Facts about Berkshire Pig, The Berkshire is a pig breed that originates from the Berkshire County in Britain. The Berkshire pig breed is listed as weak among the known 300 breeding implants. Some Berkshire pig breeds are also found in New Zealand, but it is expected that there are currently less than a hundred purebred sows in the country. The Berkshire pig breed is the oldest recorded variety of pig in Britain, but its endurance is threatened.
Appearance of Berkshire Pig
Berkshire breeds have an extremely deep-sided with a physically powerful, consistent arch of back and muscular body. These breeds have a small neck and small, blocky legs with sturdy feet. This pig breed is a domestic swine breed distinguished by vertical ears and a black colored body with a white color band about the middle, casing the front legs. They have a moderately small and dished nose. This breed has a dish-shaped face with a large jaw and an inverted nose when observed from the side. Ears are medium-sized and erect. These are medium to large-sized animals and can get very heavy if not being used for slaughter. From birth to get to 250 pounds (113 kg) to get to market the weight takes between 180 to 195 days is the target for market weight. The Berkshire breed resembles that used for Black and Oxford Sandy being sandy or reddish color and sometimes dotted with black.
Color of Berkshire Pig
The Berkshire pig breed is mostly black in color, and hence this breed carries the nickname, Berkshire Black Pig. The tips of the tail are white in color and they boast white socks and some pigs will have white on their face. They are enclosed in tiny black coarse hair, with the exemption of the white spots, which will hold the white hair.
Temperament of Berkshire Pig
Berkshire breeds are omnivores and they love to eat. It can be interesting to observe while they travel around their surroundings in search for something to chew on. They apply their noses to smell and find a potential meal. They are clever and social animals that swiftly get used to the presence and they are fond of humans. Some Berkshire pigs are sufficiently clever to learn tricks, abide by commands, and use a waste box. As these breeds do not have sweat glands, they are inclined to cool themselves by undulating in the mud or water. The sludge that dried out on their skin acts as a sunscreen and defends them against parasites, such as lice, ticks and flies.
Health of Berkshire Pig
Berkshire pigs are healthy and sensitive breeds in spite of their energy and sociable nature. They are effortlessly stressed by vaccinations, travel, new surroundings and extreme temperatures. Stress makes these breeds vulnerable to ailments, such as bronchitis and pneumonia owing to their small lungs. They are vulnerable to animal viruses, such as influenza, too. These pigs commonly suffer from dysentery and mad itch. The normal temperature of Berkshire pigs is 102.5F. Variations from the normal temperature and other indications of poor health, including coughing and diarrhea should punctually be brought to the notice of a veterinarian. The average lifespan of the Berkshire breed ranges from six years to 10 years.
Facts of Berkshire Pigs
In the world there is about 2 billion pigs in the world. Berkshire Pigs are very intelligent, not like everybody thinks, that they are dumb animals. Berkshire Pigs are omnivores like humans, an omnivores, (definition-they eat both other animals and plants). The pig’s snout is its most important tool for finding food. The Berkshire Pigs snout is used for their excellent sense of smell.
Berkshire Pigs are raised for there meat such as ham, sausage, bacon and pork chops. Pigs can make great pets. A wild pig is called a (boar) that lives in the wild and can be hunted. Feral pigs (means wild) can be a very big danger where humans habitat. Berkshire Pigs can carry a variety of diseases and can pass them to humans. Berkshire Pigs have small lungs compared to their body size.
The scientific name for Pig (Sus scrofa), the wild swine (Boar) from the old world with a narrow body and prominent tusks is from where most domestic swine come from and introduced in United States and bred to what we have as today's pig. The "fear of pigs Swinophobia".
Swine: is any variety of omnivorous, even-toed ungulates of the family Suidae, this includes hogs, boars and pigs having a short neck, thick skin a movable snout and a stout body. Berkshire Pigs unlike is said, happen to be very clean animals. Berkshire Pigs make sure their bathroom area is far away from where they eat Lie down, rest even piglets (baby pigs) will find a place to go to the bathroom, far away from their nest.
The four feet of the Berkshire Pig are called "trotters" that humans eat as a delicacy called pigs feet or pigs knuckles. A Berkshire Pigs foot has four toes that are pointed downwards when the pig walks it walks on the tips of its toes, rather than its whole foot and only uses two of the toes and the outside toes for balance. The Berkshire Pig has tougher feet at the ends are hooves. The two toes in the middle of the foot are slightly webbed helps the pigs balance for walking.
Berkshire Pigs have 44 teeth when full grown, when they are baby pigs (piglets) the have 28 teeth which will fall at when they are 12 months old. Just like human teeth, the Berkshire Pig has an enamel coating that makes the pigs teeth stronger and helps it curb disease. Berkshire Pigs chew their food because pigs have a digestive system similar to a human digestive system and cannot digest food that is not chewed.
A pig is the last of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. The pig is represents, happiness, honesty, fortune and virility in China. The number of baby's that a pig has is 6 to 12 and they are called (piglets). A female adult pig is called a (sow) and the male adult pig is called a (boar).
A Pig can drink 14 gallons of water in a day. The Mini Maialino is the smallest breed of pig. Truffle Mushroom hunters in France and Italy use pigs to hunt Truffle Mushrooms because of there keen sense of smell, the problem is that, sometimes if the hunter doesn't grab the mushrooms in time, the pig will eat it. Sometimes certain dogs are used instead of pigs.