Large Black Hogs & Red Wattle Heritage Pigs

Here at Alpha Omega Ranch we are engaing in the selective cross-breeding of our heritage breed pigs with each other and with the extremely popular and prolific Yorkshire hog. We have three main types of cross-breed pigs seeking to serve the following purposes: to produce an easy-to-raise, hardy, gourmet-quality pig for outdoor, free-range, and forage-based sytems; to produce a fast-growing and high-quality 4-H pig that requires less grain to raise and is thus more profitable for the 4-H or FFA student entrepreneur; and to produce a domesticated, hardy pig that carries the genes and high meat quality of the wild boar. Although we have not done any DNA testing, we have found evidence of wild boar genetics in our herd through the repeated birth of red and black striped piglets (something that doesn't occur in domesticated pig breeds). See for yourself in the photos below: The first is a litter of Large Black x Red Wattle crosses, the second photo is of Ying-Yang, a Large Black x Yorkshire cross, and the third and 4th photos are from a very colorful litter born in February 2009 out of Red Wattle sow sired by Ying-Yang.

The Yorkshire pig is not an endangered heritage breed of swine. In fact, it is the most popular pig in America and is widely used for factory pork
production because of its legendary mothering abilities and high prolificacy. We rescued Camilla from such a fate and use her for cross-breeding. Camilla boats a loin muscle (major indicator of quality) that is a whopping 8.75 inches thick! Camilla is my "pet pig" and is the funniest and smartest girl. She knows her name, comes when called, and has even figured out how to open the door to the house to sneak in and grab a bite of dog food (her favorite!)

Cross-breeding creates a phenomenon called "heterosis" (also known as "hybrid vigor") which causes the cross-bred animal to grow bigger and better than either of the purebred parents would. In pigs it also results in larger litters and healthy, more vigorous off-spring. We utilize this effect in our sheep breeding program as well.

The Yorkshire breed dates back to Yorkshire County, England in the 1800's where it became known as the "Mother Breed" because the very large sows have exceptional mothering skills and produce large litters of piglets. Unfortunately, this is also why large numbers of Yorkshire sows are held captive in tiny factory farm breeding cages today. Camilla loves her life of freedom and spends plenty of time exploring the ranch, digging for goodies in the dirt and mothering the new piglets. Her first litter produced 11 big healthy piglets, a fantastic number for a first time mother. We are excited about Camilla's future as a mother here.

Red Wattle pigs are one of the most critically endangered heritage breeds of swine in the world! The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy estimates that there are fewer than 50 breeding pairs in the US. The Red Wattles are thought to be descended from wild swine of New Caledonia, a French island off the coat of Australia. It is theorized that they originally reached America with French immigrants to Louisiana. From there they moved to the Texas hill country where they were turned loose and left to go feral. This heritage is probably why they are such good foragers and a hardy breed that thrives in outdoor settings. We chose them for their perfect fit in our sustainable, and all-natural farming operation.

Red Wattle pigs are usually some shade of red in color, have upright ears, are quite hairy and are very distinguishable from other red swine breeds (like Tamworths) by the dangling pieces of cartilage on their neck known as a "wattle" or "waddle". The purpose of the wattles has not been identified, but it is a dominate trait and often shows up on our exclusive breed of "Black Wattle" pigs, as you can see below.

The excellent gourmet-quality pork that the Red Wattles produces is well known among gourmet chefs and connoisseurs for being very red and marbled, and uniquely flavored, often being compared to somewhere between beef and pork or some say like elk. They have the conformation of a lean style of pig, with compact bodies and strong legs, and are well known for producing fine bacon and hams. Much of the Red Wattle's hardiness and conformation is probably due to the fact that they carry the genes of wild Russian boars that were set free in the southern states generations ago. We have explored this by selectively breeding the Red Wattles to both a Large Black boar and a young Large Black x Yorkshire boar we have that demonstrates wild boar characteristics. Our unique breeding efforts to try and develop a domesticated wild boar have paid off! Read more about it below under the "Cross-breed" section.

Red Wattles are a smaller breed of pig and reach market weight of 280-300 pounds in about 7 months, putting on fat only after muscling out. This fat is also exceptionally flavored and many celebrity chefs use it in their cooking. Red Wattles usually reach their full grown weight of 1000-12000 pounds by age 3 if fed a heavy grain diet. Our free-ranging, grass-based pigs are slower growing and much healthier. We expect these girls to have a longer, more productive healthy life than grain-based pigs.

At Alpha Omega Ranch, we promise to always raise our pigs in a humane and gentle way. This means:
- No confinement cages
- No clipping of the teeth or tail
- No rings through the nose so the pigs can't root in the dirt
- No antibiotics, growth hormones, chemicals, or unnatural feeds in the food
- Pigs will always be kept in appropriate social groups
- Pigs will be pastured in areas that allow for natural pig behavior like digging, playing, & foraging
- Pigs will be provided with shelter and deep bedding to stay warm in the winter and wet, muddy areas to stay cool in the summer
- Boars will not be isolated
- Pigs will always be treated and handled in a humane and gentle way

Happy pigs make better pork!
A low stress life not only makes pigs happier, but it also prevents
stress hormones from being produced which affects the flavor and texture of the meat.
You can taste the difference!
www.HeritageNaturalMeats.com

Pigs are more fun to have around than I could have ever imagined! They are smart, chatty (some might say "obnoxiously loud"), trainable, and honest. If they are unhappy, hungry, or as happy as a clam, you can tell it. Mother pigs are protective and great tutors for their young, piglets are silly, and boars can be gentle and as loving of a good belly rub as a dog. Knowing all of these things I cannot imagine how anyone concerned with the welfare of animals and the emotions of sentient beings could stand for factory farms and pork production that keeps mothers locked in metal stalls where they can't breathe fresh air, lay down comfortably or turn over, or even make a nest for farrowing and cuddling up with their babies or in muddy crowded pens where the pigs can't get out of their own waste. Is it any wonder why disease is so prevalent in these situations?

Not only did I want to raise pigs naturally and in a way that ensured they could enjoy happy, normal and comfortable lives, but I also wanted to ensure the preservation of biodiversity and of keeping endangered old, heritage breeds of non-genetically modified swine alive. It is important to make sure that purebred herds of hardy and genetically disease resistant pigs remain in existence around the world in case of disease outbreak (like hoof and mouth) or natural disaster or terrorism. Just as world seed banks exist, so should herds of heritage hogs that can continue to feed the world. Of major livestock animals, pigs have the best feed-to-meat conversation ration of all. This helps protect an increasingly threatened environment in an already over populated planet. Thus, I looked for heritage breeds that would be suitable for a pasture-based, outdoor, natural foraging operation. I settled on the English Large Black pigs and the uniquely red marble fleshed Red Wattle pigs. Please read on to learn more about these special breeds.

The Large Black pigs (also known as English Large Black ) are also on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy 's list of critically endangered breeds of swine. They are a very old breed of English pig. Large Blacks have long been used in England for the production of pork in outdoor operations. For awhile they were quite popular and in the 1920's were exported to Canada, from where our stock decends. The dark skin of these hogs makes them impervious to sunburn and also helps them obtain warmth in cold winter climates. Over time they have become very efficient foragers and grazers and are able to make weight gains on grass whereas other modern breeds of pigs need high quantities of grain to put on weight. For that reason most pork production in occurs in regions that also produce lareg volumes of corn and other seed crops. The Northern Rockies and western part of the United States does not have such grain production as does the Midwest's "Corn Belt". What we do have is grazing land and grass and legume crops like alfalfa. For that reason efficient and smart pork production must be based around breeds that can utilize the feed that is readily available. It does not make economic or environmental sense to haul in large loads of grain in order to fatten hogs for market.

I feel the Large Black pigs are perfect for this region. Over time the breed has had both a lard type and a bacon type conformation. Early breeding and selection was toward the bacon type but along the way a short fat lard type also developed. Now the breed is characterized by great length and depth of body and a leaner body that will put on its muscle first but can then easily get fat if continued past market weight as these old photos demonstrate (photos courtesy of England's Large Black Pig Breeders Club):

Our new boar Nebachanezzur is a superb example of the bacon-style hog as seen in his long frame and lean styling. Nearly 6 feet in length at 1 1/2 years old, he stands on very strong legs and should add good length to his offspring when cross-bred to the more compact Red Wattles. The two Large Black gilts (young females) added represent the early bacon type (Butterfly) and also the fattier lard-type pig (Hattie) that was favored for a time in England. We also have an upcoming boar Balthazaar who is from a different bloodline than Neb. and his sister Babalonia , both of whom are from more of the well-rounded style of pig.

Large Blacks have extremely large, heavy, lop style ears that hang over their eyes, as well as a dished face and extremely docile nature. When they run they bob their heads up and down and are as cute as a ig can be. We have found them to be very easy to raise, very productive and good mothers, and efficient eaters. Our boars are so gentle we have happily been able to allow Nebachanezzur and our younger boar Balthazar to live full-time with the females and the piglets. Neb even loves having his ears picked up to he can get a good look around. Large Black sows are renowned as excellent mothers with exceptional milking ability and prolificacy. They are able to rear sizeable litters off simple rations and a placid temperament ensures they can be handled safely and without resorting to harsh measures. The will certainly defend their piglets when they feel threatened though. Our Hattie went into the woods and made her own nest for her second set of piglets. Needless to say she didn't need any of my help when it came to farrowing! When I collected her piglets and relocated them to the safety of the pasture she peacefully followed along.