Here's some pics of our "piggies"...they're a nuisance around these parts and the farmers & ranchers hate them! We're "fattening" some up.
Wild hogs
...and our dog thinks they're "her" pigs...don't mess with them! (They don't like people, they all run to the corner when someone comes anywhere near them.)
Are they feral? Or one of the southern heirloom breeds?
As far as I know they're feral.
OK, what does that mean, offspring of a wild hog?
They're wid hogs from domestic ancestry.
Feral means "they" or their ancestors were domesticated, but got loose and became wild. I think all the wild true hogs in the US are actually feral, brought over by the Spanish or other Europeans. There are wild boar, which are truly wild, but I think they were also introduced to the US by the Europeans. Razor backs are feral hogs that escaped a long time ago. And wild boar and feral pigs can hybridize. Remember Hogzilla? He was a domestic hog/wild boar cross.
I am really interested in the heritage breeds--cause "Hobby Farms" has them on their cover and they are sooooo interesting. If I were to keep pigs, it would be one of these--and they are now considered gourmet--like the blue foot chicken! Speciality niche!
OH jessaree, we crossed and you said it so much more succinctly!
This message was edited Jul 6, 2008 6:18 PM
I watched that episode about Hogzilla, he was enormous!
I am still considering heritage pigs--even though I don't want to eat them. I was wondering if I bred them and sold the piglets as breeding stock, rather than food, could I escape the guilt of looking into their eyes an knowing I was setting them up as someone's dinner?
I'm not against eating pigs--there was a wonderful show on the Slow Food Movement in Australia and a woman there raised a rare black breed that was in great demand in the resturants. She had a beautiful treed meadow and apple tree orchards and the pigs were so happy, they would run up when she called them--but she managed to sell them for food by saying she was giving them the absolute best life possible up to the last minute. I couldn't do it, but if I did that is how I would want to.
So does anyone think there would be a market for rare heritage hogs, that wouldn't require my selling them as food? Or do they just reproduce too fast.
I obviously know nothing.
i hope someone has an answer?