Well I'll be, I didn't know pigs had wattles.. never heard of a red wattle pig,, I have goats that have wattles, thought goats were the only animal with wattles..Thanks for sharing.. Sandy

Supposedly, there are only about 300 of them left in the world. They are an old breed and have superior meat flavor. For more info, see:

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/ark/red_wattle.html

Piglets are so cute. I never heard of the breed. we have a Duroc at the feed store where I work. One of the owners children caught him at the rodeo last Aug. He is getting pretty big now. The three year old boy Ivo, was playing with him when he was a piglet, Ivo's mother told Ivo not to love the pig too much because they were going to eat it. Ivo said I already love it too much. Can I love him 'till we eat him? The pig still gets let out of the pen and plays with Ivo and the dogs. I never had pigs that tame.

Hogs are probably one of the smartest of the barnyard animals, and with proper handling can be very gentle. They can also be some of the most exasperating, cantakerist, downright pig headed animals in the barnyard. I've heard about the red wattles, but like so many rare breeds didn't know anyone raising them for meat. I thought most breeders were interested in improving and increasing the genetic stock available.

Acorn, did they castrate the little porker? If not he is liable to be a bit strong in flavor if they let him grow too large before slaughter. (Some folks will argue this, but it seems to be true in almost all of the four legged creatures. The testerone gives the meat an extra strong, gamey flavor. It does allow the animal to have a lower fat to meat ratio though.)

I wonder how smart a pig really is, notice when they are fed thay fight for a spot at the feeder even when there is plenty of room & feed for all!

I've had cats, dogs, cattle, chickens, even kindergartners do the same thing. Fighting over food and space is a natural instinct in all animals. Where the intelligence lies in swine is their ability to learn and remember. While, in general, most hogs are not pressed into remembering the atomic numbers chart or what the meaning of an iambic pentameture is, they can and will learn things quicker and retain it longer than most barnyard animals.

She was being facetious. She knows her animals.

My guess for an answer to the question, is that it's a natural instinct geared toward allowing the strongest to survive by "hogging" all of the available food that is there at the present. As intelligent as they are, I don't think that they understand that the food will come every day in the future, nor do they comprehend or are comforted by the fact that it has been there every day in the past.

Pigs rule. I look forward to the day when I'll put up an appropriate facility to keep a few more again, rather than do it half baked. I took in a wenchy little pot belly who needed some place to go. She's OK, but she's no substitute for a REAL pig.

hey Patrick, who is 'she', FF is a HE.

When I built the new barn I poured concrete in a section for feed room and a section for hogs then used hard wood to build good solid hog pens; also a guillitine door to an outside area consturucted of hog panels. I used to do 6-10 per year for the freexer trade and my own use then raised a few pure Durocs for a while. Now they are just poultry and pheasant pens, I miss hogs, raised them for around 35 years or so now my son does the pig thing. They really aRE A PROFITABLE ENTERPRISE If you market direct to consumer.

We used to fatten cattle, as the primary farm op, but got into the farrow to finish hog op while I was in college. Just after we got in Dad had problems with his veins and heart increase. It got to the point where we wound up letting everything go because he wasn't able to do it on his own, and I had plans that didn't include staying at home and working on the farm.

Now it is twenty years later, I am on the "home place" and wish I hadn't left. It would have been great if I could have kept up what we were doing, but my "dream" wasn't chasing cows and taking care of hogs. I want to try and get one litter of pigs per year for my freezer, my brother, and to sell to others on the hoof who want some good antibiotic free slow growth pork. (Lots folks don't realize how much tastier pork is that is given time to exercise and grow, than those that get pressured into a short finish cycle.) I would also like to keep some chickens, for eggs and meat, a few rabbits, and maybe raise a calf every year.

FF, how the heck am I possibly supposed to know the gender of any poster here who does not sign on with an actual name, especially when they use such a nonspecific user name like fancifowl?? It was an honest assumption, and not all that difficult to understand, given that a majority of members here seem to be women.

They are adorable little ,shame they dont stay little.

Stone, those are sweet looking little pigs. Recently Countryside magazine ran a very informative article about this Aussie breed. I found it very interesting esp. in view of their enormous size. I congratulate you on helping to maintain this rare breed.

Because of their size I would never have this breed on my farm. Can only imagine the size of their wallows and the types of fences/housing necessary to contain them. My father built a nice, big barn when I was a little girl....that barn collapsed due to hogs (of the usual size) undermining its foundation. Secondly, the propensity for boar hogs to become aggressive would keep this animal far, far from my place.

Had a distant relative killed by a hog that he raised when he went out to the pen to feed and was caught in a corner by his boar. His family found him disemboweled and hanging half way through the fence where he had attempted to escape. That was from a typically sized hog not the chest high variety (seven or eight feet in length) that these cute little pigs will grow into.

Good luck with your unusual hogs.

Judy

Yes we castrated him. He is getting to that size I will miss him because he is such a nice pig, like Ivo I will love him until he is butchered.

Patrick, I wasnt offended! & I know what you mean.I do use my given name most times but it wouldnt take here when I 1st joined?

I have seen some huge hogs of just about any breed, the largest was a Yorkshire whose weight I dont recall but he was over 700#.

I remember when I was in High School I worked at the local processing plant during the summer with my Dad. One time we had a pair of Hamps that scaled 1200# live weight! Those were two nice, large hogs. They were long and had large hams. Something you don't see too often these days.

"I have seen some huge hogs of just about any breed, the largest was a Yorkshire whose weight I dont recall but he was over 700#."

Where do these misperceptions about breeds, especially rare, (but not always), begin?

Red Wattles are not bigger than any other common breed. There may have been only 300 at one time, but now their numbers are much bigger. They were all the rage in the 90's among exotic animal breeders, mostly those looking to cash in on a craze by making money on the next high priced animal to come along. They never caught on to the extent that pot bellies, emus or alpacas did, because after all, the market is limited for standard size pigs no matter how unusual.

I think some folks are talking about a different breed than the red wattle. They were bred by French colonists in New Caledonia, then imported into the Louisiana Territory centuries ago. They're a meat breed. They aren't huge as pigs go. A normal-size boar is about 500 lb, a sow may 100 lb. lighter. They're really sort of pork for foodies; their flesh has a unique flavor. Supposedly, there are about 300 red wattles in existence worldwide at this point. They're docile, hardy, and taste good, so I'd encourage others to raise them.

Oh, and on the subject of hog aggression:

In mythology, Hercules was killed by a boar, but I've got to say, and I haven't seen that kind of aggression in pigs. I've raised pure European wild boar (with stock purchased from zoos) and my kids have hand-fed 450 lb. males. I've also hunted wild boar with a knife, so I've seen them when they are maximally defensive. I wouldn't do anything stupid with domestic swine, but in my opinion, it's generally more dangerous to have big dogs (which I also have) than big boars on the farm.

Actually, I am more afraid of the sows than I am the boars. True, the boars can have very impressive tusks, but generally most of them are fairly docile, unless a female in estrus is on the otherside of you and him. As to the sows, just squeal like a piglet in distress and see how fast they can come after you! If you aren't fast enough you'll find out what a mad hog can do!

Hello,
I have recently purchased a Red wattle boar and await the delivery of my sow in August. I can tell you that I witnessed the parents to my little guy being weighed and they were both over 700#. It is my understanding that although they don't look very much bigger than My landrace they are very lean and we all know that fat weighs less than muscle. My Tuck is 12 weeks and 3 days old and I weighed him yesterday. He weighs 83# already but is smaller than my 50# landrace piglets that look larger. If any of you wish to know more about this breed you might try this website. http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/redwattle.html
My sow will be from the wengler line. I am looking to buy more sows at this time so if you have any available or know of someone who does I would sure like to hear about them. I need more diversity for breeding.

Stoneage:

Where do you live?