Diversity

About Large Black PigsAbout Large Black Pigs



Source: Wikipedia.org
Source: Wikipedia.org
Large Black Hogs, occasionally called the Devon or Cornwall Black, are a meet pig, originally from Great Britain, particularly Devon, Cornwall, and Essex.

Large Blacks were developed from local black pig breeds from the West Country and the East of England. With the founding of a breed association in 1898 or 1899, variations between the types from the two areas decreased. The Large Black was popular in the early 1900s and was exported to many areas of the world.

They are good foragers which makes them particularly useful for extensive farming but poor for intensive farming. Population numbers declined after the Second World War as farmers turned to breeds more suitable to intensive pig farming, and by the 1960s the breed was almost extinct. Numbers have slowly risen, but it is still considered vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and Rare Breeds Canada.

As one would expect they are large and black. Perhaps the most important thing about Large Blacks is their pedigree. These are “heritage” hogs. They retain the traits of their ancestors that lived on the pastures and woods of England in the 16th and 17th centuries. They are hardy animals able to handle the cold and heat. They can effectively convert pasture into nutrition. They have great mothering ability, good sized litters, and long lives. Despite their large size they are well known as very docile hogs. Their dark coloring makes them more resistant to sunburn. And their micromarbled pork is delicious!


Large Black Pigs Associations

Large Black Hog Association Large Black Hog Association - Largeblackhogassociation.org


The British Pig Association The British Pig Association - www.britishpigs.org.uk