Cross Breading Pigs

Kuni Kuni- Berkshire crosses resting with mom and aunt

Farm Life Farm has successfully cross bred a kuni kuni sow with a berkshire Boar.

Last year we purchased a Berkshire Boar as breeding stock. We really do like the temperament of the kuni but were having issues with buyers as they do not make the best pork chops. I mean the flavor and texture is fantastic, however the size of a kuni chop is not of a size that most Americans want to buy.

This past winter, our oldest sow had a successful birth but we were not aware she was pregnant and we did not have the coup set for birthing. The piglets were exposed to the cold and we lost all three. This was a terrible failure on our part. We then gave her some time for recouperation and tried again. This time we were prepared and had the sheep shack converted into a pig birthing suite and nursery. Ok, all we really did was add a couple block boards to a corner and a heat lamp.

Two weeks ago, momma gave birth to two perfect little critters. They are both doing well and appear to be healthy and happy. We cannot wait to update this post as they grow.

The things we are interested to find out:

• temperament

  • We are hopeful they will be like their mom, the Kuni Kuni; calm and sweet and not looking to destroy everything.

• fat content

  • Kuni's are a lard pig meaning they create a very thick and heavenly fat layer. Several inches thick. This was one of our reasons for starting with Kuni's. Sarah makes soap and we are able to render about five gallons of lard for soap making. Not including the leaf lard which we keep natural for hunters to use in their venison sausages. Will the mix provide the same amount of lard?

• rooting

  • Over the past five years, we had the kuni's root down to the grub layer. They would turn over the grass and eat all the grubs just under the surface. Our Berkshire Boar roots. Like properly roots. two or three feet down he digs, completely changing the landscape and creating new "points of egress" from his pen. What will these piglets do?

• size

  • the year-old Kuni's are around 150 pounds. Our berkshire is 350 pounds of pure muscle and just about a year old. How quickly will these piglets grow. How big will they get?

• Aggression

  • Our chickens tend to wander into the sow pen. The Kuni sows do not care. The chickens sit on the kuni's. Over the past year, three hens and two ducks flew into the boar pen. Man that animal can move...pounced on them and devoured them while they were still squawking. We are very interested to see how much these piglets will want living chicken for a snack.

About a year ago, we went to a friend's pig farm to get that Berkshire. As we stood trading stories and techniques, his dad (forty plus years of pig breeding under his belt) asked what we were breeding him to? I said a "Kuni Sow...what do you think?"

His reply, "it'll probably kill her but they're your pigs."

I explained that we already had a four year old Kuni sow with three litters already. His face lit up and he smiled, "oh alright. my son said you knew what you were doing. I wasn't so sure for a moment there."

The cost of raising a kuni to harvest size takes a year at the least. the Berkshires are market ready in about six months, meaning half the feed costs. The berkshires grow fast and big but they are difficult to manage. Smart and powerful, the berkshire, especially with his active seed, boar spends all day testing the fence and trying to get to his girls. Nothing sinks fear into my soul like Nana exclaiming, "the pig is out again." To be quite honest, the last time he got out, we were able to get him into the sow pen. We scooped up the piglets and pushed mom out of the way while the kids chased the boar into the field. Mom and babies are now in the boar pen and the boar has a 2 acre paddock. Someday we will get him back home. Until then, 7,000 volts and plenty of forage has him content. Well that and the cattle panels we now have separating him from the girls.

In the end, will this be a good plan that produces good quality meat with the least amount of energy on our part? I am not certain. Sarah is not certain. We will be patient and see what happens with our piglets. We will offer a new post on this topic in six months.

I normally go manic with research. Blogs, scientific journals, white papers, and youtube videos. This time the only research I did was to ask google if they can crossbreed. Google said yes. Though that is rarely an acceptable answer to me, this time I went with it.