The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: trefnantbach on February 22, 2010, 01:38:12 pm
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I'm new to pigs and want to breed mangalitzas and have sourced a red boar (registered) and unregistered blonde and swallowbellied gilts. What are the implications of using these unregistered gilts for breeding? Would I be able to register the litters produced? Apart from getting less money for unregistered weaners, is there anything else that I need to consider. As these gilts are cheap for me to buy it appears like a low cost way of getting started. any comments or advice appreciated.
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To be able to register any piglets both parents must be registered.
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Just think about it a bit. The reason the females are cheap is because they are unregsitered. All the offspring will be unregsitered too so they too will only sell cheaply. Is it worth getting into such a cycle?
By the way, before you get enticed by Mangalitzas because they sell for a premium, bear in mind that once numbers increase, the price will come down to the same level as other breeds. Don't fall into the trap of buying high and then, by the time you have stock on the ground to sell, the price has collapsed.
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Have a chat with Smithy on here, I am sure she has pedigrees. If you do breed those that dont make the grade make wonderful pork. It really is different ...
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if you wish to breed mangalitzas.... please buy pedigree
for 2 main reasons
1) litters of unregistered piglets are worth much less, and if you dont get a buyer and have to take pigs to mart, rare breed pigs make MUCH less money than commercial pigs. At least if you are breeding pedigree pigs you can sell the progeny for breeding, unregistered pigs are really just meat pigs
2) also without the pedigree how do you know if the pigs are in not some way related? you could be buying brother/sister related or father/daughter and that could result in genetic deformity.