# Pig breeds weight chart?



## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

Does anybody know of a source for the weights of different breeds? I'm curious of both boar and sow weights. I haven't seen anything other than PBP weights.
Thanks.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Try this search:

[ame]http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&q=weight+of+different+breeds+of+pigs+yorkshire+OR+%22large+white%22+berkshire+tamworth+duroc+hampshire&btnG=Search[/ame]

Our pigs are a mix of Yorkshire, Berkshire, Tamworth, Hampshire, GOS and who knows what. They're like short legged cattle when they get to adult size.

Our four year old sows top out around 700 to 800 lbs.

Our boars get to over 1,000 lbs. We just slaughtered one who was 900 lbs. The butcher said it was a mile long. That boar was named Little'Un for a reason - Wait until the butcher sees the three we have who are bigger than that...

To me, what really matters is how fast they get to about 250 lbs on pasture. About six months without grain feeding.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

I do plan to keep some over for the long term breeding, and a 1000 pound pig isn't going to suit me! I am hoping to find a breed with smallish sows- 400-500 pound max. Not that anyone seems to have purebred or even 'to breed standard' hogs around here. Just trying to make an educated decision.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

It takes years for them to get that big. You can breed a gilt when she's around 200 to 250 lbs although 300 lbs may be better. Condition is key. Then after she's farrowed once or twice she'll be up around 300 to 400 lbs. Eat her. Meanwhile breed one of her daughters. That way you keep having smaller animals. They only get big until you eat them. 

As to purebred, we purposefully don't have purebred. I want the best of all the characteristics. We've been breeding and keeping the best of the best for a long time to meet our breeding standards for pasture, taste, temperament and such. Large size is important to us so that is one of the reasons we breed for big pigs./Users/walter/Desktop/CotUsed


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## RedHogs (Jul 7, 2006)

The industry is really working hard to move away from big sows, when you read the genetic info at many of the AI studs....The size at 2-3 years is being posted.....My oldest and now biggest Duroc Boar is over 3 and only 500 (he hasn't grown any in the last year), but this line has the fastest times to 250 of any of my hogs, When bred to _T.W.O_ sows(big framed hogs), the resulting sows have been 400 after their third litter and should never pass 550. The reasoning is the most common cause of breeding herd culling is unsoundness, not lack of productivity or re-breeding. 

So your weight chart will have to address lines within herds... A huge sow or huge boar is worthless, and a real pain in the backside, your penning, chute, trailer all has to be adjusted for the older stock....

That being said, some breeders that are heavy in the _Ox_ line are getting 750 lbs boars and 650 lbs sows.


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## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

I'm so glad to hear some of the future may be on the smaller side matures! I have issues with the factory poultry breeds (particularly AI turkeys) and just don't want to be propagating them here. Sure wish there was guinea hogs in these parts!


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Yes, RedHog, the big sows eat more, which is an issue when you're feeding commercial hog feed. In our situation, with free food though the big sows are a plus. They produce more milk and bigger litters, graze better on pasture and bush hog better. The 'huge' sow and boar aren't worthless or a pain in the back side at all.

One important thing for us is that the big animals produce more meat when they finally go to slaughter. That's muscle - valuable meat. Unlike with conventional penned hogs ours are not fatty.

As always, you can cull them at what ever age and size you like to fit your breeding style. As I mentioned, the Yorkshire, which is the basis of our herd, is a big pig and that is what we want.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

I wish I had free feed as well. Till then...


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Dirtslinger, the first free food is pasture. Woods work too. Brushy land is great. Do you have land? Fence and put in the pigs. We have grown them on just pasture.

You can improve the pasture by over seeding with clovers, alfalfa, etc. Get a simple hand rotary seeder. It's easy, costs little and makes for a long term improvement of the pasture.

If you want to augment that plant pumpkins, sunflowers, corn, beets, turnips, brassicas and other things. What we do is plant far in excess of what we need for our family. The extra goes to the livestock.

Next, look around for bakeries, dairies and such that have excess and dated product. It's excellent food when combined with the pasture.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## Justaplain (Jan 1, 2003)

Highlands: You keep telling about pasure for pigs. In Vt.,how many days of pasture do you get in a year? Frozen water? Snow in feet this morning. I assume those thousand pounders do the plowing. Kidding you. bcs


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Hi Justaplain,

The pigs are out on pasture year round - we don't keep them indoors at all. This keeps the manure spread and me from shoveling it. I purposefully put their whey tubs a long ways from their sleeping areas so they get exercise.

They get food off the pasture (grasses, shrubs, herbage, legumes) from about April or May through November. For the snow months we feed hay to replace the pasture and they use it for bedding. Mostly that is round bales but some in the small square bales too. I do try to get the big pigs to help me roll the bales - I'm lucky if I get them not pushing back on the other side! 

We got about 6" of snow this morning on top of the roughly 4' of snow that is out there. The pigs have yards much like the deer, places they've trampled down and interconnecting trails. They are not fond of going out into the deep snows. I would love to have them do the driveway plowing but they don't have thumbs and their legs are too short to reach the tractor petals so I have to do it myself.  The dogs on the other hand thing they should be allowed to drive.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## RedHogs (Jul 7, 2006)

> Yes, RedHog, the big sows eat more, which is an issue when you're feeding commercial hog feed. In our situation, with free food though the big sows are a plus. They produce more milk and bigger litters, graze better on pasture and bush hog better. The 'huge' sow and boar aren't worthless or a pain in the back side at all.


given the reality that most of us pay our way and for our feed, the ability to reduce sow inputs and size is a important issue to most breeders, as well as homesteaders i would imagine...

This thread was asking for estimates of hog size, and now clearly shows... the breeder is the final decision is how big the hogs will become.....when a person buys breeding stock, the individual farm will influeince the decision alot.


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