[reedos]

Well now that I'm a hard hearted pig farmer , the pig is dead long live the pig and all that, it's time to be considering what my next couple will be.

When we started on this journey we had romantic notions of having Lincolnshire breeds if possible ( I know Mangalitzas aren't Lincs Curly coats but they are as close as I could get! - we haven't got any Lincolnshire buff chickens either), we'd breed said Lincolnshire varieties and people would beat a path to our door to buy them.

However a few months on we know that's not going to happen - mangalitzas take ages to get to slaughter weight, and having read on here and other places how difficult the market for pigs is at the moment we are onto plan B.

Which is pork for us, and anybody who wants to buy it from us - but without the breeding element at the moment. Bear with me I am going to get to a point in a minute. We still want to do our bit by raising rare breeds - now I know that there will be a list of answers as long as your arm as everybody will have different opinions - and here's the point/question it's taken so long to get to  - if you were starting from scratch, knowing what you know now, if you were only getting a couple of weaners to fatten, which breed would you choose and why

[robert waddell]

well mangalitzas are out i would think kunnies will also be out  so that leaves all the rest of the breeds jockeying for position  the rarest will be the British lop possibly followed by the welsh pig both are white and will reach maturity quite early with minimal fat cover the choice is yours

[Eve]

I'd stay with my GOS - they're easy to keep happy, placid, fun looking and taste delicious. 

[ramblerskitchen]

i love my saddlebacks

[SallyintNorth]

We will, of course, each vote for our own favourite.  So I would get OSBs.   

Get the ones you like the look of and can find a local breeder for. 

[Fowgill Farm]

Well as you all know i keep GOS so thats my true vote
However being in Lincolnshire you have great access to the A1 and a good choice of breeds if you are prepeared to travel a bit. Lops are getting very sparse and as Robert has said they are a good dual purpose pig both for pork and bacon, the other choice is the Large White again a good doer. Ring a few breeders and go see what you like is my advice.  if you google the various breed websites there are usually list of breeders by area so find some near to you and take it from there.
By raising fatteners you're helping breeders in need of outlets for their weaners, raising food that you know has been well treated and fed on good grub and helping sustain our traditional breeds.
HTH
Mandy 

[HappyHippy]

If I could choose only 1 breed  Only one ? 

In your circumstances and location, it'd have to be the British Lop (wonder how many folk fell off their chairs there  )
They really are so rare now, and with the market the way it is, need all the support they can get 
That and the fact they're nice pigs - docile & easy to manage, they have great long backs - so plenty of pork for your pound 
In their absence, Large Blacks, Berkshires or Oxford Sandy & Blacks (or all of them together  )
HTH (though I suspect not  )
Karen 

[reedos]

Why are they so rare? From what I've read and all that's been said on here they seem to be a good pig to have

[Fowgill Farm]

Mainly just because they're a very plain pink pig! Just out of fashion!
Mandy 

[HappyHippy]

Yeah and they don't come under the remit of the BPA, so don't get much by way of publicity 

[princesspiggy]

what about middle whites, they need a bit of help and mature in 16 weeks (apparently)
and they have the cute factor!

[robert waddell]

middle whites finished in 16 weeks i am assuming that is what you mean princess    have you been on the mushrooms
spotty pigs and stripy pigs are so cute white pigs are commercial  the majority of people could not tell a good pig from a bad one even if it fell on there napper

[princesspiggy]

middle whites finished in 16 weeks i am assuming that is what you mean princess    have you been on the mushrooms

thats what it said on the RBST factsheet/middlewhite website. they said they finish early at 12-16 wks or they run to fat. killed at 60kg live weight, killing out at 85%  i never had one so dont know from experience. also killed as suckling pigs at 14kg (ie like the french do).
 

[HappyHippy]

I saw a Middle white at Westmorland show last year - she was fairly large at around 9 months old (in fact, she was blinking massive !) so can believe that at 16 weeks they'd be 'worth' slaughtering (though personally I'd give them a slightly longer life  ) Berkshire's too are supposed to finish at around the 20 week/55-60Kg liveweight to make supreme porkers, I suppose different folks just have different ways of doing it 
Karen 

[princesspiggy]

m/w sows are suppose to mature at 200kg which is bigger than i thought they were. our dorothy is up to my hip and she weighs 250kg. but im only quoting wot iv read as iv never had one. but id love to this yr if anyone has any weaners?