Pasture pigs- Meishan and IPP breeds

I have been trying to find a great pasture pig that gets most of its diet through grazing, has a calm temperament, doesn't root much, doesn't test fences much, and gets up to over 200# within a year, ideally 10 months.

Kunekunes went well for us but took too long to get to weight. We tried a Large Black/ Berkshire cross and they were not a great fit in any way except a fast growth rate. We just got a few Meishans so we'll see about them.

The Meishan and Idaho Pasture Pigs both seem to have the potential to hit all of these conditions but both are fairly rare. It seems that the IPPs may get to weight faster but the Meishans have larger litters, are better mothers, and have a calmer temperament. I'm debating on attempting to breed the two together or just pick one. Has anyone seen any kind of comparison between these breeds or have experience with both? Thank you.

Hi Joshua,
I don't have experience with either of those breeds... actually I don't have any experience with pigs beyond what I learned from reading and watching youtube. What you are describing sounds like a magical breed :) I would definitely like to hear about them if you find it. The american guinea hog sounded perfect for you... until you mentioned getting over 200lb in a year. There are many heritage breeds that are great at foraging and are calm. The lard pigs seem to root less than the bacon pigs. But a pig that gets its food from pasture is by default going to put on weight slower than one that is fed or supplemented by grain and other food. My limited "experience" says that you are going to have to pick between less input with slower growth or more inputs for faster growth.

I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in and give some good advice.

Our friends raised meishans. And everything you've said about them is true. BUT they were horrible pasture pigs: just laid around all day waiting to be fed. Our friends butchered their stock last year and are sticking with GOS.

We've raised kunekune and similarly found the grow out to be a bit lengthy. We're looking into an IPP boar, but no experience yet to share.

Joshua, did you ever try crossing IPP and Meishans?  If yes, how has it turned out?  I've tried researching it for the same reasons you mentioned, and your post is the only thing that popped up!  It seems like it could potentially turn out really well in theory.

Hi, I just want to share our experience with meishans. Let me start with...I love this breed! We have been breeding and raising meishans for a few years. This breed is soo extremely docile and interactive. We have a 400+ lb boar and contain him with step in posts and 2 strands of polycord. After getting zapped the 1st time he has never tried the fence. He does smell it sometimes to make sure its hot and tells us if it isn't lol. They don't root like most breeds. I saw 1 comment saying they laid around waiting to be feed,  but that depends on how much grass they have to graze. Ours get up and graze til it gets hot, then soak in their wallow til supper time. They also love to eat hay...we use hay instead of straw in their houses so they will munch and nap in the evenings. We feed them 18% protein pellets with lysine as well for good muscle growth. Yes, sometimes you do have to wake them up to eat lol. When our sow farrows she wants my daughter to lay there with her and rub her belly til she's finished. Our boar is always so concerned when our sow is farrowing and paces until he gets to see and smell the new babies. We have never had 1 single hog show aggression which I can't say about other breeds I've dealt with. They are a lard hog and grow out slower than commercial hogs. We have tried processing at different ages trying to find the best time. At 15 months their weights have ranges from 378 to 431 with a large fat cap, at 9 months they ranged from 236 to 268 with less of a fat cap. We will be doing the next bunch at 12 months to see how that compares. Check out our Facebook farm page Black Gnat Ridge Farm or our website blackgnatridgefarm.com and feel free to ask any question you may have....I can talk about them all day!

2 years ago I got 11 meishan gilts and 4 months later got a Idaho pasture boar. I crossed them and had great turn out. Average litter has been between 15-21 good temperment.

You can email me and I can send you some pictures of litters and sows/boars. Tried uploading some pictures but said unable to send memory low. But my email is mackparkis@gmail.com if anyone would want to see the crosses. Thanks