Having had Berkshire pigs for years we decided we would move to Oxford Sandy and Blacks (OSB), not that we didn’t like the Berkshires anymore just that they are a Pork pig which means that all pigs in the litter would have to go at about 6 months. We wanted to send a couple of pigs a month to the butcher and this is where the OSBs come it. With the OSBs they don’t lay down fat as quickly as the Berkshires and can carry through to 12 months.

This March we picked up a trio, 2 sows, Tammy and Rosie, and a boar, Jack. The OSBs are a rare breed and Rossie is from the Sybil line which is uncommon within the OSBs so hopefully we can do our bit to keep the bloodline going.

Rosie was close to farrowing when we got her and 3 weeks later she farrowed. Two of the gilts, Spot and Patch, were good enough to register and we’ll breed from them when they’re about a year old.