[Liam_86]

Morning all

After 2 lots of OSB x Berkshires (that were fantastic) I have decidsed to go for some saddlebacks this time. I can get them for a reasonable price round here. I was looking for some tamworths put cant get hold of any.

Im sure people on here have had them before so i was wondering what the end product is like? i guess they can get fatty if overfed like a lot of the rare breeds

Also, the bloke selling them says they are 'From pedigree stock, but not registered' does that mean the sow/boar was registered but one of them wasnt?

Thanks

[hughesy]

In my opinion the British Saddleback is an excellent pig in every respect. Docile, extremely hardy and weather resistant and generally a very easy pig to keep. The sows are fantastic mothers and large litters can be had, our last farrowing saw 16 born. The piglets grow quite quickly for a rare breed but watch the feeding from about four months on as they can pile on the fat if you feed too much or the wrong diet. Finally the meat they produce is top notch for pork or bacon and hams.
One thing I will say regarding pedigree piglets is this. All the native breeds are under pressure and numbers are down according to the latest bloodline survey. Buying weaners from a breeder who keeps registered pedigree pigs helps to ensure the survival of our traditional breeds. I would ask the breeder for clarification about what he said to you. It might mean that he just hasn't birth notified them for some reason, or it might mean he's teling you they're from pedigree stock when they're actually not. Technically to call a piglet a British Saddleback it needs to be birth notified and from registered pedigree parents.

[Tamsaddle]

Saddlebacks make delicious meat, and very easy pigs to keep and grow.   Like all rare breeds you have to be very careful not to overfeed as they will put on fat as easily as the next pig, and we kept their rations on the low side from as early as 3 months to avoid having to put them on a last minute crash diet, which anyway never works.     From pedigree stock but not registered could mean almost anything, but one option is that the sow and/or boar were birth notified and/or registered, but that none of the piglets in the litter your pigs came from were birth notified or registered themselves.    Only way to find out for sure is to ask the seller for sow/boar names and numbers, and check the BPA herdbook (online) to see which if any of the ancestors are listed there.

[oaklandspigs]

Hugesy,

Fully support your comments about the need to keep the breed registrations going.


But your comment "Technically to call a piglet a British Saddleback it needs to be birth notified and from registered pedigree parents." is not correct.  There is no legal requirement for this, and whilst if you were sued in law, you might need to prove that a piglet comes from purebred stock (which could be shown from DNA samples), it or it's forebears do not need to be registered. 

And if you buy a pig for breeding as a saddleback you should make sure that it has all the papers.

Liam - whether you worry about how "pure" your pigs are is up to you.  If you want to breed from registered stock, then you should check they are registered.  If you plan to breed and sell as saddlebacks, then you might want the re-assurance that a registered pig comes with.  If simply want a saddleback pig for meat, then I wouldn't worry too much.  We sell lots of crossbreds as well as purebreds, and both taste equally good.

[benkt]

We've had a lot of joy with saddlebacks - a great outdoor pig in my opinion. Also agree with keeping the feed comparatively low for them or they can get fatty. Ours have plenty of rooting space and lots of greenery from the veg plots but I cap them at about 4lb of nuts per pig per day (at 4 mths).

[Liam_86]

Great advice as usual guys thanks very much

Im not that bothered about them being 'pure' to be honest this time. I agree its a great thing to keep the breeds going and its something i will definitely do in future when i start to breed my own.

Sound like top pigs

Iv told the bloke ill have 8 when iv been to see them tonight

Cheers all

[hughesy]

[quote author=oaklandspigs link=topic=43085.msg405910#msg405910 date=1394011962
But your comment "Technically to call a piglet a British Saddleback it needs to be birth notified and from registered pedigree parents." is not correct.  There is no legal requirement for this, and whilst if you were sued in law, you might need to prove that a piglet comes from purebred stock (which could be shown from DNA samples), it or it's forebears do not need to be registered. 
There's a massive can of worms here and I'm not going to prise the lid off any more but surely a piglet that is not birth notified, not from pedigree parents and just looks like a Saddleback, or any other breed for that matter, must be described as such, and not described as a pig of a specific breed. What is the point of the whole pedigree system if anyone can call any old pig whatever they like?
I toatally agree though that from a meat point of view it really doesn't matter, unless you're selling breed specific pork of course.

[oaklandspigs]

hughsey - firmly agree that there is no point in arguing right or wrongs, that is the legal position.

This was clarified by the Old Spots Club when they got speciality EU speciality status for GOS pork. 

But the "pedigree" system is at the end of the day just a bunch of people saying that pig x or dog x or sheep x is a yy pig, sheep and dog, and if bred with other yy pigs, dogs or sheep, the offspring  are also called  yy pigs, dogs or sheep. Do that for a while, and you create a breed.

My vet friend had a person in  the other day who insisted that their new Cockerpoo was a pedigree dog, because it came with a certificate saying who the parents were !

And the saddleback is after all just a crossbred of Wessex and Essex pigs ! Now there's a can of worms !

By the by - we have many registered saddlebacks, as well as 7 other breeds, some very rare lines, we breed to preserve the lines, we show at many shows and win awards, and I devote many hours to run the oldspots website, so I'm hardly biased against pedigrees!

[shygirl]

if you want pedigree then hunt them down. we drove 3 hrs each way for ours. but once you have them, you have them.