KuneKune Vs Yorkshires

What breed of pig should you raise? What is your purpose for raising them? How much will you interact with your hogs? what type of enclosure will you have for them?

There are many factors to choosing a pig breed. Lets discuss the Kune first.

KuneKune's originated in Australia and spread across the world. Kune's are very docile and friendly. They are often kept as pets as well as a food source. Kune's will graze like sheep and will live comfortably with other livestock. Kune's are a smaller breed and grow slowly. Average maturity for slaughter is one year. Kune's are also considered a Lard breed. This means that they readily produce fat. This is great for anyone like us that makes soap or sells rendered lard to bakers. Kune piglets need small amounts of grain to manage how much lard they produce. They do not root much, though they will root some if there are abundant grubs or other delicious insects under the roots. Piglets will be about 100Lbs at the end of there first year. Kune's will continue to grow slowly after the first year. For example, our Kune boar was 6 years old when we slaughtered him and his hanging weight was 200Lbs. These pigs have short little legs and a compact body.

Next we will describe the Yorkshire

The Yorkshire pig, also known as the English Large White, originated in the county of York in England in the 18th century. The breed was developed by crossing a large white pig from North England with a smaller, white Chinese pig. Yorkshire pigs are solid white with erect ears.

Yorkshires will grow up to 700Lbs for a breeding boar. Yorkshires grow fast and are normally harvested at 6 months with a weight of 200-300Lbs. These pigs are tall and long.

Yorkshires are not lard pigs. Meaning that you will generally have a lower ratio of fat to meat which most Americans feel is better...I do not as fat is delicious and contains needed nutrients. Yorkshires also root. They dig like a backhoe. They will get under your fence. they will eat through your wooden fencing. Yorkshires are not very friendly either. They are big and strong and opinionated. Not to mention that your Yorkshire is most likely the smartest creature on your farm.

Those are the basics of the two breeds we raise.

One of the initial questions was about your pigpen. In our "field Rotations" post, we discussed how our Kune's graze like sheep. They are as happy to be eating grass and plant-life as they are grain. OK, maybe they like grain better, but still they will graze happily and need very little grain. If you do not have the ability to graze your pigs, then food scraps and grain will be constantly needed.

Yorkshires will graze as well but not nearly as much. Yorkshires want the insects in the ground much more than the grass above it and they will work hard to get them. Now that sounds terrible, unless you have land that needs to be cleared. In that case, the Yorkshire is a great option. They will clear land better than goats as the Yorkshire will eat and destroy roots

So, in closing, there are so many details to factor in when choosing a pig to raise. There are also several other breeds available. Each breed has its benefits. As I prepare to end this post, I began thinking about their anatomical differences. I mentioned above that the Kune is short and compact while the Yorkshire is tall and long.

I am a big fan of making my own charcuterie. Capicola is quite possibly my favorite salumi. This cured meat is the Copa or neck muscle. The Kune does not have a neck...they are a giant head on shoulders. The length of the Yorkshire provides more neck and three or four more ribs than the Kune. Bacon however is better from the Kune but there is less of it than the Yorkshire will produce.