Pietrain Pigs Pros And Cons – Complete Owners Guide

The Pietrain pig shares its name with the little Belgian town from whence it came.

These medium-sized swine are characterized by their black and white spots, short legs, upright ears and lean physique.

They are considered to be medium-sized swine, but their muscular bodies mean they easily grow to be heavier than 200 kgs.

Despite their intimidating size, they actually look quite sweet and have a matching temperament.

A relatively young breed, the Pietrain first made its appearance in the early 20th century and was officially recognized as a breed in 1950.

As per The Pig Site, “[T. Wall & Sons] made use of the Pietrain in a synthetic line based on a Pietrain / Saddleback.

This was used by the Walls Meat Company in one of the earliest examples of a breeding programme specifically designed for integrated pork production.”

Since then, Pietrain pigs have become an invaluable part of European pig breeding, accounting for up to 80% of all terminal sires used in central Europe according to The Pig Breeders Society of South Africa.

At the same time, they also have certain genes that make purebreds less favourable among farmers. Specifically, the MH gene, which is linked to certain genetic disorders that could lower the quality of the meat.

This is why they are used mainly for crossbreeding, instead of being farmed to be slaughtered or kept as pets.

 

Pietrain Overview Table

Size	While they are considered to be medium-sized, their strong build adds to their weight. Boars: 240 to 260 kg Sows: 220 to 240 kg
Personality	Like most pigs, Pietrains are highly intelligent but docile enough to handle. They do still enjoy attention though and Pietrains are especially nervous when faced with stressful situations. Like many anxious animals though, this also seems to open them up to compassion. They can be great, caring companions.
Temperament	Pietrains are genetically dispositioned to have a nervous temperament. This, paired with their high intelligence, can cause them to be quite a handful to raise. Like any animal though, sufficient care and training will prove to be highly rewarding.
Dangerous?	Despite their size, they do not really pose a threat to humans. They aren’t likely to bite or attack and any injury is far likelier to be caused by accident. Small children should probably not be left with Pietrains without adult supervision, simply because they are heavy enough to hurt a child by accident.
Tendency To Root	Although it is in their nature to root, a Pietrain could be taught not to. That said, if you are considering a Pietrain as a pet, it would probably be best if you can provide it with a living environment where it would not be an issue for it to root.
Maintenance	7/10 Pigs in general are low maintenance animals. They are notoriously clean (despite also being perceived as filthy and foul-smelling beasts by much of the general public). In actuality, pigs tend to be cleaner than most pets and because of their high levels of intelligence, they are also very capable of being trained. They do tend to be quite needy because they are so highly strung though.
Family Pet	2/5 It’s difficult to give them a fair rating as a family pet. On the one hand, they are so intelligent and clean and compassionate that anyone will be lucky to have a Pietrain pal. But on the other hand, they do require quite a knowledgeable owner to deal with their anxious personalities and they are simply too heavy to be kept as a family pet.
Intelligence	Swine are famous for being among the smartest animals on the planet, Pietrains share that trait with the rest of their species. They are extremely intelligent and quite trainable.
Exercise Needs	Pietrains are bodybuilders, decidedly not marathon runners. They are quite docile and while they can be playful, it still won’t involve running around for extended periods of time.
Health Issues	While their health generally depends on their breeding, they are infamous for tending to carry the MH gene responsible for Porcine Stress Syndrome
Life Expectancy	Their natural lifespan ranges from 9 to 15 years, but most are only kept until they are ready to be sent to the abattoir. This is usually at around 2 to 3 years old. Boars begin reproducing from the age of 8 months old, so they reach maturity quite early.
Price	£250 to £350

 

Pros

Strong, muscular build

If you are raising a Pietrain for its meat you will find it to have one of the leanest physiques of all breeds.

Which means more high-quality meat per pig. They have a broad, well-muscled rump and strong, rounded shoulders.

Great breeders

They have strong genes, meaning that breeds that are crossed with Pietrains tend to inherit their physique which means higher meat to fat ratio on their offspring.

This is why Pietrain boars have become unbelievably popular terminal sires for breeders across Europe.

Cleanliness

Pigs are much cleaner than most people believe them to be.

In fact, it seems that pigs actually value cleanliness as they are known to designate specific areas, away from where they eat and sleep, in which to defecate (it’s like they housetrain themselves). Pietrains are no exception to this common characteristic among swine.

Calm and docile

Pietrains, like most pigs, do not need to be entertained much. They are perfectly happy catching some heat in the sun or cooling down in some sand or mud.

They are not aggressive and the odds of one attacking a human is minimal. Because of the incredible amount of weight they need to carry around, they tend to conserve their energy. Their days are mostly spent eating and sleeping.

Unfussy Eaters

Pietrains will eat just about anything you give them or they can root or forage for themselves.

This might be expected, carrying so much lean weight means they need to consume a large number of calories. Luckily, they aren’t really bothered by what form said calories might take.

 

Cons

MH Gene

Purebred Pietrains are known to carry the MH gene which is associated with Porcine Stress Syndrome.

However, there is a stress negative Piètrain genotype, possessing most of the meat quantity and meat quality attributes, being bred in Belgium. The success of this program could rid the breed of its biggest drawback.

Emotionally sensitive

Whilst they might be compassionate, Pietrains have too many problems of their own to be suited for an emotionally supportive role.

They are genetically inclined to be quite anxious and, as a result, they are known to be very needy. This might prove quite difficult to manage for novice owners.

Lacking mothering instincts

Pietrain sows have been known to neglect their litter or struggle to raise it.

This could be connected to their highly-strung temperaments, but it occurs often enough to be considered a trait of the breed. That said, once you find a sow with a strong maternal nature, she could provide you with dozens of healthy litters.

Not suitable to be family pets

Their sheer size and weight already disqualify them from most people’s living arrangements.

But apart from that, they also have a reputation of being rather difficult to raise.

They are extremely sensitive and needy and novice owners might find them to be overwhelming.

While they aren’t generally destructive or aggressive, you can imagine how difficult it might be to try to calm a fully grown, 260 kg Pietrain boar if it’s feeling stressed.

Quite rare

Finding a Pietrain could prove to be surprisingly difficult.

Although their genes are massively popular with breeders in Europe, the number of actual Pietrains remain quite low, simply because they aren’t the most popular breed kept for slaughter.

So, because they are mainly kept for breeding purposes, farmers tend to keep only small groups.

 

Tips for raising a Pietrain

This might be true of any animal, but even more so of Pietrain pigs. They need to be cared for and socialized properly.

They are naturally of a nervous disposition, they are large, heavy and strong and to top it all off, they are intelligent.

So complex is the Pietrain, that it is often perceived as being difficult and uncooperative.

As is so often the case, however, a Pietrain’s behaviour will depend heavily on how it was raised, so, the responsibility really lies with the owner.

 

Interesting fact about Pietrains

Pietrains seem to adopt the role of outsiders completely.

Even in Belgium, the country of their origin, they are somewhat of an oddity. Belgium is home to around 6 million pigs.

According to Pig Progress, a staggering 94% of those pigs come from the Flanders region in the northern part of the country, the remaining 6% is made up of Pietrains from the south.

 

Conclusion

Despite the integral role they will undoubtedly play in the future of many breeds of pig, the Pietrain itself seems to be one of the least popular options for farmers and pet owners. Their value lies mostly in the science of their genealogy.

They are born with a gene that tends to have a negative effect on the quality of their meat and they are too sensitive to be family pets (for most people).

All this considered, the Pietrain is still a special swine. Highly intelligent, compassionate and built like a tank, these pigs, though they might seem to have been dealt a difficult hand, are majestic in their own right.

So, while they might not be perfectly suited to be livestock or pet, they ought to be celebrated still, not only for the phenomenal physique they leave as an inheritance to future breeds but also for the animals they are; flawed and sensitive as they may be.