[SallyintNorth]

Hi folks.  Can anyone tell me what I am likely to get if I cross my OSB?  Saddleback, Welsh, GOS - anything else I am likely to be able to get semen or a nearby boar for.  BH is keen to have a litter of mixed colours and markings - apart from using a wild boar (no way!) I am not sure I can achieve this for him..?

[oaklandspigs]

You can end up with everything and anything, and the same matings can produce very different litters next time

Quick caveat, you can end up with them all looking like one or other parent, so mixing doesn't always throw up interest.

It changes every time, so below is just an idea

OSB to saddleback -we had a perfect saddleback in one litter, except she was ginger and white!  Quite often get tri-colours with large spodges of black dots on a ginger and white background, very pretty pigs.

OSB to GOS - again can throw anything, but quite often you get very spotty pigs - see last picture on our "for sale" page to see a litter of OSBxGOS

http://www.oaklandspigs.co.uk/?page_id=283

You will also see a couple of other crosses of other breeds that produce ones looking like parents.

But it is a gamble/great fun to see what you get

[Fowgill Farm]

We've had GOS/OSB crosses before and they made excellent pork, but watch them for putting down fat.
hth
Mandy

[gavo]

Even if you breed pure you will get a big variance in colours and markings no 2 OSBs look the same .In just 1 of our litters we have piglets ranging from really light [sandy] up to the darkest Tamworth red and all their markings are different;some have large areas of black down their face others don't etc etc.I don't know about your BH but there is more than enuogh variety for us in pure OSB; but i do realise OSB boars can be thin on the ground, Saddleback and OSB do give some interesting markings and colours and the OSB in them should help keep them fairly lean [for meat]

[robert waddell]

there is a thread on the saddelback breeders club about crossing (breed identification) very interesting

[SallyintNorth]

there is a thread on the saddelback breeders club about crossing (breed identification) very interesting

Thanks for this Lillian - but I think you have to be a member of the society to see the discussion pages? 

Anyway, everyone's comments have enthused me that a saddleback cross would be fun and I am fairly sure I will be able to find a saddleback boar or semen, so that's the current plan.  Thanks all.

[robert waddell]

when you go on the saddelback site (our interactive noticeboard) click on this line then the keyboard comes up click on the circle thats you in

[oaklandspigs]

Think this is the post that Lillian is referring to

http://www.saddlebacks.org.uk/forum/ShowMessage.asp?ID=3750

[Hilarysmum]

A friend crossed a lw and a lb and has piglets white, grey black.  Another friend crossed lwxlb s with a tamworth and honestly every colour conceivable.  One was purple (looked like a punk) one bright pink, several gorgeous grey ones, the fact that his wife is a hairdresser did make me suspicious.  There were no pure white ones, and only 2 pure blacks.

[VSS]

We cross our OSBs with a large white. Some white piglets, some OSB markings - quite ginger , some are much paler, more GOS colouring.