The Berkshire pig is a rare breed of domestic pig originating from the Berkshire county of United Kingdom.
Currently it is listed as vulnerable, and as of 2008, fewer than 300 breeding sows were known to exist. Although herds of the Berkshire pigs are sill maintained by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in England at Aldenham Country Park, Hertfordshire. And herds of the breed are also maintained by the South of England Rare Breeds Centre in Kent.
Some animals of the breed are also kept in Australia and New Zealand with fewer than a hundred purebred sows are available there now.
The American Berkshire Association established in the United States in 1875, gives pedigrees only to pigs directly imported from established English herds or to those tracing directly back to such imported animals.
The Berkshire pig breed is also bred in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan under the trademarked name Kagoshima Kurobuta. Read some more information about the breed below.
Berkshire Pig Characteristics
Berkshire pig is a medium to large sized animal. Modern animals are almost entirely black in color, but the original stock was sandy-brown.
The modern animals have white points on the feet, nose and tail. They have relatively short legs, and have prick ears. And they have a relatively short snout with an upturned nose.
They have dish-shaped face with a large jaw and an inverted nose when observed from the side.
Average live body weight of the mature Berkshire pig is around 270 kg, and the boars are much larger than the sows. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Special Notes
The Berkshire pigs are intelligent animals and they are well suited for the extensive pig farming system. They are well known for their quality meat production.
The Berkshire pork is prized for juiciness, flavor and tenderness, is pink-hued and heavily marbled. The meat is rich in high fat content which makes it very suitable for long cooking and high-temperature cooking.
The Berkshire pig is relatively a fast grower pig. And it takes between 180 to 195 days from birth for reaching the marketing weight of around 113 kg. However, review full breed profile of this pig breed in the following chart.
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Berkshire Pig | Breed Profile |
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| Breed Name | Berkshire | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Special Notes | Intelligent, well suited for extensive pig farming system, known for their quality meat production, grow relatively faster | |
| Breed Size | Medium to large | |
| Weight | Boars | Up to 270 kg |
| Sows | Around 270 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | All climates | |
| Color | Almost entirely black with white points on the feet, nose and tail | |
| Rarity | Rare | |
| Country/Place of Origin | United Kingdom | |