Six to 7 out of this litter are already sold & at least 2 out of the next litter due Jan. 6. By the time the piglets are weaned, most will be sold. The few that are left stay on the farm & are sold as whole or half hogs for meat about the time they get to around 280-300 lbs.
The sow due Jan. 6 is a Gloucestershire Old Spot (GOS) They became scarce in this country (originally a British breed & still raised there) & an effort is currently underway to rebuild the breed in this country. The GOS boar is from GA ... had to go several states away to get a boar from a different line so no inbreeding. The piglets just born are a cross between the GOS boar & the Berkshire sow (a good cross for feeder pigs). The ones due the 6th are GOS both parents & can be registered so they sell pretty quickly as both registered breeding stock & as feeder pigs. The pigs are on a relative’s regenerative farm so the breeding stock & the feeders that stay are pastured, not in pens .... they live a quality, happy life right up until processing time.
Nice, I used to know the breeds better as I was involved with 4H for about 26 years or so. There was a reddish breed that was supposed to be the best pork and I only saw a couple of those at our fair over the year.