Duroc

Red pigs of the type emerged around 1800 in New England, possibly with African ancestry, and the modern Duroc dates from about 1850, when the Jersey Red and New York's older Duroc line were crossed. The name is a horse's: either a stallion belonging to Harry Kelsey in 1820s New York, or a racehorse named in turn for Napoleon's aide, General Duroc, depending on which story you believe. Showing the breed took off around the 1950s.

They are red, from light gold to deep mahogany, with drooping ears, a moderately long body and a slightly dished face. The registry allows no more than three black spots, none over two inches. Wikipedia puts a mature boar at about 882 pounds and a sow at about 772.

The trade is temperament: Duroc boars have a reputation for aggression, so handling facilities and experience should assume it. The breed is otherwise valued for hardiness.

What they contribute is growth and eating quality. Durocs grow fast and convert feed efficiently, with quick but thorough muscle growth, and Duroc influence raises intramuscular fat, which is the marbling that keeps pork from being dry. Almost any pork sold on quality has a Duroc somewhere in the pedigree; worldwide the breed runs to about 2.5 million head across more than a hundred countries.

They are hardy and handle both cold and outdoor systems better than the white breeds.

Papers come from the National Swine Registry, which requires at least a 6-6 underline to record an animal. And buy for the right job: as a terminal sire the breed is not selected for litter size or mothering, so a purebred Duroc herd is not a commercial proposition.

Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.