The Lincolnshire Curly Coat Pig

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat pig was thought to have become extinct in the early 1970's. However, before the breed died out, large quantities were exported to countries such as Hungary. Here they began to cross-breed the curly coats with Mangalitza curly coat pigs, a very similar breed native to Hungary. Thirty years later it was about time the breed was reintroduced to the UK! So, with the support of the British Pig association, seventeen Mangalitza Curly Coat pigs were imported back to England, and have been carefully bred ever since. These pigs are as close to the old Lincolnshire Curly Coats as we can get and it is fantastic that they are being bred so well here. Our two girls, Mable and Dotty, come from that original stock!

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat is a very hardy pig known for its curly coat. It is the only pig we know of that can be sheared and from a distance some people mistake Dotty for a sheep! It is a very mild mannered breed of medium size, coming in red, blonde or swallow belly. This breed is a great choice for beginners, and would even make a great pet, as they  enjoy a good rub down and love feeding from the hand. Ours even roll over like dogs to get their belly rubbed at every chance they get. Ours also answer to their names when called. Like many pig breeds, the curly coat is a mischievous breed, always playing and running around. Ours often destroy feed bowls, or move them around. The most fun they have is when they tug at your trousers when they are being fed, something that we don't enjoy as much when it is rainy and muddy!

Lincolnshire Curly Coat

Mable enjoying some pig nuts.

Dotty enjoying more than a few apples.

 Dotty is certainly our model, always running up for a photo op.

Feeding

The first thing to remember with pigs is to never overfeed!!

Not only is pig feed expensive, but an overweight pig will be an unhealthy pig. Fat pigs are also unhappy pigs. It is important to keep your Lincolnshire Curly nice and lean, and allow them to come running for food. Never leave a constant supply of food available as they will just eat and eat. We feed our pigs twice a day with nuts and give them treats in between. Ours have 3lb-6lb a day. This is variable as you should always keep an eye on weight. Pigs love fresh fruit and vegetable (except citrus fruit). These are great for treats; ours particularly love apples, but if you are giving them in large quantities you will need to reduce the amount of nuts. We use large rubber feeders made from old tyres for food as it keeps food relatively  clean. Veggie treats can be fed by hand, although the pigs do enjoy finding food that is scattered for them. Activities like this are important to keep them fit and active. A clean supply of fresh water should be available at all times, particularly when it is hot. You can give them buckets of water but its rather annoying when they tip them over in front of you! We used to carry bucket after bucket until we got our water system up and running! Now we use an automatic drinker so the supply is constant. We have to keep this bolted and ensure the connections are covered as Dotty has tried more than once to eat them! Dotty also likes making her own pool beside the water by flooding the drinker to make it overflow. She does this by blowing bubbles through her snout into the water!

 Mable isn't shy either, but wont give up her breakfast for anything, certainly not for a photo!

Coming Soon...

Keep checking this page as more is on its way. We want to share with you all the latest pictures of our Curly's as well as information on breeding and caring for piglets.

Dotty planning her next great escape!

Here is one of our pig arks that I built myself.

Keeping Lincolnshire Curly Coats

Shelter

Chances are you pigs will be kept outside, which means they will need a shelter, or an ark as they are known. These pigs are hardy enough to be outside in the cold and wet, but still need shelter for when it is particularly cold and wet. They also need to be able to escape the sun, when we get some! Pigs aren't fans of draughts either so a good shelter with protection from the wind is vital.

We build our own arks as they are twice as good at half the price! By building our own arks we can build them to suit Dotty and Mable's needs rather then making them adjust to what is available. Surprisingly, they aren't as difficult to make as you might think, as you can even buy the curved corrugated tin roofing. Some people don't like the idea of tin roofing as it gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but we make adjustments for each. We provide our girls with a wallow in summer so they can cool down, and we ensure the ark is full of fresh bedding to help keep them nice and toasty in the cold.  As we are breeding from our girls we also added back doors onto the shelters for easier access. At first Dotty didn't seem too keen on these doors; this winter we found one half eaten. Considering she doesn't like draughts she made herself a big window!  It is important to remember that pigs will chew on wood if they choose to, but wont chew on tin.

Fencing

When it comes to the fencing, you should always get the best you can afford. You will need four inch round posts with heavy duty stock fencing. Some people ring their pigs noses to prevent digging, but this is something we don't agree with. To stop our pigs from digging out of the bottom and escaping we have added two strands of barbed wire at the bottom. The fencing should be pulled tight to avoid sagging. A pig will take advantage of any sagging. Dotty, the naughtier of the two often likes to jump over the fence. Imagine a cat getting ready to pounce, then picture a pig doing the same. Many a time have we gone to the feed shed only to hear foot steps behind us. We could prevent this using electric fencing but this is costly and not always effective. Electric fencing needs constant checking that it is working, and its power can be reduced if its touching wet grass. Although we don't use it, it is a popular choice amongst breeders.