Hungarian Mangalitsa Pigs

Mangalitsa Pigs:

Unusual Wooly Pigs.
Good Foragers.
Less Rooting.
Excellent Mothers.
Non-Aggressive Boars.
Lard Pigs.
Amazing Flavor.
Friendly.
Cold Hardy.

Once considered the breed of choice for gracing the tables of European Royalty, this rare Heritage breed from Hungary almost went extinct in the last century. In 1991, a Spanish group purchased all the Mangalitsas they could in order to bring this breed back from the brink, and while still rare, Mangalitsas are regaining their well-deserved popularity. The first Mangalitsas were imported to the US in 2007, and they have been a hit with homesteaders. Also known as Mangalica, the flavor profile is unlike anything you’ll find in the grocery store or even from most “freezer pork” you can buy from your local farmer.

Mangalitsa sows make excellent mothers. You can leave them to farrow in the pasture with minimal protection. Unlike many other breeds, sows are careful to not squash their babies, carefully rooting through the straw before lying down. Be forewarned: those protective mothering instincts will turn against a curious farmer. Do not get between a usually friendly sow and her newborns! Sows will produce five to eight piglets, and may go into heat seasonally rather than every 3 weeks like other breeds.

Not as large as other heritage breeds, Mangalitsas end up around 250lbs at butchering, with boars reaching 500lbs as they age, making them more manageable than many pig breeds. When raised on pasture and supplemented with wheat or barley instead of corn, these pigs develop copious amounts of delicately flavored lard and intensely marbled, rich red meat. Raising Mangalitsa for the table does require patience, as they don’t reach optimal butchering age until 18 to 24 months.

Crossbreeding can result in the best of both worlds: excellent mothering skills without the extreme aggressiveness, and feeder pigs with delicious meat and plenty of lard before a year of age. Our crossbred sow is 1/2 Mangalitsa and 1/2 Berkshire/Hampshire/Duroc, and we are very pleased with her mothering skills and her litters.

To learn more about Mangalitsa Pigs, click here.

About Our Pigs

Genetics

Our Bear Mountain Farm pigs were originally sourced from other farmers within the state of TN. We have since retired our original purebred Mangalitsa breeding pair as our sow was no longer producing litters, while our boar was producing too many - more than we could eat or sell. At this time, we are taking a hiatus from breeding pigs until our current herd is reduced a more manageable size. At that point, we will source a new purebred breeding pair. We are unilikely to purchase registered Mangalitsas as they are difficult to find and quite costly, but we will see what’s available at that time.

Diet

What pigs eat matters greatly for their fat and flavor profile, as well as for our own heath, and one of the reasons we raise our own is to ensure the cleanest pork possible. Our pigs eat cleaner than we do - they are never, ever fed soy, GMO, or processed foods. Instead they are rotated around our farm, and supplemented with fermented organic grain, produce, eggs, and milk. They are also supplemented with kelp, DE, humates, and garlic. Feeder pigs are finished on fermented wheat or barley, not corn, as it improves the flavor profile for Mangalitsas.

Lifestyle

Our pigs live out in the pasture or forest, getting to behave like pigs, year round. We provide a three and a half sided shelter with straw in the colder months or for farrowing. Last year, we had piglets born during a cold snap, with temps well below freezing, and didn’t lose a single piglet. Even though these are smaller pigs and less prone to rooting, all pigs are hard on the soil, so we rotate ours around areas that are overgrown and need clearing. In the future, we intend to use our pigs for traditional “gleeing” in the bottom of new pond. We use 55 gallon drums with pig watering nipples to make sure they always have access to clean water. and hot wire to keep them where they’re supposed to be.

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