A few months ago I did a post on why I wanted Dominique Chickens. I'd like you know why I want American Guinea Hogs. The reasons are quite similar. This breed of hog, like the breed of chickens, is endangered. It's a true American breed that is on the brink of extinction. Why? For the several of the same reasons. They grow slow. Commercial breeds grow fast. So fast in fact that they have to be processed quite young because, like commercial chickens, their bodies can not handle the rapid growth and would die or be paralyzed from their weight. A stressed animal produces stress hormones that stay in the meat. They are small, but they produce great meat at just the right amount for the average family. Their small size also contributes to the their ease of care. And unlike other hogs, they are extremely docile and only the best tempered animals are bred. Commercial pigs are kept in their own filth and small quarters. They are fed fattening food. Guinea hogs have retained the ability to forage for them selves on grasses and roots. They will have fat, but their meat is not saturated with fat and stress hormones because they can live their lives more naturally than commercial breeds. If you would like to know more about the AGH, you can visit http://www.americanguineahogassociation.org/ .
Introducing our AGH: Lois and Lana
I decided that naming them after Old Testament characters was a bit sacrilegious and the Lord of the Rings names were just too hard to say. There are a lot of super heroes to draw from though, so it should be interesting!
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