The American Guinea Hog (AGH) can find its roots with some of the earliest settlers in the American South with its origin being over 200 years old! This hardy landrace pig was valued for its ability to thrive on pasture and woodland, excellent temperament and of course its lard. As American's turned to the desire for a faster growing pig and they moved away from natural cooking methods, the Guinea Hog found itself out of favor. Its numbers slowly dwindled and if it wasn't for the dedicated effort of a few people, would have gone extinct.
Today the Guinea's numbers are slowly increasing but it is still listed on the Livestock Conservancy's Threatened list.
This breed was chosen because we wanted an animal that could be fed from what the farmstead produced, without the need for extensive expensive grain inputs and had a good temperament. I did not want a 600# hog that could badly injure someone. The Guinea Hog has a wonderful calm temperament. I’ve handled piglets hours old with the sow not the least bit concerned.
The longer period to market/butcher weight (13-16 months) was of no concern since it could be easily fed on the farmstead's offerings as well as free grain by-products available (spent brewery grains). The flavor of the meat is hard to beat! The lard makes beautiful soap and is a healthy alternative to processed cooking oils.
The Guinea will root but it roots far less than a larger or commercially bred pig. I've found that as long as the grass is growing rooting is at minimum, but as soon as it slows down they pick it up. So to reduce destruction to my pasture I have small "winter lots" that I put the pigs in early October to mid-May. When the hogs then go into their summer pastures, I till up the smaller lots and plant with a variety of plants like turnips, daikon radishes, clover, squashes, oats, pumpkins and more that will provide late summer nutrition and helps me grow the most food for my livestock.
Guinea Hogs mature at weights that are much less than large commercial breed pigs, further making this breed a better choice for small landholders. Mature AGH typically run 250-350lbs. They are prone to packing on a lot of fat if fed a high concentrate diet. I've found 15 months to be ideal age for processing producing a hanging weight of 80-100lbs.
The pigs bred and raised on the Broken H will typically sport a white leg or socks. They are handled soon after birth and are raised on pasture with their mothers, never knowing close confinement except right before being sold, when they are tagged and prepped for their next journey. The sows, boars and barrows being raised for meat can be handled, petted and worked with daily.
What do I feed my pigs? Glad you asked! I rely heavily on pasture April through October. It's a common sight to see a line of goats walking out to their choice spot for the day with pigs following behind them. The pigs enjoy a wide range of garden vegetables, pumpkins, corn fodder, spent brewery grains, excess milk and locally grown corn. They gladly clean up any extra canning and kitchen "waste" the chickens don't get.
If you are looking for a hog to fit into your small homestead, check out the Guinea. In my opinion this pig is almost the perfect Homestead hog.
Learn more about this breed on the AGH website: https://guineahogs.org/guinea-hog-facts
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