# Crossbred pigs compared with Berkshire Pigs



## vicb66 (Oct 20, 2007)

We raised 6 pigs in the last year and a half.The first piglets we bought were a gilt and two barrows of unknown and unknown breed.They were all related and of the same litter.We fed them a custom hog feed milled from our local feed dealer.It was non-gmo and partially organic feed.We kept them 6 months.When we slaughtered them the hanging weight was 205,196 and 190 lbs.We just slaughtered three related berkshire hogs.A gilt and two barrows fed the same feed and raised in the same manner.The berkshires were purchased in July and they had access to pasture,hay and grain.The crossbreds were purchased in October.They had no access to pasture and were fed the same diet and chaffehaye(a fermented alfalfa product) for the same amount of time.Given that they conditions were somewhat different but not much because I can't honestly say I saw the Berkshires eating much pasture or hay.The Berkshires slaughter out all the same weight.We only slaughter the barrows because the gilt was way too small.But both those gilts were less than 170 lbs each.I know this experiment isn't all that scientific but I think the differences were significant enough to note.


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## Hooba39 (Feb 16, 2010)

Purebred Berks can be up and down in size. I've had some that beat out a 3 way cross and some that don't. All my butcher and feeders have at least 1/2 Berk in their background for marbling and tenderness. Cross them with a Duroc and you have a fast growing, great meat quality hog.


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## vicb66 (Oct 20, 2007)

I have reserved a hereford boar to cross with her.I've heard good things about them so I'll let you know.Also I am raising a hereford gilt and two hereford barrows this time using the same routine.I'll wait and see who does the best and next year I'll have berkshire-hereford crosses of my own to start off with.I LOVE PIGS!I followed Mr.Jeffries suggestions and started boiling eggs for my lone gilt.She seems not to miss her brothers at all.She does have an icelandic lamb,an alpine doeling and our single chicken to keep her company.She gets all the "one offs" for company since they get chased around by the other goats.


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## RW kansas hogs (Nov 19, 2010)

A pure bred pig will grow some what slower than a cross bred pig, We have 5 berkshire gilts and 1 barrow and 1 boar all out of the same liter and 6 months old, The gilts have passed the barrow and boar in weight and and we just put our non related berk boar in with the gilts. 
The barrow has plans for freezer camp but we need to get him to 250lbs first before we send him the meat locker. We are weighing him tmrw to see how much more weight he needs to put on. 
Buying a duroc boar is in the works, the off spring from the 5 gilts will be our foundation stock for our Berkshire market hog operation, We will be cross breding the future stock with the duroc boar.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Commercial piggeries here often use a Duroc boar as a terminal sire over Large Whites or Landrance - result of course is a cross-bred pig. Hybrid vigour has a lot to answer for and in my pig breeding days, while I would often keep cross-bred sows, I would also have pure bred stock that went to a boar of a different breed to produce a cross-bred piglet for the grower market.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## bruceki (Nov 16, 2009)

My experience with purebred berks is that they produce smaller litters and grow slower than hybrid. I've been very happy with hampshire/berkshire crosses, or yorkshire/berkshire. Both grow faster than the purebred, both F1 sows produce larger litters (8 weaned to 11 weaned, about 30%) That doesn't really compare with danbred production pigs that regularly wean 16 of 18

Taste is good. I do keep purebred stock to continue to get the F1 crosses, but the hybrids are what I'm selling these days. 

Bruce / ebeyfarm.blogspot.com


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