Poland China

It began in Warren County in 1816, when John Wallace of the Shaker Society bought four pigs of the type known as Big China in Philadelphia. Those were crossed with local Russia and Byfield pigs, then with Berkshire and Irish Grazier stock, and by about 1846 the consolidated type was known as the Warren County Pig. The name Poland China was settled at the National Swine Breeders Convention in Indianapolis in 1872; the first pedigree was drawn up at Blue Ball, Ohio in 1876, and the herd book opened in 1878.

They are black with six white points, like a Berkshire, but with drooping ears rather than erect ones, heavy jowls and short legs. Wikipedia puts boars at 640 pounds and sows at 530, and the breed has produced the heaviest hog ever recorded: Big Bill, weighed in Tennessee in 1933 at 2,552 pounds and about nine feet long.

Oklahoma State University's breed reference describes Poland Chinas as very quiet in disposition and rugged in constitution.

The caution is genetic. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists the Poland China among the breeds highly susceptible to porcine stress syndrome, an inherited condition in which stress, such as excitement, transport or handling before a procedure, can set off rigid muscles and a sudden rise in body temperature; death can follow within 20 minutes. Certified Pedigreed Swine requires every Poland China entered at a national show to be identified as stress negative or a carrier, and stress-positive animals may not be shown or sold there. Ask for the result.

The rest is ordinary pig safety. The Pork Information Gateway treats every breeding pig as dangerous and says boars can be the most aggressive, and a sow may react aggressively to protect newborn piglets.

It was originally a lard breed, bred to be large and to grow, and for a long time Poland Chinas were the heaviest hogs in America. Modern Poland Chinas have been selected toward a leaner, longer-bodied animal with good feed efficiency and are used as a terminal sire.

Oklahoma State's reference calls Poland Chinas excellent feeders that gain readily under good care and management, with substantial bone and sound feet and legs.

Outdoor pigs need shade, unlimited cool drinking water and a shaded wallow, because pigs do not sweat and overheat easily, Oregon State University Extension advises. The same guidance recommends pigmented breeds as one way to reduce sunburn, which favors a mostly black pig like this one, and treats pasture as a supplement to a balanced ration rather than the whole diet.

Keep handling and hauling calm. For a breed this susceptible to stress syndrome, the Merck Veterinary Manual names minimizing stress as key to prevention.

The herd book is administered by Certified Pedigreed Swine, the joint registry for the Poland China, Chester White and Spotted breeds, so ask for CPS papers. Around 18,000 head were registered in 1990; a 2018 count reported about 12,300, so purebred stock takes finding.

Judge a sow on her own records. Oklahoma State's reference says the breed is not to be criticized for raising large, satisfactory litters, and Certified Pedigreed Swine says it leads US pork production in pounds of hog per sow per year; ask for litter records rather than taking either claim on trust.

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