Red Wattle Hogs

The Red Wattle breed of swine has unclear origins beyond recent history. In the 1970's, a herd of Red Wattles was found in eastern Texas and crossed with a Duroc, then back again to Red Wattle to start what we now have as a breed. Several registry organizations have kept records of breedings, but never really stuck. Today, we are lucky to have the Red Wattle Hog Association, of which we are members, to record breedings and breeding stock.

Our Red Wattle foundation females are from the well known Rainbow's End Farm, owned by Sharon Sluss in West Virginia.

Her hogs are happily and healthily foraging the varied and beautiful understory of her wooded, mountain farm. She takes great care in genetic preservation and sells excellent quality, slow grown pork. We are so fortunate that she shared her genetics with us.

We are very much looking forward to the growth of our herd, and are currently seeking a Red Wattle boar to use with our two gilts.

Red Wattles, a threatened heritage breed listed with The Livestock Conservancy

Red Wattles as an official breed haven't been around all that long, but their origins are obscure and much debated. The first truly documented Red Wattles were caught in the '70's and '80's, but many contend that the hogs go back farther than that. Documentation of hogs with wattles from the area goes back to 1896. One thing is certain: the gene pool is very limited and in great need of conservation.

Our herd of Red Wattles is still quite small, and we intend to keep it small. We will raise a few feeders, retain the absolute best offspring for breeding stock for ourselves or anyone who wishes to buy them, and sell unregistered feeder pigs as well.

We have so many wonderful people to thank

We have been so fortunate to have excellent mentors and herds contribute to our young farm. We'd like to thank these groups in particular:

Rainbow's End Farm, a forage based farm in West Virginia

The Red Wattle Hog Association, without whom we would have lost a valuable member of the swine world in this country

The Livestock Conservancy, working tirelessly to preserve and promote heritage breeds