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American
Guinea Hogs FAQ
What
is the temperament of Guinea Hogs?
Guinea
hogs are very docile. They can
sometimes be found in petting
zoos, though do to the rarity
of the breed this is uncommon.
We
have not had any problems with
sows attacking us when we are
handling their squealing piglets.
In fact we have been present at
the births without problems. Our
boars have been housed together
and with the sows without any
aggressive behavior. The piglets
will sometimes even venture into
the boars lot.
Our
sows are normally housed together
even when farrowing. There is
no need for farrowing crates as
the sows are very careful and
will take care of each others
piglets.
Our
adult hogs will set for treats
and/or ear scratches. The piglets
will approach people and enjoy
treats as well.
Our
hogs are also non aggressive to
other animals, including goats,
sheep, birds, cats and LGDs. They
will however eat any eggs that
are found in their lot.
What
we like most about Guinea Hogs.
We
like their size, eating habits,
and temperament. Guinea hogs are
small (adult weight of up to 250
lbs). The mothers take very good
care of their piglets. We have
not had problems with the sows
crushing piglets either.
Our
sows are housed together and our
boars are housed together. We
have not had any problems housing
the hogs in this communal setting.
In fact we have had great benefits.
The sows help care for each others
piglets. The hogs are kept from
getting bored.
Guinea
hogs enjoy grazing. If the land
is not soggy and has good forage,
our experience has been that guinea
hogs root very little instead
they graze.
What
we like least about Guinea Hogs.
The
only dislike that we have is finding
unrelated stock. We pay particular
attention to our breeding schedule
to conserve diversity. Guinea
Hogs are critically endangered.
Their numbers were recently down
to only 35. Now their numbers
have increased to about 200 in
the world.
What
is the basic care for guinea hogs?
Currently
our guinea hogs are fed alfalfa
pellets, mixed grass hay, pasture,
and some scraps. Heavy bred sows,
lactating sows, and growing pigs
are also fed some corn. Guinea
hogs need shelter from the cold,
good quality feed or pasture,
plenty of water, and a cool place
to lay (a mud wallow or kiddie
pool). We worm our hogs as needed
and have found that they show
resistance to some worms.
What
color is a Guinea Hog?
Our
guinea hogs are black. Some of
them have white points and some
have red hair on black skin. Some
guinea hog breeders do not favor
any color other than solid black
and cull for all black. At Rudugast's
Ideal we believe that since the
guinea hog is a landrace instead
of a true breed, color variance
is to be enjoyed not discriminated
against. We do not cross other
breeds into our guinea hogs but
have found that hogs with Brothers
Gabriella in their background
have a tendency to express color.
How
does the meat taste?
-Slow
foods held a Guinea hog feast.
Click on the link to read about
it and see the recipe.Slow
food: Pig Out at the Savvy Gourmet
-Emeril is also touting the flavor
of Guinea hogs: Cochon
de Lait
How
does registration work in the
guinea hogs?
Our
guinea hogs are registered in
the American Guinea Hog Association.
The AGHA is a new registry. At
the current time registrations
and pedigrees can not be viewed
by the general public. On our
website we have pedigrees for
our hogs that are accurate to
the best of our knowledge. At
the current moment some herd names
are being altered which might
lead to changes. Otherwise there
is no AGHA ran public database.
What
are the lines of Guinea hogs?
Guinea
hogs were originally considered
to have five lines from five different
states. However, Skyfire farm
has played a major role in saving
the guinea hog and the majority
of stock is related to Skyfire
stock. All lines that I currently
know of are related to various
degrees to Skyfire stock.
How
many different lines would be
needed to insure some genetic
diversity to keep from inbreeding?
Since
the guinea hog population went
down to 35 related individuals
with an inbreeding coefficient
of 0 is currently unattainable.
The current recommendation is
to use line breeding.
How
much do guinea hogs cost?
We
prices for registered guinea hog
piglets are $200 to $300. Adult
stock will cost $250 and up. We
do sell some stock for feeders.
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