What Are Large Black Pigs?

If you have a large, black pig, what name would you give it?  Well, when this breed was developed in England, I guess they decided to keep it simple and called them “Large Black” pigs. They became very popular on small farms because they were docile, essay to keep and got all of their nutrition from the grass and forage provided by nature.  However, in the 1960s when the pork market started to favor leaner, lighter colored meat the marbled pork of the Large Black fell out of favor.  

By the 1990′s the Large Black pig had become critically endangered. Today it is listed as “Vulnerable” by England’s Rare Breeds Survival Trust and “Critical” by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

Recovery of this fine Heritage breed depends upon it being raised on more farms. The Large Black is the perfect pasture pig; it can live almost entirely on pasture, eating grass and browse that grows naturally, needing shelter only in the hottest and coldest months, and delivering large litters without assistance. Large Black sows are excellent mothers and can raise their litters to weaning by themselves. Large Blacks are also very gentle and affectionate toward people, making them easy to handle (which is a good thing for such a large pig!) The pork from Large Blacks also has very good marbling allowing it to remain tender when cooked in a variety of ways. And while other Heritage breeds such as Berkshires are being raised in large, confined facilities, Large Black breeders are still dedicated to raising them in small groups on pasture.

At Homegrown Acres, we specialize in selling pigs with very low Coefficients of Inbreeding (CIs). CI is very important in a rare breed as the negative effects of inbreeding can have devastating effects on your herd. We have carefully selected our boars and sows so that their pedigrees have very little in common, producing litters that have CIs of 5 and 6 percent. The standard for CI in rare breeds is ten percent; the average CI in the global herd is estimated to be about 22% with CIs of more than 30% being common, so our pigs represent the very best Large Blacks available!

We also follow humane livestock care practices to ensure our animals live a natural life and are treated humanely. We are proud of the extra effort and care this requires. We encourage all of our customers to do the same and provide advice and guidance to anyone who asks.

We can provide breeding pairs, singles or feeder pigs. We also pay for registration so, when you pick up your pig, we hand the registration papers to you! If you would like to start raising your own Large Blacks, or would like to just put a pig in your freezer, contact us.