The Kuhn Family Farm
          & Old Country Store

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Our Duroc breed of pig's, sometimes known as the "Duroc-Jersey" are one of the most popular breeds of pig in the world.

The popularity of the Duroc can be attributed to their large size and high quality/ low-fat meat production.    A lean pig, They grow very quickly and can do well on minimum feed.  Our Duroc's are only given a 2 part feed mix/chop of corn and oat's.  Our Duroc Pig's are well known for their sturdiness, stamina, and sheer power. Duroc boars are often used as a terminal sire.

The Duroc is a large, powerful animal. Boars average 120cm at the withers, and sows about 110cm. The average slaughter hog weighs 250 pounds and normal mature sows weigh between 325 and 350 pounds while boars usually weigh between 350 and 400 pounds. Durocs can appear in a variety of colors. They range from very light yellow to mahogany red. They are usually solid colored. Durocs have drooping ears and a medium-length face.

Origins

The Duroc breed was developed in both the United States and Great Britain. It is believed they came from red hogs that were imported to America by Columbus on his second voyage to the New World.     They are one of several red pig strains which developed around 1800 in . It is said to have been named after a famous thoroughbred stallion of the day. The modern Duroc originated circa 1830 from crosses of the and New York's older Duroc.

The Jersey Reds. The strain of hogs that later became known as the Jersey Reds was well established in New Jersey prior to 1850. Clark Pettit, a very noted early breeder of red hogs in that state, suggested that the red hogs found in New Jersey came from an importation to the state in 1820, but others have suggested that the strain was found there at even an earlier date. These hogs were referred to as "red hogs" for many years and gained an enviable reputation because of their extreme size, rugged constitutions, and prolificacy. They were a variety of hogs that lacked in quality, being very coarse in the hair coat and bone, and were long and rangy. The hogs reached an enormous size at maturity, gained an enviable reputation for the very heavy weight that they attained, and were favorably accepted at the near-by markets. The name Jersey Reds was first attached to the hogs in the New Jersey area by Joseph B. Lyman, Agricultural Editor of the New York Tribune, who resided in New Jersey. Shortly after he coined the name, a Mr. Lippincott used the name in advertising his hogs, and from that time on the name of Jersey Red stayed with the red hogs of that area.

 The Duroc Strain. The Duroc strain of hogs was started in Saratoga County, New York, by Isaac Frink who lived near Milton. He secured his first hogs in 1823 from Harry Kelsey, who had moved to Florida, Montgomery County, New York, in 1822. Mr. Kelsey was standing the famous Thoroughbred stallion Duroc, and Mr. Frink visited the Kelsey farm to see the horse. While at the Kelsey homestead he spied some red pigs that very much took his fancy, and he purchased some of them and took them home. Since the pigs had no breed name, he called them Durocs in honor of the stallion. Mr. Kelsey was said to have told Mr. Frink that the hogs had been imported, but just how many generations had elapsed since the importation, or whence the hogs had come, was never established. The Duroc hogs were of smaller size and more compact, but had greater quality and aptitude to take on fleshing at an early age than did the Jersey Reds.

 About 1830, William Ensign of Stillwater, Saratoga County, New York, secured a pair of red pigs in Connecticut that crossed very well with the strain that Mr. Frink had developed. Most of the red hogs in Connecticut at that time were said to have been of the Red strain that had come to Long Island about 1820. The Duroc breeders were progressive, and in 1877 breeders from Saratoga and Washington counties, New York, met and decided on a scale of points for their breed of swine. While the Durocs of that day are said to have been smaller than the Jersey Reds, they were extremely heavy compared to what we think of as modern market hogs.

 In 1882 two different breeders imported into the United States to cross on the strains of red hogs of the time. These two importations were made by Thomas Bennett, of Rossville, Illinois, and William H. Holmes and Sons of Grinnell, Iowa. Mr. Bennett brought in seven head of hogs and used them to a very limited extent but was dissatisfied with the offspring and discarded them all. Holmes and Sons imported two head but were not satisfied with their importation and sacrificed them upon arrival. Consequently there is no record that blood played any part in the formation of the Duroc breed.

Breed Characteristics

Durocs have considerable variation in color. An acceptable color may range from a very light golden, almost yellow color, to a very dark red that approaches mahogany. The red is a very practical color that suits pork producers, and since it is a solid color there is not concern about fancy points of proper markings. Durocs have a medium length and slight dish of the face. The ears should be drooping and should not be held erect.

 

About Pork Checkoff

Today's pork checkoff is at work for pork producers.  U.S. pork producers and importers pay $0.40 per $100 of value when pigs are sold and when pigs or pork products are brought into the United States.

Checkoff Mission
The National Pork Board harnesses the resources of all producers to capture opportunity, address challenges and satisfy customers.

 

HUMOR FROM THE HEARTLAND

A couple was dining out in a nice restaurant, but the wife was obviously concerned about the cost of the meals they had just eaten.

The husband just smiled, looked at her and calmly said, "Look at it this way, Dear...I figure, based on the price of these two dinners, we have a hog back at the farm that's worth at least $137,000."