Hampshire

Captain John Mackay of Boston imported the founding pigs to Massachusetts around 1820 to 1830, allegedly from Hampshire county in England. In 1835 Major Joel Garnet moved animals from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, where the type became known as the Thin-Rind. The American Thin-Rind Record Association formed in 1893 and took the Hampshire name in 1904; by 1907 the breed ranked fifth among American purebreds with about 3,000 animals. Its records have been part of the National Swine Registry since 1994.

Erect ears, and the belt: the standard requires the white band to go completely around both front legs and feet, and an animal without the full belt can be registered but not shown. They are well-muscled, rapid growers, and Hampshire carcasses are among the leanest and best muscled of any breed, with a large loin eye.

The National Swine Registry's own breed history says Hampshire boars are more aggressive now than in recent years. Take it at its word. The Pork Information Gateway says boars can be the most aggressive animals in a breeding herd, and University of Minnesota Extension recommends a solid sorting panel as the tool for moving them.

The females, in the registry's words, have a reputation among commercial producers as great mothers with extra longevity in the sow herd. A sow with newborn piglets may defend them, so keep the panel handy in the farrowing pen too.

Porcine stress syndrome is less of a worry than in some breeds: the Merck Veterinary Manual rates Hampshire pigs much less susceptible than the Pietrain, Poland China and Landrace. The breed's own genetic question, the RN gene, is covered below.

Muscle. Hampshires are used as terminal sires alongside Durocs wherever lean carcass quality is the target. Sows are durable and long-lived, with real longevity in the herd. Worldwide the breed numbers about 160,000, more than 20,000 of them in the United States.

The registry's history covers both kinds of farm. The early belted hogs in Kentucky were valued for hardiness, vigor and foraging, and the modern Hampshire, the registry says, has passed the test in confinement.

Outdoors, plan for what every pig needs. Oregon State University Extension calls shade essential, along with unlimited cool water and a shaded wallow, because pigs do not sweat, and it treats pasture as a supplement to a balanced ration rather than the whole diet. Good fences, shelter, rotation and daily checks are on the same list.

The trade is a specific and well-documented one. A high proportion of Hampshires carry the RN gene, sometimes called the acid meat gene, which raises the acidity of the muscle and reduces cooking yield and water-holding capacity. It is testable, and any serious Hampshire program tests for it.

Papers come from the National Swine Registry. If you plan to show, check the belt against the standard before you buy, because a broken belt bars the ring even though it does not bar the book.

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