Lacombe pig facts for kids
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered |
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| Country of origin | Canada |
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The Lacombe is a special type of pig that comes from Canada. It was the first new kind of farm animal ever created in Canada! This pig is named after the place where it was developed: the Lacombe Research and Development Centre in Lacombe, Alberta.
Contents
What Does a Lacombe Pig Look Like?
The Lacombe pig is a medium-sized pig with white skin. It's known for being very calm and gentle. These pigs have big, floppy ears and long bodies, but their legs are quite short. They are also known for having a lot of meat.
Why Are Lacombe Pigs Special?
Farmers chose to breed Lacombe pigs for several important reasons. They grow very quickly and are easy to handle, especially the mother pigs (sows). A lot of care was taken to make sure they had:
- Good litter sizes (many piglets born at once)
- Healthy weaning weights (how much piglets weigh when they stop drinking milk)
- Fast growth rates
- Efficient feed conversion (they turn food into meat well)
- High-quality meat
- Strong and healthy bodies
The History of the Lacombe Pig
The story of the Lacombe pig began in 1947. Scientists wanted to create a new pig breed that would be great for mixing with the Yorkshire pig. The Yorkshire was the most common pig breed in Canada at that time.
How Was the Breed Developed?
To create the Lacombe, scientists started by crossing Berkshire mother pigs with father pigs that were a mix of Danish Landrace and Chester White breeds. This special breeding program happened at the Canadian Department of Agriculture Research Station in Lacombe, Alberta. Dr. J. G. Stothart and Dr. H. T. Fredeen led this important work.
The first pigs used were top Berkshire mothers from Canada. They were bred with Landrace-Chester White mix fathers from the United States. From 1947 onwards, for 12 years, the scientists carefully selected and tested many pigs. They focused on how well the pigs performed.
Keeping the White Color
After 1954, any Lacombe pigs that joined the breeding group were also bred with purebred Berkshires. If any of the piglets had black hair, they were not used for breeding. This was done to make sure all Lacombe pigs would be white. In pigs, the white color is usually stronger than black.
When Were Lacombe Pigs Released?
Between 1954 and 1957, Lacombe pigs were tested on 60 different farms that raised Yorkshire pigs. They proved to be excellent in growth, abilities, and meat quality.
The first Lacombe father pigs were made available to farmers in 1957. The mother pigs followed a year later. When they were first released, it was estimated that Lacombe pigs were about 56% Landrace, 23% Berkshire, and 21% Chester White.
In 1957, the Lacombe breed was officially accepted for registration by the Canadian National Livestock Records. Then, in 1959, the Canadian Lacombe Breeders' Association was formed to help manage the breed.
Lacombe Pigs Today
The Lacombe pig quickly became a popular breed in Canada. In 1981, over 1,700 Lacombe pigs were officially registered. Today, most Lacombe breeding pigs are owned by a few private companies. Because of this, Rare Breeds Canada now considers the Lacombe pig to be critically endangered. This means there are very few of them left.
