Breed Status: Threatened
American
They're Just Right!
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Gentle, medium-sized pigs.
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Readily adapt to their surroundings.
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Easily contained.
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Able to thrive on the roughest of forages and leftover food scraps.
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Successfully breed and give birth without assistance.
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Delicious, mouth-watering meat.
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Versatile, nutritious, highly-prized lard. ​
Guinea Hogs
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, Guinea Hogs could be found on a majority of Southeastern U.S. farms and homesteads.
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Early on, they were known by many different names, including Acorn Eaters, Yard Pigs, Guinea Forest Hogs, and Piney Woods Hogs. These names described their common living environments and habitats, as well as how the pigs were managed. They were a true landrace breed and, as such, were characterized more for their ability to thrive and adapt to their regional surroundings while reliably providing an affordable, local food source for small farmer/homesteader families than by any highly-uniform physical appearance (type).
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Their History
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Image taken from the Southern Cultivator, published in 1850.
Many of these hogs lived in close proximity to the homesteaders who cared for them and, over time, were selectively bred for gentle temperaments and manageability.
During the 18- and early 1900s, records indicate that the coarser, native Guinea Hogs, were likely improved through cross-breeding with the more-refined swine breeds of the day. The Essex and Berkshire breeds are commonly mentioned as two of these "improving" breeds.
These improved Guinea Hogs included the two Guinea Hog types:
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"big" - also referred to as big-boned, and
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"little" - also referred to as little-boned or small.
Both types were thrifty, hardy, manageable lard hogs, but they differed in rate-of-growth, overall size, and bone thickness.
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Advertisement Images taken from General Farm Legislation Hearings, 1937
Guinea Hogs were lard hogs and by the mid-1950s, lard, once considered a valuable commodity, was no longer appreciated. Synthetic oils were being developed and a modern preference for fast-growing, larger hogs and leaner meat emerged. This trend caused the Guinea Hog to fall from favor. Eventually, the total number of living Guinea Hogs fell to less than 200 and the Livestock Conservancy added the breed to their list of critically endangered livestock.
The tide has turned. As in times past, small farms and homesteads are springing up everywhere. Self-sufficiency, sustainability, bio-efficiency, and just plain good tasting pork, are becoming increasingly important to both farmers and consumers alike.
American Guinea Hogs offer homesteaders a sustainable alternative to destructive, vehicle-sized pigs, and dry, pasty gray commercial pork. In increasing numbers, farmers are returning to the easily-handled, mid-sized pig that thrives on pasture and efficiently produces moist, colorful, highly-flavored meat and nutritious, Vitamin D-laden lard for the family table. As a result, the American Guinea Hog's status has been upgraded from Critical to Threatened.
Guinea Hogs Today
More and more people are rediscovering the many virtues
of these remarkable homestead hogs...
hogs that are neither too large, nor too small...
hogs that are - in a multitude of ways -
JUST RIGHT!
Buying Options/
Availability
If you believe the American Guinea Hog might be "just right" for your farm and/or your table, please explore our simple and easy buying options.
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Our
Methods
We are dedicated to producing wholesome, healthy food for ourselves and our clients and to raising our hogs in the in the open air and sunshine.
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Our
Boars
We select boars that are large, well-structured, mild mannered, biologically efficient, and able to
sire large litters.
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Our
Sows
We select well-built sows that are calm, able to farrow without assistance, and successfully raise a minimum of 85% of their offspring
to weaning age.
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