Conservation status Threatened Country of origin United States Higher classification Domestic pig | Other names Red Wattle pig Scientific name Sus scrofa domesticus Rank Breed | |
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Standard Red Wattle Hog Association Weight Male: 750 lb (340 kg)
Female: 550 lb (249 kg) Hair various shades of red, sometimes almost black Similar Mulefoot, Tamworth pig, Gloucestershire Old Spots, Guinea hog, Berkshire pig | ||
The Red Wattle hog, or Red Wattle pig, 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).
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Characteristics
Red Wattle hogs are characterized by their red coat and distinctive wattles. They typically weigh 600–800 pounds (270–360 kg). Large specimens can reach 1,200 pounds (540 kg) in weight, 4 feet (120 cm) in height and 8 feet (240 cm) in length. They normally have 10 –15 piglets per litter. They grow fast, forage well, and are hardy, mild-tempered and resistant to disease. They are suitable for extensive management.
History
The early history of the Red Wattle hog is not clear. The modern breed descends from animals found in East Texas in the late 1960s and early 1970s by H. C. Wengler, who cross-bred two wattled red sows with a Duroc boar to start the "Wengler Red Waddle" line. Other animals were found, also in East Texas, about 20 years later by Robert Prentice, and became the Timberline line of Red Wattles. Prentice also crossed his Timberlines with Wengler's line to make the Endow Farm Wattle Hogs. In the 1980s three breed registries were maintained, but there was no central breed association. In 1999 the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy found only 42 breeding animals belonging to six breeders. A Red Wattle Hog Association was started, which since September 2012 has maintained the pedigree book for the breed. The Red Wattle hog is listed by Slow Food USA in the Ark of Taste.
