What happens to our weaners?

We had two litters of piglets last December, 17 piglets in total. We do not usually have problems dispersing them by the time they are weaned. Often it is to people buying two weaners at a time to grow on for the freezer (we would never sell one on its own unless the buyer already has some pigs). We usually grow on two a year for ourselves  for the same purpose and sometimes we grow on some for people who have asked us to reserve for them a half pig of butchered pork. Others want them for breeding.

It is always especially pleasing if our weaners are bought for future breeding stock. As it happens, for our December progeny, 15 of the 17 have been acquired for that very purpose, mostly to those seeking pedigree British Saddlebacks, which is the breed we keep.  

From an earlier litter, born last July, there was one boar piglet which looked particularly impressive. We decided to grow him on to see if anyone might be interested in a breeding boar when he was more mature. This has proved to be the case and he is shortly moving to Scotland to a British Saddleback breeder.

 

At the end of 2023 there were in fact only 96 registered pedigree British Saddleback boars in the whole of the UK (and 347 registered pedigree sows) recorded in the annual British traditional breeds census carried out by the British Pig Association. Its important that there are enough people, often smallholders, keeping the rare and minority pig breeds going.  

One of the problems with such small numbers is that the gene pool is relatively small and so breeders have to be aware of the bloodline of the breeding pigs they acquire to minimise any problems of inter-breeding. Paradoxically it is growing rare breed pigs for meat that ensures the survival of the breeds.