Red Wattle Hog
Encyclopedia
The Red Wattle, also called the Red Wattle Hog, is a breed
of domestic pig
originating in the United States. Named for its red color and distinctive wattle
s, it is on the critically endangered
list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
(ALBC).
.) He wanted to make sure his were unique. About 20 years later, Robert Prentice located another herd of Red Wattle Hogs in East Texas as well. These became the Timberline line of Red Wattles. He also combined his Timberlines with Mr. Wengler's breed to make the Endow Farm Wattle Hogs.
During the boom in the hog market in the early 1980s there were three different registries for the Red Wattle Hog. Many people had them but there was never a central breed association. In 1999, when the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy looked again, there were only 42 breeding animals belonging to six breeders. The ALBC now maintains the pedigree book for the breed. Recently, there was a Red Wattle Hog Association started for the betterment of the breed.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of domestic pig
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
originating in the United States. Named for its red color and distinctive wattle
Wattle (anatomy)
A wattle is a fleshy dewlap or caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds, goats and other animals. In some birds the caruncle is erectile tissue.The wattle is frequently an organ of sexual dimorphism...
s, it is on the critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting genetic diversity among rare breeds of livestock...
(ALBC).
Characteristics
Red Wattle hogs typically weigh 600-800 pounds but can reach 1500 pounds. They typically measure four feet in height by eight feet length. Boars are larger than sows. They normally have eight to ten piglets per litter but can have up to 16. They are well known for their rapid growth rate, foraging ability, disease resistance, and hardiness.History
The history of the Red Wattle hog is not clear. They were found again in the late 1960s and early 1970s by H. C. Wengler in East Texas. He is credited with starting the Wengler Red Waddle Hog line. (Note the spelling difference: "dd" in waddle instead of wattleWattle (anatomy)
A wattle is a fleshy dewlap or caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds, goats and other animals. In some birds the caruncle is erectile tissue.The wattle is frequently an organ of sexual dimorphism...
.) He wanted to make sure his were unique. About 20 years later, Robert Prentice located another herd of Red Wattle Hogs in East Texas as well. These became the Timberline line of Red Wattles. He also combined his Timberlines with Mr. Wengler's breed to make the Endow Farm Wattle Hogs.
During the boom in the hog market in the early 1980s there were three different registries for the Red Wattle Hog. Many people had them but there was never a central breed association. In 1999, when the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy looked again, there were only 42 breeding animals belonging to six breeders. The ALBC now maintains the pedigree book for the breed. Recently, there was a Red Wattle Hog Association started for the betterment of the breed.