[Shropshirelass]

I'm thinking of getting a few rare breed weaners to raise for slaughter & possibly keep a pair of sows out of them to rear piglets off. I don't wan't Tamworths as their so energetic & would rather something like Saddle backs, Berkshires or Gloucester old spots. I know the Berkshires for small pigs reach good kill weights & are reasonably quick to mature & not as fatty.

They'd mainly be raised in woodland & have daily pig feed. But what kill weights in what time spans can I expect & what seem to make the best mothers? x 

[Fowlman]

If these will be your first i would be inclined to go with whatever is local at the time and takes your fancy. I've not gone down the breeding route yet and only fatten a few weaners each year, at the moment i have Gloucester old spots.

[shygirl]

try a few breeds before you decide to keep some on for breeding. the personalities of different breeds are very different and you;l know your favourite from experience.

[Daisys Mum]

try a few breeds before you decide to keep some on for breeding. the personalities of different breeds are very different and you;l know your favourite from experience.

I would agree, personally I have had OSB's, Saddlebacks and Middle Whites and out of these 3 if I was going to breed it would be the Saddlebacks for me.

[sjacko]

saddlebacks for me 

[Fowgill Farm]

Good dual purpose pork and bacon go for saddleback but for loveability and utter gorgeousness and tremendous pork go for GOS
Mandy

[hughesy]

I have to say having tried GOS, OSB and various crosses the good old British Saddleback wins it for me too. Docile easy to keep pigs that grow pretty quickly to pork weight and as long as they're fed properly make a super carcass.

[devonlad]

we went for british lop on our first pig excursion/ lovely and docile and bloomin tasty. are thinking we'll try large black next time

[sokel]

I really do think that Tamworths have got a bad name for themselves. We had tamworths as our first pigs. we have since had both middle whites and GOSs. Our Tamworths where so friendly would follow us around like dogs, loved a good scratch off us. Some say that sticky up ears mean they can find escape routes. I found it meant they could see us from across the field and come running to meet us 
Our Middle whites where plain evil, its unfair to say its the breed as our two came from a dodgy place and had not been fed. They had attitude and you could not go into the field without getting them shut into the stable before hand or you would be very lucky if you did not get bitten.
Our GOSs where great friendly and the meat tasted great but as a breed they really didn't do it for me. I couldn't really fault them but I guess I kept comparing them to the tamworths and they are totally different

[danconfessed]

Ive had GOS, Berkshires and MW.  Middle whites are my favourite.
GOS are lovely, quite varied in temperament and good quality pork.  I found Berkshires to be quite skittish and real escape artists.  Meat wasn't as good as the Old spots and they tend to go to fat very quickly.

Middle whites have a great temperament.  My breeding sows and boar are all very timid and easy to handle.
The meat is the best pork I have tasted.  Friends and family unaware what breeds I keep all noticed a big difference in taste with the Middle Whites. They all remarked on the flavour and quality of the meat. 

To be honest I dont think I would keep anything else now.  Maybe a Tamworth or GOS weaners for some bacon but never anything else for my pork joints

[Shropshirelass]

Mmm I have thought about middle whites but do prefer the colored pigs - sorry if that seems a bit biast. Ideally I'd like to rear say half for Bacon & half for pork for us, the freezer & friends - so would I have to do anything different with feed ect? I know pork pigs go a lot earlier than Bacon pigs for slaughter.

Also I'd probably go for a single sex group to prevent unwanted pregnancies, so would probably go for gilts. But do either sex make a better carcass? & with regards to boar taint can it be present in relatively young boars or would I be better to go & get castrated boars - If I chose males or had to have a mixed sex group? x

[Shropshirelass]

What about British lops? xx

[darkbrowneggs]

I have kept and eaten my way through quite a lot of different varieties. 


For pork flavour Middlewhite or Welsh White, but they can get sunburnt  and you never know we might get a summer!!!!


For character and looks plus good bacon and hams Berkshire.


But factor in price,  and buy what looks good and is near to you.  By the time you drive miles to buy weaners then miles to the abattoir then miles again to collect the offal and more miles for the meat it can all add up.

[Fowlman]

What about British lops? xx

British lops need all the help they can get, a nice docile breed and good eating.

[devonlad]

Posted before. Our first pigs were britisj lop. Certainly wouldn't put you off them.  Lovely pigs and as fowlman says they need supporting