Large White pig

Last updated

Large White pig
Large white pig in wallow.jpg
Boar
Other names
  • Yorkshire
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Standard British Pig Association
Traits
Hairwhite
  • Pig
  • Sus domesticus

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.

Contents

History

The Large White derives from the old Large Yorkshire breed, a long-legged and heavy-boned pig from the county of Yorkshire, in northern England. In the nineteenth century this was crossed with pigs imported from China, giving rise to three distinct types or breeds: the Small White showed the greatest Asian influence, small and fat with a markedly foreshortened snout; the Middle White also showed some foreshortening of the face; the Large White was the least obviously influenced by the Chinese admixture. [1] :649 It may also have been influenced by the Cumberland and Leicestershire breeds. [2]

A pair of pigs of Large White type were shown at the Royal Agricultural Show in Windsor in 1851. [3] The breed was recognised in 1868, and a herd-book was started in 1884.

The Large White has been exported to many countries of the world. [2] The American Yorkshire of North America derives from it. [4]

Characteristics

A sow with piglets Sow and five piglets.jpg
A sow with piglets

The Large White is a big, white pig, with erect ears and a slightly dished face. [5] Sows farrow large litters and produce abundant milk. [3]

Use

A Large White in a sty Pig 8907.JPG
A Large White in a sty

The Large White is one of the most numerous of all pig breeds, widely used in crossbreeding for intensive pig farming around the world. [6] It was originally developed as an outdoor breed, but today it is one of those favoured by commercial pig breeders. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrier</span> Dog type

Terrier is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. There are five different groups of terrier, with each group having different shapes and sizes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucestershire Old Spots</span> Breed of pig

The Gloucestershire Old Spots is an English breed of pig which is predominantly white with black spots. It is named after the county of Gloucestershire. The Gloucestershire Old Spots pig is known for its docility, intelligence, prolificity, and hardiness. Boars reach a mature weight of 600 lb (272 kg) and sows 500 lb (227 kg). The pigs are white with clearly defined black spots. There must be at least one spot on the body to be accepted in the registry. The breed's maternal skills enable it to raise large litters of piglets on pasture. Its disposition and self‑sufficiency should make it attractive for farmers raising pasture pigs and those who want to add pigs to diversified operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Border Leicester</span> Breed of sheep

The Border Leicester is a British breed of sheep. It is a polled, long-wool sheep and is considered a dual-purpose breed as it is reared both for meat and for wool. The sheep are large but docile. They have been exported to other sheep-producing regions, including Australia and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonk</span> British breed of sheep

The Lonk is a British breed of domestic sheep. It belongs to the group of black-faced hill breeds of northern England, and is found in the hills of the central and southern Pennines of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is documented from the mid-eighteenth century; a flock book was started in 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Landrace</span> American breed of pig

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Yorkshire</span> American breed of pig

The American Yorkshire is an American breed of large domestic pig. It is the most numerous pig breed in the United States. It derives from pigs of the British Large White or Yorkshire breed imported from the United Kingdom or from Canada at various times from about 1830 to the mid-twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkshire pig</span> British breed of pig

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poland China</span> American breed of pig

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large Black</span> British breed of domestic pig

The Large Black 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 Nankin Bantam or Nankin is a British bantam breed of chicken. It is a true bantam, a naturally small breed with no large counterpart from which it was miniaturised. It is of South-east Asian origin, and is among the oldest bantam breeds. It is a yellowish buff colour, and the name is thought to derive from the colour of nankeen cotton from China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derbyshire Redcap</span> Breed of chicken

The Derbyshire Redcap is a breed of chicken originating in the English county of Derbyshire. The name "Redcap" derives from the breed's unusually large Rose-type comb. British breed standards dictate a length of more than 7 centimetres (3 inches) of length for a Redcap comb. It is covered in small, fleshy points, and has a distinct spike pointing backwards called a "leader". Combs, wattles and earlobes are all ideally bright red.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old English Pheasant Fowl</span> British breed of chicken

The Old English Pheasant Fowl is a British breed of small utility chicken. It derives from traditional breeds of rural Lancashire and Yorkshire and of the former counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. Its name is due to a perceived similarity of the plumage to that of the wild pheasant. It is a rare breed, and in 2014 was listed as "at risk" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Sandy and Black</span> British breed of pig

The Oxford Sandy and Black is a British breed of domestic pig. It originated in the county of Oxfordshire, and is named for that and its colour, which is a sandy brown with black patches. It is believed to be one of the oldest British breeds of pig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle White</span> British breed of pig

The Middle White is a British breed of domestic pig. It originated in Yorkshire, and derived from the Large White and the now-extinct Small White. It was recognised in 1852, and the first herd-book was published in 1884. It is a porker, reared for fresh pork, and is characterised by a short and sharply-upturned snout. After the Second World War it came close to extinction; although numbers have recovered somewhat, it is listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as "priority" – the highest level of risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester White</span> Breed of pig

The Chester White is a breed of domestic pig which originated in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was formerly known as the Chester County White.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincolnshire Curly Coat</span> Extinct breed of pig

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat or Lincolnshire Curly-coated, also known as the Baston Pig, is an extinct British breed of domestic pig. It originated in, and was named for, the county of Lincolnshire, in the East Midlands. Like many other traditional pig breeds, it became rare after the Second World War. By 1970, it had disappeared. An older, still existing breed of similar looking pigs is the Hungarian Mangalica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small White pig</span> Breed of pig

The Small White or Small Yorkshire was a British breed of domestic pig, common during the nineteenth century. It is now extinct, but its characteristics were used in producing the Middle White and other breeds.

The Cumberland was a breed of domestic pig that originated in the North of England; it was used to produce local delicacies like the Cumberland sausage and Cumberland ham. The breed became extinct in 1960, after changes in farming methods and a demand for less fatty meat led to it falling out of favour.

The Large White Ulster, or Ulster White, was a breed of domestic pig. Primarily bred for bacon production, it was the favoured breed of farmers in the north of Ireland up until the mid 20th century.

References

  1. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN   9781780647944.
  2. 1 2 3 The Large White. British Pig Association. Archived 14 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 Graeme Taylor, Greg Roese (November 2005). Breeds of pigs—Large White. Primefact 62. Orange NSW: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Accessed January 2024.
  4. McDonald-Brown, Linda (2009). Choosing and Keeping Pigs. Firefly Books. ISBN   978-1-55407-469-3.
  5. Breed Standard and Standards of Excellence: Large White. British Pig Association. Accessed January 2018.
  6. "Large White". Oklahoma State University Dept. of Animal Science. 11 February 2021.