[Roxy]

My Kune Kunes are my first venture into pigs for many years - although my family always kept a few pigs - and I can always remember my grandad and then ,my uncles havng a pig for killing at Christmas (where my love of brawn came from!)  My second cousin has always kept pigs and is known locally as Piggy M!!  So, really should keep up the family tradition.  And the little pigs are installed in the old piggary, but we do not feed them in the massive pig trough 

I am far too fond now of the kune girls to eat them - although some people would say its a waste as they are well round.  But, I would like to rear a couple of pigs for eating and wondered what breed I should go for, to begin with.  Obviously something placid, and nothing too large,  as it is me dealing with them, and I am only tiny so do not want an enormous sized pig

What breed would be suitablefor me?

[The Chicken Lady]

Why don't you have a look in Chelford on a Monday. If they are for eating rather than breeding they don't need to be registered. You can get any number, size colour etc. at a reasonable price although I have never bought pigs from there. Old spots or Saddlebacks would suit. Are they going to be out door? I don't tend to keep pigs over winter as they are hard work and I can't stand to see them knee deep in mud. BTW I have sent you a PM.
Karen

[Bioman]

OSB's are perfect. Truly fabulous pigs

[chickenfeed]

  take a look at the RBST list they give a good description of each rare breed whilst they dont have to be registered it helps to protect these breeds if you buy them, even if they end up in the freezer.

if you were closer you could come and talk to our OSB's and british lops both laid back breeds both easy to handle both make great pork & bacon although we favour the lops.

[Padge]

I once had it said to me that the osb were in fact an extremely fatty breed 

[Sylvia]

Saddlebacks! You don't have to let them get too big. I am sixty-odd and five feet tall and found them perfect.

[chickenfeed]

I once had it said to me that the osb were in fact an extremely fatty breed 

they can be if you over feed them, same as any traditional pig.

mind fat = flavour 

[Berkshire Boy]

I don't think you are going to get an unbiased opinion on this Roxy
Don't believe the others the Berkshire is the best breed, not too large, docile but has character and the best crackling of the lot, there you go an unbiased opinion

[Fowgill Farm]

GOS
ever so slsightly biased mandy 

[SallyintNorth]

I once had it said to me that the osb were in fact an extremely fatty breed 

I have only had one OSB back so far, and have had half a GOS x OSB pig from another farmer. 

My own OSB had a 'probe' depth of 20mm; our butcher buys his commercial pork with a probe depth of 12mm. 

Gaby's meat was absolutely not fatty at all - rather it could almost be dry if not cooked correctly.  Fantastic flavour, crackling to die for.  Just render or give the birds the fatf from in between the crackle and the meat!  We had one middle home cured by our butcher - no question that's the best bacon we've ever had, and only slightly more fat than the butcher's usual offering.

So on my very limited experience I would say OSBs are not fatty - but I should add that I feed by condition and stopped incrementing their rations at 4lbs per head per day, plus whey, potatoes and apples.  If producers have kept increasing feed by a pound a head a day up to 6lbs, as the books say you can for a large breed, they could well slab on the fat - they are 'good doers'.  

[HappyHippy]

Okay, my tuppence worth (I'll try to be fairly unbiased  ) ANY breed that you raise yourself is going to be a hundred times better than commercial stuff 
I've had crosses and purebred - Tamworth, GOS, OSB, Berkshire, Saddleback, Kune Kune (I've got Large Blacks too, but haven't tasted them yet) and none of them are any better or worse than the others really 
You'll get back what you put in, in terms of effort & socialisation - Large Blacks for all their massive size are big softies and just as easy to work with as the Kunes Roxy  And although Tamworths have a reputation for being 'fiesty' they're not always trouble - I had a couple of wee crackers - no escape attempts, friendly, laid back and caused no problems (unlike my supposidly docile OSB's  )
Go for something you like the look of, and try something else next time, and next time until you find the one you like best (or just keep varying the breed)
If you want to help with rare breed numbers then it's worth getting birth notified stock from a breeder and Berkshire & Large Blacks are the most under threat - I can't understand why, as having tasted Berkshire, I've got to say, it's lovely, really nice !
If you're putting me on the spot and asking which breed I prefer for flavour.........
It'll maybe come as a surprise to hear that I like the Kune pork the best - but everyone has different tastes, so my best may well be someone else's worst 
Karen 

[cuckoo]

We have kept OSB's, GOS's and OSB X Saddleback's as weaners.  The first pigs we sent were OSB's we clearly overfed them as they were far too fat - needless to say - we learned and last year our GOS boar 80kg+ was commented as being by the butcher - the leanest GOS he had seen in a long time! which we took as a complement as he had some fat in just not too much.  We now feed 1lb per month of age upto a max of 5lb per day - plus windfall apples and waste veg etc.  Experience teaches you I think to feed by eye.

We now have 2 OSB sows and a OSB boar - they are ideal starter pigs in my opinion.

[WaltDisneyWorld]

GOS supporter here for their temperament and flavour 

[JEP]

we've had saddlebacks first time that were a bit to fat
2ND time gos & saddleback gos was bit to fat saddleback was OK
butcher liked the saddleback 
both were same age

[oaklandspigs]

Having had (and in most cases still have) Saddlebacks, OSBs, GOS, LBs, Welsh, Middlewhite, Berkshire, Kune kune, Tamworth, and even a mangalitza, as well as numerous crosses,  I'm thoroughly with HH - Ignore everyone, and go with what you like the look of.

You are what you eat, and your pigs will taste of the environment in which you put them, and the feed you give them
They will be as fit as you allow them to - give them nothing to forage, pile their food in a simple heap, and the muscles will not get worked, and muscle = meat
Overfeed them, and any breed will get fat, watch the condition and don't feed purely by formulas
Spend time with your pigs, and all will be friendly
Don't take care with how you enclose them and they will break out