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Author Topic: Best Tasting Rare Breed??  (Read 19800 times)

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #30 on: March 25, 2011, 05:50:45 pm »
Oooo Mr Pig - those are some HUGE hairy pigs  ;) ;D ;D ;D

I always thought the Hampshire's were exported from the UK to elsewhere, and when the breed died out in the UK (due to lack of demand) they shipped some back over - maybe I got that wrong  ??? But I don't think anyone said they were classed as a 'rare breed' (they're not on the RBST list) just that they are rare in the UK.

Lillian - behave !  ;D

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #31 on: March 25, 2011, 05:55:24 pm »
you are talking shite we have hampshires and the litter we have (10) are perfect examples and one has 16 nipples  (saddelback breeders are registering 15 nippled gilts in the hope of getting a 16 )
so that will be them comming back to scotland then :pig: :pig: :pig: :wave:

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #32 on: March 25, 2011, 06:10:51 pm »
Mr Pig thank you for the explanation.   

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #33 on: March 25, 2011, 06:51:24 pm »
The Hampshire Breed has been developed in the United States of America and is now one of the World’s most important breeds.

In some respects the Hampshire can be regarded as a ‘British Native’ Breed, as the original breeding stock was imported from Wessex, UK in 1832, the date being recorded in the “Hampshire Blue Book” published in 1928. The book records the complete history of the breed and its origin.

From the time of its arrival in the USA until 1890 the breed was called “The Thin Rind” breed, due to the abundance of lean meat it produced.

At a meeting of American breeders in 1890 the breed was renamed the Hampshire, as the original pigs were imported from a farm in Hampshire, Wessex, UK. A Breed Society was established at the same time and herd book recording can be traced for more than 100 years.

The Hampshire is used extensively as the sire of cross bred pigs for the pork and manufacturing markets in the USA and many other countries. It has the reputation of being the leanest of the North American Breeds and the majority of carcase competitions in North America are won by Hampshires and Hampshire crosses.

The first Hampshires in the UK were imported from the USA in 1968 by the ‘Animal Breeding Research Organisation (ABRO). The import was a ‘random sample’ of the breed. The pigs were extensively performance tested prior to being released to British breeders.

The next major importation was in 1973 when 40 pigs from many different USA bloodlines were imported from Canada (import restrictions prohibiting direct imports from the USA at that time). This importation was very carefully selected and included a boar that was grand champion at the 1972 Toronto Royal Show. This same boar was breed champion at the English Royal Show in 1975.

British Hampshires very soon became popular worldwide and in a twelve month period August 1978 to August 1979 more than 600 head were exported to 14 different countries.

The British Hampshire, both pure bred and crosses, have won many interbreed championships at the Royal Smithfield Show, London for carcases and live pigs.

During the 1980s and 1990s several new blood lines have been imported from the USA by embryo transfer and boar semen.

In the world of commercial pig production there is certainly a place for the Hampshire, still regarded by many as the best terminal sire breed for all purposes.
   
       

chickenfeed

  • Guest
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #34 on: March 25, 2011, 08:34:49 pm »
 ;)thats word for word what we read when deciding on hampshire weaners too, the BPA have a good write up on all breeds.

Mr Pig

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #35 on: March 26, 2011, 10:10:03 am »
LW - I have in front of me The Blue Book of the Hampshire Breed 1920 which includes Vol 1 of the herd book for the breed. This is the same volume that the BPA claims to have derived the history from. I quote from the first major article therein 'Origin of the Hampshire Hog': "It was very fortunate for the American farmer that the exportations from England to America in 1825 up to and including 1935, were the pure 'Old English Breed' of Scotland, and North England, making their way to America through Hampshire, England, and hence their name."

There is a great deal more written purporting to be the history of the breed but some of the 'facts' are at least challengeable. Like many from the era, the author presumes that because two pigs have 'similar markings' they are related and he quotes extensively from David Low's "Breeds of domestic Animals of the British Isles". He latches on to The Old English breed illustrated therein which is not a Saddleback but a belted animal with white ears. Like many who have written histories of breeds, the author, Mr E C Stone presumes to know what went on 85-95 years before his essay and at best it is speculative. As with nearly all breeds therefore, there is a degree of shall we say 'wishful thinking' included which we should treat with caution before quoting it too readily as fact. What is certain is that the pigs illustrated from the 1920 volume look very different from today's Hampshire indicating that something radical has occured in the intervening 91 years.

Whilst I cited the modern Hampshire's difficulty in breeding true for colour, you countered by talking about nipples! Sixteen teats (or even more) is indeed something to aspire to but I don't understand your implied criticism of Saddleback breeders accepting 15 as desirable. The breed standard for BS calls for a minimum of 12 and 13 is better than 12, and 15 is better than 14. There's nothing wrong with an uneven number. The standard demands 'evenly spaced' but that doesn't necessitate even numbers of working teats as any worthwhile judge will tell you.

So can we move on now please?
Hampshires aren't rare.
Herefords are an American breed that have never been in the UK.
Tamworths worldwide are rare as are British Saddlebacks (according to the UN).
Mangalitzas are unrelated to Lincolnshire Curly Coats are are not rare.

QED.

Beewyched

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • South Wales
    • tunkeyherd.co.uk
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #36 on: March 26, 2011, 10:23:58 am »
We're getting off the subject here folks - what about the taste  ???  :love: :pig: :yum: :wave:
Tunkey Herd - registered Kune Kune & rare breed poultry - www.tunkeyherdkunekune.com

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #37 on: March 26, 2011, 11:23:20 am »
it is interesting that you refer to old books then rubbish the contents
the pure old English breed of Scotland  exported in 1825 (just at the agricultural revolution ) less than a hundred years after the Jacobite uprising it could not have been written by anybody of Scots decent or was it?
with any breed the underline is important (would a 3 breasted woman win miss world if they were evenly spaced?)
i DID not criticise the saddelback breeders just pointing this out
do you currently breed and own Hampshire's?
are you a recognised BPA judge(there is a reason in asking)
can we move on now       well the original poster had tried duroc x i merely suggested Hampshire's or British lops the lop is a rare breed much forgotten about and the Hampshire along with the duroc and mangalitsa are classified as modern
THE TASTE  it depends on what breed you have a foot in there camp  the method of cooking the time it is hung the process it goes through the age at slaughter how and what it was fed on  etc etc
will the hereford pig be imported even if just for the cutessie factor? :wave: :wave:





QRM

Mr Pig

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #38 on: March 26, 2011, 11:57:02 am »
I am not a Miss World judge but I suspect that the criteria for assessing the winner is not her ability to feed multiple births of piglets but I might be wrong.

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #39 on: March 26, 2011, 03:34:34 pm »
We're getting off the subject here folks - what about the taste  ???  :love: :pig: :yum: :wave:

I still vote for GOS but ANY pig reared free range, with room to move and stuff to grub out is going to taste delicious.  :yum:  ;D

Padge

  • Joined Aug 2009
    • Facebook
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #40 on: March 27, 2011, 08:21:42 am »
i would agree HM   ;D

TRUFFLE

  • Joined May 2009
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #41 on: March 27, 2011, 06:59:22 pm »
What brilliant reading! Thanks so much to all who have posted comments.  I have read them all and done a bit of extra research and am homing in on either Lops or Oxford Sandy and Blacks.  Anyone know of any such weaners in our area - Lincs/Notts/South Yorks borders??

What I think I have learnt above all else, is that the rearing/feeding/butchering appears to be just as important as the breed, so I'm happy about that as I think (I hope!) that we're doing OK on that front. Thanks again my porcine friends! :wave:

Mr Pig

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: Best Tasting Rare Breed??
« Reply #42 on: March 27, 2011, 08:16:45 pm »
The best place to find Lops for sale is: http://www.britishloppig.org.uk/noticeboard.asp

 

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