Kunekune pigs are gaining some serious popularity over the last few year for homesteads all over America. And what’s not to love? These smaller pigs have so many great purposes.
Kunekune pigs are originally from New Zealand. Their name means “Fat and round” in Maori. Even though these are a domestic pig smaller than commercial breeds, they can still be around 100-300 pounds and about the size of a large-XL dog. They are one of the few breeds that can be 100% pasture raised. However here we supplement with a fermented grain feed and unlimited hay. They have very unique features that separate them from other pigs. Most people don't think of pigs being hairy- but Kunekune are! The breed standard also has double wattles, which is like little flesh pockets that hang down from their chin. They serve generally no purpose than to set these pigs apart! Kunekune also come in a wide, beautiful variety of colors like black, brown, ginger, cream and any combination of those!
Their personalities win over just about everyone. They have a shorter, upturned snout which makes them less likely to root around. Their smaller body size makes challenging fences less of a problem. Kunekune are vary laid back, and love a good belly stratch- they will fall over just like a puppy! Kunekune are SOCIAL animals, they need a buddy! Preferably another pig to snuggle with on cold weather, or just to talk pig gossip to- they are happiest with a friend. At our homestead, we have small kids, and we never have to worry about them going in to visit the pigs (except for muddy shoes). We have had Kunekune share their feed with chickens, and there has never been any aggression towards us or another animal. Remember, pigs by nature push and shove to show dominance and to get what they want, they’re not trying to be mean about it, but if you politely push back, you can assert yourself as top pig- This is not aggressive behavior, this is pig language!
Pigs are extremely intelligent and love mental stimulation. They are super food motivated and can easily be trained. Before we got our pig housing set up, we briefly had a couple in our house! They were easier to house break & train than puppies! Come when called, sit for treats, potty breaks outside- it was great! If you’re considering making a Kunekune an inside pet, please check your local zoning laws about house pigs first, and remember, Kunekune are a smaller pig, but they can still be big babies! Their shorter legs make stairs difficult, so a one level house would be best. In our opinion, barrows (castrated males) make the best pets!
As for the other side of the dual purpose portion, the meat. We understand that not everyone can eat an adorable kunekune, and that's ok! But you're missing out! This meat, is red, marbled and has a flavor like no other. Kunekune are traditionally a lard pig which is great that you can keep that back to save for later recipes, or its absolutely amazing for soap making! Since they are slow growing, the processing time is slower than a commercial hog. For max value, meat ratio- you're looking to process around 18-24 months. However, that doesn't mean you can't process a 6 month whole roaster. Or get quality meat if you butchered at 12 months- your yields just may not be as high.
Our friends at SEF put together this great list of pointers that are first commonly considered when looking to own a kunekune, and worth the good read!
#1
When you reach out to a breeder, please tell them what you are looking for. Do you want gilts, boars, barrows? Do you want piglets or older pigs? Are you looking for specific sow/boar lines? Specific color patterns? Do you want to breed for meat or want pets. The more info you provide the breeder the better and faster they can serve you.
#2
Pigs are social, they need pig companionship to be happy, healthy and nondestructive. A good initial breeding group would include a boar, a barrow and two gilts. The barrow provides companionship for your boar and can keep one gilt/sow company while the other visits the boar at breeding time. The issue with only owning a boar and a gilt/sow is that they should not live together all of the time. When boars and gilts/sows are raised together you either get a sibling relationship ( they will not breed) or you get a gilt bred too young. Kunekune gilts should not breed for the first time until at least a year old ( if they are large enough and emotionally mature enough) many take 18 months plus to reach this point.
#3
While Kunekune are smaller than many commercialized breeds they still are large animals when grown. The cute piglet you take home will grow. My smallest sow is 180 pounds, my largest boar tops 500( he is the exception not the rule). Please keep this in mind when you decide you want to keep a “ house pig”. The cuteness and temperament of Kunekune have made them very popular in the pet market and we are seeing more and more neglect, breeding of crosses ( often passed off as pure) and more pigs abandoned in shelters. If you want a Kunekune as a pet, please buy from a breeder who registers and offers barrows as pets, not unregistered intact pigs.
#4
Kunekune are named by sow and boar lines. These names originate from the pigs imported to the US. The format for the registered name of you pig is Farm it was born on, sow/boar line, number that pig is of that line born on that farm, given name. Example Scurvy Elephant Farm Sally 1 Fanny You Fool. Fanny was the first Sally gilt born on my farm.
SOW BLOOD LINES
United Kingdom IMPORTS
Jenny (imported in 2005)
Trish (imported in 2005)
Rebecca Gina (imported in 2010)
Kereopa (imported in 2011)
Sally (imported in 2011)
Trish (imported in 2011)
Awakino (imported in 2011)
BH Rebecca Gina (imported in 2011)
NEW ZEALAND IMPORTS
Rona (imported in 1995)
Wilsons Gina (imported in 1995)
Aria Giana (imported in 2010)
Tarutaru (imported in 2010)
Tapeka (imported in 2010)
Momona (imported in 2010)
Haunene (imported in 2010)
BOAR BLOODLINES
United Kingdom IMPORTS
Andrew (imported in 2005 )
Te Whangi (imported in 2005 )
Tutaki (imported in 2010)
Ru (imported in 2011)
BH Tutaki (imported in 2011
NEW ZEALAND IMPORTS
Boris (imported in 1995)
Tonganui (imported in 1995)
Mahia Love (imported in 2010)
Tutanakai aka Mahia Love TF (imported in 2010)
Tuahuru (imported in 2010)
Whakanui (imported in 2010)
#5
you can’t gauge size by line. Many people ask, “ which boar line produces the largest piglets”? It does not work this way because even though it may be an Andrew boar, it had influences from many other lines genetics. Work with a breeder whose goals mirror yours. A meat production breeder is breeding for consistency in size and growth rate.
#6
COI means coefficient of inbreeding. Because we started with a small gene pool, COI helps Kunekune breeders keep tract of how related their pigs are when making breeding choices. One can debate line breeding all day, I will not get into that here. I just want you to understand what this number means. Here at SEF we pair for a COI less then ten but prefer less then five.
#7 Please consider more then color when choosing a pig. Flashy is nice but it does not equal a pig with good conformation. Look for a straight top line. Look for a well proportioned piglet, solid, well set legs. Look for good pasterns. A nice guide out of the UK references your piglet looking like a ballerina up on her toes. Look at teatline, the standard is an even teatline with a minimum of ten teats. If you are going to breed you want there to be enough faucets well spaced so the piglets can all nurse.
#8
Wattles… a controversial subject at best. I personally do not “worship at the altar of the wattle”. Do I prefer them on my Kunekune, you bet! Do I exclude an animal from my breeding program if they don’t have them, absolutely not! My very best boar ( consistently sized piglets with uniform amazing growth rates) is Ross, the boar helping me write this post, he is unwattled. When I pair him with a wattled sow they produce 100% wattled piglets. I have paired two wattled parents and gotten some unwattled piglets. It is frankly a genetic crap shoot and any breeder who tells you it’s not is lying. I have three unwattled boars in my program and they all produce a large number of wattled piglets. Same for my unwattled sows. I have one in the farrowing barn now that consistently produces wattled piglets. Another Intersting observation, unwattled piglets are commonly the largest piglets in a litter, if meat production is your goal, don’t discriminate against the wattleless ( sounds like a banner slogan in the making).
#9
Even if your only goal is meat production, please, please, please, buy registered pigs. It is the only way you know for sure you are getting pure Kunekune. Registered Kunekune are DNA tested to verify they are the progeny of the parents the breeder says they are. No, you can’t have the pig you bought unregistered DNA tested after the fact to verify that’s it’s pure. Be very wary of a breeder saying they are selling you intact Kunekune from registered stock but not registering the piglets. These scenarios don’t end well. You will never regret investing in sound registered stock. Many people end up regretting trusting that the cute unregistered piglet they bought was pure Kunekune. It costs no more to feed a sound registered Kunekune than it does to feed a questionable unregistered pig. That said as soon as I did more research, I started building the registered herd I work with today.