Pigs

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Hampshire piglets born March 22, 2011

Piglets and several breeds of pigs are the highlights of our swine barn. You may see a sow and litter in our farrowing pen from any one the breeds we keep: Hampshire, Yorkshire, Landrace, Duroc and Tamworth. Litter sizes will vary from sow to sow but can be as many as 15. Just imagine 15 piglets scrambling around their mother, nursing and piling on top of each other at nap time.

Pigs get sick quite easily—they can even catch a cold from people and spread it to the rest of the herd. They also have two rows of teeth that can easily bite curious fingers. As a precaution, we keep most of our pigs just out of your reach.

Hampshire

Of English origin, the Hampshire was imported into Canada in 1906. The breed is black with a white belt around the shoulders and forelegs. The meat is lean and known for good pork loin.

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Yorkshire

The first Yorkshire pigs were imported from England in 1835. It is now the most popular breed in Canada. It has upright ears, is white in color and has a structurally sound large frame. The sow carries large litters of 12 to 14 piglets and is very docile. It is renowned internationally as an excellent bacon producer.

Landrace

Imported from Denmark in 1934, the Landrace is white in color with semi-lopped ears. The sow has excellent mothering abilities and produces large litters of big piglets. This breed produces a high percentage of ham and bacon.

Duroc

Originating in the United States, the Duroc was introduced to Canada in 1894. Brown in colour and solidly built, it produces high quality, tender meat. The piglets are strong, hardy and grow rapidly.

Tamworth

Developed in the Staffordshire area of England in the early 1800's and first imported to Canada around 1870, the Tamworth has become one of the best bacon-type pigs. It is more closely related to the old English forest pigs than other modern English breeds. Its smaller size and golden-red to dark red colour distinguish it from our other breeds.

The Canadian Swine Industry

• the main swine producing regions of Canada are Ontario and Quebec
• there are approximately 10 million pigs on 30,000 farms, with 60% of these in Eastern Canada
• on commercial farms, most pigs are cross-bred since this capitalizes on "hybrid vigour": pigs grow faster and have better feed-to-weight conversion
• about 70% of processed meats in Canada, such as sausages or cold cuts, are made with pork
• in 1999, 18.7 million pigs went to market and 4.1 million head went to the United States as live pigs.

For More Information on Pigs:

• Canadian Swine Breeders Association
• Canadian Pork Council
• Farm to Fork Research
• Oklahoma State University