS boars 'till 6 months and the meat, bacon and sausages... are fab!    They're big softies, GOS, very friendly and easy to keep (we all have our favourites, and GOS are mine ).

Will your chickens be in with the pigs? If so, they need their own sleeping quarters as otherwise the piggies might help themselves to a midnight snack...   

 

[Wood]

Thanks for the great advice, just to complicate matters the GOS I have found are 3 1/2 months old, I would need to keep them until September before I could take them to the abbatoir due to work and thus they would be 11 months to a year.

Question is will this effect the meat and also will they need to be wormed / any other treatment that you would normally not need since you would not be keeping them as long.

Thanks
 

[HappyHippy]

You'd be best to worm them at 6 months - this can be done with a jag or an oral prep which is added to the feed.
11 months shouldn't be a problem PROVIDING your local abbetior can take them at that size/weight (some only take up to 85Kg, so just check with them to be sure)
If there are boars which aren't castrated, boar taint may be a problem - but all my eating boars are castrated so I've never had an issue, I know there are people who run uncastrated boars on without problem - they'll be along soon with input for you 
HTH
Karen x

[princesspiggy]

what price are manglitzas? i thot they were expensive to buy but i quite like them.

[robert waddell]

there is a breeder in mintlaw are you wanting there details

[waterboy]

Hi, wood

 Every owner will say their particular breed is the best, and rightly so but its a matter of personal choice.
 
 Go for the pig you like the look of best you are going to be spending a lot of time with them! pigs with lop ears tend to be more laid back due to their lack of vision, pigs with prick ears tend to be more alert, pigs with long snouts tend to root more than those with short snouts but there are always exceptions and they all have their own personalities. If you have guilts you never have to worry about boar taint but they don't grow as large.

 Good luck

 Rob
 

[Hairy Hogs]

Its worth a cheap shot marketing.............

We have 3 Middlewhite Gilts available next month!  Registered!

Kind Regards
Jas.

www.hairyhogs.co.uk

Sorry for the cheap marketing ploy!

[Hilarysmum]

Its worth a cheap shot marketing.............

Sorry for the cheap marketing ploy!

I'd do the same with my Gossies if the cost of transport over the channel was not so high 

[Eve]

That's ok, HM, they're strong swimmers!

[Pel]

Hairyhogs, why on earth do you want to eat your registered middle whites, if they are intended just for meat its a waste of your money registering them (unless you just mean birth notified).

Check with abattoirs whether they take pigs over 120-140kgs, as that is the kind of weight you would be talking about at 11months old. Boars fatten quicker than gilts, so you can get them to bacon weight quicker than gilts, but in your case you don't want this (as you wont be able to get them off). I'd say why not get a gilt GOS and a gilt Lop, that way you try one of each. My neighbours had a pair of GOS to fatten and the meat was very good, they were 6 months old boys when they went and around 90kg liveweight, they used the 1lb per month feeding diet up until 6lbs and keep it at that, they didnt turn to fat.
I've heard Magalitiza are prone to going to fat, but I that's due to breeding as they were breed for cured meats (i think). 

If you got two GOS girls at 3 1/2 months you should be ok, at that age they should have already been wormed, so you may not need to worm, if they havent been wormed then you can either ask them to worm the pigs for you or worm at 6 months.

(I'm not bias towards the GOS I prefer the large blacks myself). To add of those breeds I only have practical experience of the Berkshire and the GOS, the owner of the Berkshires keeps his till 10months old.