Berkshire pig
Scientific name
Sus scrofa domesticus
Size and weight
60 to 90 cm tall and 134 to 178 cm long.
220 to 280 kg
Diet
A wide variety of plant and animal matter
Conservation status
Considered vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust
Native habitat
From the English county of Berkshire
LIFE SPAN
12 to 15 years
Meet our Berkshire pigs
Our Berkshire pigs, Sindy and Ken, are very friendly and love nothing more than a good scratch from one of their keepers. Sindy is the boss and you can often see her pushing Ken out of the way to get to the food! They aren’t too fussy about what they eat, but they are very fond of a frozen apple on a hot summer’s day.
One of Sindy and Ken’s favourite pastimes is a scatter feed; the keepers hide food around the enclosure and Sindy and Ken must use their brilliant sense of smell to find it.
About the Berkshire pig
The Berkshire pig is a rare breed in the UK. They are intelligent, inquisitive and good-natured pigs and are very social.
It’s the oldest recorded pedigree pig breed in Britain but it has changed a lot over the years. Their popularity declined in the mid-20th century when farmers began to favour white pigs for bacon production.
Did you know?
- pigs are one of the oldest domesticated animals, having been domesticated by humans about 9,000 years ago
- they are very intelligent animals, about as intelligent as a dog
- Berkshire sows normally have 8 to 10 piglets and are known to be excellent mothers.
