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| 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!
About Large Black Pigs
