Common U.S.
Breeds of Pigs
Swine Production
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Breeds of Pigs
White-line breeds and crosses
-- Traditionally maternal breeds
 Dark-colored breeds
-- Traditionally meat breeds
 Today: Color does not matter since the
color genes have been identified and
manipulated

2
Breed Numbers
Table 1. The numbers of Pure Breeds of pigs born in 1990 in the USA. Shown
also are the estimated number of litters from two major USA breeding stock
companies.
Numbers of
Percentage of the
Breed
Originated
litters in 1990
USA sow herd
Yorkshire
England
23,861
0.34%
Duroc
New Jersey & New York
22,179
0.32%
Hampshire
England
18,925
0.27%
Chester White
Ohio
5,544
0.08%
Spot
Ohio
6,443
0.09%
Landrace
Denmark
4,365
0.06%
Berkshire
England
2,071
0.03%
Poland China
Ohio
1,848
0.03%
Total Pure Breeds
85,236
1.22%
PIC USA, Inc.
England
millions
DeKalb
Texas
millions
3
Common Breeds
-Yorkshire
-Landrace
-Chester White
-Duroc
-Hampshire
-Poland China
-Berkshire
-Spot
4
Yorkshire
-“The mother breed”
-All white
-Erect ears
-Large and long
-Fertile
-Produce large litters
-Boars known for early
sexual maturity and
sire fast-growing
offspring
-Most litters registered in
the U.S.
5
Landrace
-Large, droopy ears
-All white
-Maternal breed
-Heavy birthweights
-Long bodied
-Ease of breeding
-Originated from Danish
and Norwegian Landrace
-Thought to have the highest # weaned of any breed.
6
Duroc
-Noted for feed efficiency and
muscle quality (marbling)
-Low PSE and DFD
-Solid red in color
-Droopy ears
-Excellent terminal sire
-High average daily gain
-Hair can be a problem at
packing plants (deep-rooted
hairs)
-Require less feed to make a pound of muscle than other
breeds.
7
Hampshire
-Terminal sire breed
-Erect ears
-Black with white belt
-Lean and heavy muscled
-Napole (RN) gene
8
Berkshire
-Black with six white points
-Erect ears
-Has a short dished snout
-Noted for excellent marbling
and loin muscle quality
-Early maturing
-Backfat
-Small framed
-Slow growth
-Some markets pay a premium for Berkshire breeding
(Berkshire Gold Program).
9
Spot
-High growth rate
-Lacks advantage in meat quality
-Black and white spotted
-Drooping ears
-Boars are aggressive
10
Poland China
-Black with six white points
-Drooping ears
-Developed in Ohio
-Not very adaptable to intensive
systems
-Large loineye areas
-Meaty carcasses
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Chester White
-White
-Semi-lop eared
-Durable breed
-Good for both indoor and
outdoor systems
-Was a popular lard pig
-Large litters at birth and
weaning
-Sows milk well, good
mothering ability
-Boars are aggressive
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Extremes: Meishan and
Pietran
-prolific (20+ pigs per litter)
-very fat!
-Halothane gene
-extremely lean and
heavy muscled
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Common Commercial
Crossbred Pigs
Monsanto Choice Genetics (formerly DeKalb Swine Breeders)
PIC, USA
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PIC, USA
Has the largest share of U.S.
commercial pig market
 Camborough females are most popular
sow line: 15 or 22

» Large White x Landrace x Duroc
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Pigs at TTU Farm
 Newsham
sows
 PIC USA gilts and young sows
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