Large Black Hog Association

A recent survey done by Rachel Breeden for a school project and for the HSA think tank group. Thought I would share this information here with all of you. Large Black breeders are in the lower half of all the heritage breeds raised.

Who here knows what coccidiosis is or has dealt with it in their herds? Coccidia are single cell protozoan parasites which multiply in the cells lining the intestine. This can be a life threatening parasite in piglets. Check out this link to learn more. https://www.pigprogress.net//Health-/diseases/Coccidiosis/

Educational Post Underline Our standard reads: Full, straight underline with at least 12 sound, evenly well placed teats that start well forward. This is a fairly straight forward and simple topic. Anyone breeding hogs for any reason should always take this into consideration. As a sow with poorly spaced teats, lack of, or non functioning can't properly feed a large litter. We process piglets at 1 week of age. We do several things at this time and one of them is recording ...teat structure on every piglet. That way when we choose for breeders for ourselves or when selling a piglet this is another piece of information that helps to determine if a pig is a breeder or a feeder. Don't forget to do this on all pigs not just the gilts. It is just as important to have proper teat structure on your boars as it is on your gilts as they are 50% of the genetics. See more

Educational Post: Conformation My goal with these educational posts is to share information from many different sources, breeders and educators. So today I would like to share with you a post written by Henry Fudge a long time heritage swine breeder. Although Henry doesn't raise Large Blacks he has loads of experience breeding old line heritage swine. Our goals and markets are very similar and I find his knowledge extremely valuable when working with our herd. Please take a...Continue reading

Today I would like to share a small section of a post written by Franklin D. Albertsen. Frank is a multi generational farmer/breeder. That has extensive knowledge in livestock breeding. He is so full of knowledge that his posts are better understood broken down into small pieces at a time. This comes from a post he wrote a while back titled My boar selection. Understanding correct structure in hogs is not breed specific and this knowledge can be put to use no matter what... breed you are working with. We as breeders of an endangered breed should take this information very seriously as we move forward with our breeding programs. "A sound pig should move fluidly or appear to float in their joints as they walk. Longevity in the breeding herd is almost completely dependent on structural correctness/soundness. With age and use, I can accept it if they are turned slightly outward, but never inward. They must have strong pasterns with about a 45 degree angle extending from the point of their toe along the top of the hoof up through the middle of the pastern. Pigs that have more slope will have weaker pasterns (with age they sag and the toes do not wear down and become long ski toed) and those with less have no cushion. Nor should they be too long. From the middle of their pasterns upward the forelegs should be straight when viewed from the sides. Likewise, pigs should not be posty (too straight above the hock), either. From the knees, the foreleg should be straight to the elbow at the chest floor. At the elbow, the bone extends forward to join the shoulder blade at the point of the shoulder. The shoulder blade should slope back to tie tightly (smoothly) into the backbone, with no coarse open shoulders. Research and experience shows we need proper angulation in the rear legs. The tail needs to set as high as possible, the rump is then nearly level from the last vertebrae to the tailhead. Thus the hip joint sets higher. This slope from the hooks (hip bones) to the pins (hip joints) should be about 20 degrees. A leveler hip causes the hind legs to be placed out of line with the hip and possibly too straight (posty) while a greater slope may push the hind legs under the hip and cause the animal to tuck or camp over himself and walk on the back of his pasterns. With this condition the toes do not often get worn down enough, excessive hoof growth occurs resulting in lameness. Pigs with some angle to their shoulder and hock tend to have more longevity than those straighter in their design. Sound hind legs are vital to the breeding capacity of boars, since during mating, most of the boar’s weight is supported by his hind legs. A boar with rear leg defects often suffers pain on moving or mounting and this may interfere with his desire to mate. Posty or straight hind legs predisposes the boar to swollen hocks and to arthritis in the hip and stifle joints. (Which can also affect meat quality.)"

Our annual meeting is fast approaching. We will be having a guest speaker from The Livestock Conservancy joining us this year to discuss the role they play with our Large Black Hogs. I hope that you will be able to join us February 16th for this yearly event.

Our Annual meeting is fast approaching I hope you can all join us!

Be aware that someone is attempting to spam members of the LBHA. I was alerted by a member that he had received an email under the Large Black Hog Association banner. This is not from the LBHA. Please do not entertain these scammers. The email attached does NOT belong to Alan and Amy McKamey

Educational post: Conformation Structure Legs I am only going to touch the surface of this topic with this post but may also touch a few nerves, but feel it is of utmost importance to discuss this topic. When building a house if you don't have a solid frame the house will never stand. The same holds true for our livestock. Unfortunately for our Large Black breed this is one of our weakest points. Many forget to pay attention to their hogs structure and legs when choosin...Continue reading

Our annual meeting is fast approaching. Hope you can all attend