New Additions to The Coast Herd!

The Coast Herd are two female Gloucester Old Spot pigs, Ebb and Flow, who you may have come across in our newsletters throughout 2011. Just before Christmas one of the females had her first litter of piglets!

The piglets were born on the 1st December 2011, 3 boars and 2 sows.

 
Gloucester Old Spot pigs, also known as the “Orchard Pig”, are mainly white with black spots.  There must be at least one spot on the pig to be accepted as a Gloucester Old Spot.  As you can see our five piglets have all got spots.

The characteristics of the Gloucester Old Spot are large in size, white in colour with a minimum of one spot and lop ears which almost cover the face.  They are hardy and have good mothering qualities.  The first pedigree records of the Gloucester Old Spot began back in 1885!  No other spotted breed was recorded before 1913, so today the Gloucester old spot is the oldest breed in the world.  The breed is kept in many parts of the UK, where their toleration of extreme temperature and weather patterns comes in handy!