From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Choctaw Hog
Choctaw Hog
Choctaw Hog are nevertheless quick and athletic pigs with heavy fore-
quarters and "it is obvious that Choctaw hogs are built
Conservation status Critically rare breed for survival".[1][4]
Country of origin USA
Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus.) Cultivation
The Choctaw tribe still raises these hogs in Oklahoma.
The Choctaw Hog is a breed of domestic pig historically
They require relatively little care and are traditionally al-
used by Native Americans. They are now reduced in pop-
lowed to run free on open range and forage for acorns,
ulation to a few hundred animals, most of them in the
berries, invertebrates, roots, vegetables, and whatever
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The American Livestock
else they can find. With the aid of trained dogs, hogs
Breeds Conservancy calls the Choctaw Hog’s status "criti-
are rounded up periodically, earmarked, and sorted. The
cally rare" and says it "is a high conservation priority."[1]
dog usually used for this purpose is the Catahoula Leop-
ard dog, another animal of probable Spanish origin.[4]
History While Choctaw Hogs kept in confinement can become
very tame, some may be "amazed at the speed and agility
The Choctaw descends from livestock brought to the
of Choctaw hogs."[1]
Americas by Spaniards from the 16th century onwards.
Pigs kept for market are fattened with corn to im-
The Choctaw Hog was used not only by Native Americans
prove their value. A paper from the Virginia-Maryland
but also by European settlers and a succession of other
Regional College of Veterinary Medicine describes the
peoples in the Southeastern United States for over three
Choctaw as "large and fat" and reports:
hundred years.[1]
The Choctaw people and their livestock migrated As hog breeding more favors the industrial organi-
from the Deep South to Oklahoma Territory in the early zation and breeding of white hogs for lean pork pro-
19th century. The United States government forced the duction these remnants of the Spanish strains that
Five Civilized Tribes out of Mississippi and Alabama in were adapted for extensive systems are becoming
1830, and they too brought more hogs to Oklahoma. An rarer and rarer.[4]
Oklahoma Choctaw will from 1858 leaves the posthumous
"wish and desire that all the hogs running at the home The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy reports that
place be gathered and sold".[2] It is from Oklahoma swine Choctaws do not have a very valuable "market carcass".
that today’s Choctaw Hogs are descended and their ap- Lacking economic incentive, commercial interests are
pearance has changed little in 150 years.[1] not drawn to help in the Choctaw’s conservation and
there is no official Choctaw Hog registry for this
Description breed.[1][5]
Choctaw hogs have two distinctive characteristics indica-
tive of their ancestors brought from Spain. First, their References
toes are typically fused forming a single hoof like that of [1] ^ "Choctaw Hog". American Livestock Breeds
a mule. The mulefoot shares this trait for the same rea- Conservancy. http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/
son and the two breeds may come from common ances- choctaw.html. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
tral stock which was loosely selected and managed until [2] Mieirs, Jennifer. "Chief Pushmataha and
the late 19th century. Secondly, many have fleshy wattles Nahomtima". Jennifer’s genealogical realm.
on each side of their necks.[1][3][4] http://jenniferhsrn2.homestead.com/
These hogs are black, sometimes with white mark- pushmataha.html. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
ings, and at about 120 pounds, they are relatively small [3] "Mulefoot Hog". American Livestock Breeds
for a domestic pig. Feral descendants of Spanish pigs are Conservancy. http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/
much more common than non-feral ones, but the mulefoot.html. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
Choctaw is "a pure Spanish breed" [1] and is distinct from [4] ^ Sponenberg, D.P. (1992). "Colonial Spanish Sheep,
the exact feral hog populations in the Choctaw National Goats, Hogs, and Asses in the United States" (PDF).
Wildlife Refuge area, which are of mixed ancestry. They
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Choctaw Hog
Archivos de Zootecnia (University of Cordoba) 41 (154 [5] Weaver, Sue. "Livestock & Pets - Southern Heritage
(extra)): 415–419. ISSN 0004-0592. Hogs". Hobby Farms. http://www.hobbyfarms.com/
http://www.uco.es/grupos/cyted/ livestock-and-pets/southern-heritage-
philip2_415_419.pdf. hogs2.aspx#choctaw. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Choctaw_Hog&oldid=459615479"
Categories:
• Pig breeds
• Pig breeds originating in the United States
• ALBC Conservation Priority Breeds
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