 A Duroc sow at a livestock show in England | |
| Country of origin | United States |
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| Traits | |
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The Duroc is an American breed of domestic pig. It varies in color from golden to a dark reddish-brown; it is large-framed and muscular, of medium length, with partially-drooping ears.
The breed, one of several red pig strains which developed around 1800 in New England, originated in Africa. One theory is that the pigs were imported from the Guinea coast of Africa at the time of the slave trade. Another suggestion is that the red color came from the Berkshire pig from Britain, a breed that is now black, but at that time was rusty brown. Another influence on the breed may have been four shoats from Spain and Portugal that were imported around 1837, but it is unclear whether these formed part of the breed's ancestry. [1]
The breed is said to have been named for a stallion belonging to Harry Kelsey in New York state (1820s) [2] or that "the breed was named after a race horse and he in turn was named after Napoleon's Aide, Gen. Christoph Duroc ...." [3]
The modern Duroc originated circa 1850 from crosses of the Jersey Red and New York's older Duroc. The breed started being used in shows around the 1950s. Durocs are predominantly kept for their meat, and are appreciated for their hardiness and quick but thorough muscle growth. [1]
The first pig to have its genome sequenced was a Duroc sow named T.J. Tabasco. [4]
Originally, the Duroc was a very large pig, but not as large as was the Jersey Red. Today, it is a medium-sized breed with a moderately long body and a slightly dished face. The ears are drooping and not held erect. The color is often an orangish-brown, but ranges from a light-golden shade to a deep mahogany-red. [1] The weight of a mature boar is about 882 pounds, and the sow is about 772 pounds.
The Shropshire breed of domestic sheep originated from the hills of Shropshire, and North Staffordshire, England, during the 1840s. The breeders in the area used the local horned black-faced sheep and crossed them with a few breeds of white-faced sheep. This produced a medium-sized polled (hornless) sheep that produced good wool and meat. In 1855 the first Shropshires were imported into the United States (Virginia). This breed is raised primarily for meat.
The Danish Landrace, Danish: Hvid Dansk Landrace, is a Danish breed of pig. It is of medium to large size, white in colour with a long body, fine hair, a long snout, and heavy drooping ears. There are two distinct varieties, the white and the piebald.
The Tamworth is a British breed of domestic pig. It is the only red-coloured British pig. Its origins are unknown, but it appears to have developed near the town of Tamworth in south-eastern Staffordshire, close to Warwickshire border. It is one of seven British pig breeds listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as 'priority', the highest level of concern of the trust.
The American Landrace is an American breed of domestic pig. It is white in color, with a long body, fine hair, a long snout and heavy, drooping ears. Like all landrace pigs, it derives from the Danish Landrace.
The Black Mouth Cur, also known as the Southern Cur, Southern Black Mouth Cur and the Yellow Black Mouth Cur, is a medium to large sized breed of cur-type dog from the United States. Originating in the south of the country, the breed is a popular hunting companion used to hunt a large variety of game.
The Hampshire pig is a domestic swine breed characterized by erect ears, a black body, and a white band around the middle, covering the front legs.
Mulefoot are a breed of domestic pig which is named for its intact, uncloven hooves reminiscent of a mule.
The Berkshire is a British breed of pig. It originated in the English county of Berkshire, for which it is named. It is normally black, with some white on the snout, on the lower legs, and on the tip of the tail.
The Poland China is an American breed of domestic pig. It was first bred in Warren County in Ohio, in the American Midwest. Its origins lie in a small number of pigs of Chinese type bought in 1816, which were cross-bred with a variety of breeds of European origin including the Berkshire. It was bred as a lard pig, and is among the largest of all pig breeds.
The Large Black pig is a British breed of domestic pig. It is the only British pig that is entirely black. It was created in the last years of the nineteenth century by merging the black pig populations of Devon and Cornwall in the south-west with those of Essex, Suffolk and Kent in the south-east. It is hardy, docile and prolific; it forages well and is suitable for extensive farming, but not well suited to intensive management.
The Red Wattle Hog is a breed of domestic pig originating in the United States. It is named for its red color and distinctive wattles or tassels, and is on the threatened list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC).
The Meishan is a breed of domestic pig named for the Meishan, Jiangsu Province, China. It is a sub-group of the Taihu pig and is a small to medium-sized breed with large drooping ears, and wrinkled black skin. Meishan Pigs are extremely docile and renowned for their tender and flavorful red meat pork.
The Large White is a British breed of domestic pig. It derives from the old Large Yorkshire breed from the county of Yorkshire, in northern England.
The Chester White is a breed of domestic pig which originated in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was formerly known as the Chester County White.
The Swedish Landrace is the leading breed of pig in Sweden. They have heavy drooping ears and a white coat. The Swedish strain of the Landrace pig originated from importations from neighboring countries, particularly Denmark. The Swedish Landrace have attracted attention in the United States and other nations in recent years.
The Swabian-Hall swine is a breed of domestic pig originating from Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is a large pig, white in the centre with a black head and rear and narrow grey bands at the transition from white to black skin. They have large litters averaging more than nine piglets.
The British Landrace is a British domestic breed of pig and one of the most popular in the United Kingdom. It is pink with heavy drooping ears that cover most of the face and is bred for pork and bacon. The breed originated in the 1949 importation of 12 landrace pigs from Scandinavia — four boars and eight gilts. In 1950, the British Landrace Pig Society was formed and it opened a herd book for the first offspring born from the imported 12. They created the first pig testing scheme with a testing station at the village of Stockton-on-the-Forest in North Yorkshire.
The Hereford Hog or Hereford is an American breed of domestic pig. It is named for its color and pattern, which is similar to that of the Hereford breed of cattle: red with a white face.
The Lacombe is a breed of domestic pig native to Canada. Named for the Lacombe Research and Development Centre in Lacombe, Alberta, the breed was the first strain of livestock developed in the country.