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American LandracePigs
The American Landrace hog is actually a cross between two
different breeds of swine: the Danish Landrace and the English
White Hog. At the time that this hybridization began in the late
nineteenth century it was thought that the source for the famous
Denmark bacon was the Danish Landrace swine. So in order to breed
an American pig that was hearty and make good bacon, the
experiment to make another breed brought forth the American
Landrace swine. The American Landrace breed of swine also has
some Swedish Landrace, Norwegian Landrace, Danish Landrace and
Poland China inheritance.
The American Landrace pigs are white and have a long body length,
with sixteen to seventeen pairs of ribs. Their ears are large and
grow close to their face. The head shape is long and narrow and
unlike other breeds of swine it has a slight arch to the back.
American Landrace pigs are good breeders but the sows do not make
their full lactation until later than most other breeds, it takes
approximately five weeks till they are fully lactating.
These are good pigs but they are mainly kept for purposes of
livestock for slaughter rather than as pets. They share the same
characteristics of most swine as in pronounced intelligence and
being generally good natured most of the time.
American Yorkshire Pigs
The American Yorkshire breed is the American version of the
Yorkshire pig of Great Britain, now called the English Large
White Pig. Individual American Yorkshire pigs can be small or
large depending upon what genetics have been passed down to the
individual piglets. The breed is still being improved.
American Yorkshires have large jowls and short snouts with large
ears that are close to the face. They make excellent livestock
for farmers with small farms, as they are good breeders and have
no problem producing young most of the time. Their coloring is
white and they are usually long in the body. These hogs are very
lean and muscular and make great bacon.
These are pigs that are better left as livestock. They can get
inordinately large and are very strong, though like most swine
they are intelligent and good natured most of the time.
Several pigs of movie and television history were American
Yorkshire breed, including "Arnold Ziffel" from the 60's
television series "Green Acres" and "Babe" from the 1995 movie of
the same name.
Angeln Saddleback Pigs
The Angeln Saddleback, also called the Angler Sattelschwein, was
bred from a black and white Landrace and a Saddleback pig.
They were first bred before 1885, in Northern Germany which was
at the time occupied by Denmark. In 1937 these pigs were accepted
as a breed unto themselves and were a common breed by the 1950's,
but this breed of pig is nearly extinct because it is a very fat
pig and the market does not call for a lot of fat in pork
nowadays.
These pigs have a large, round black body except for a white belt
around their middle. They are a large pig and are good breeders.
The sows make good mothers and have a lot of milk. Angler
Sattelschwein can reach anywhere from 85 centimeters in height to
92 centimeters in height and weigh 300-350 Kilos.
Arapawa Island Pigs
The Arapawa Island breed is a feral pig from the Marlborough
Sounds or Arapawa Island of New Zealand. Their breed origin is
unknown. It is suspected that these pigs are descendents of pigs
released by James Cook in 1773-1777. Others believe that these
pigs descended from pigs that escaped from farmers and whalers in
the 1850's. Until those years there were no feral pigs on the
island, according to many written descriptions of the island
before then. The breed is similar to the Berkshires, Tamworths or
Oxford Sandy-and-Black original breeds of swine. Arapawa Island
swine roam the entire island, and some that have encountered them
believe them to be fierce and violent, while others say that they
will leave you alone if you leave them alone.
This breed is endangered and considered a rare species. They are
somewhat larger then other New Zealand feral pigs and are an
attractive brindle tan and black. Other colors occur, like tan
and red or pure red or even pure black. Some piglets and pigs
have been taken and bred to help the population but there are
still very few pigs of this breed.
These are feral pigs and would likely not make good pets even if
caught as a piglet.
Keeping Pigs as Pets
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