Guinea Hog

Guinea Hog is a small, black-coated pig breed developed in the southeastern United States, of debated origin: some accounts trace it to hogs brought from the Guinea region of West Africa, while others describe it as a local American landrace that acquired the name for other reasons. Historically kept on small farms and homesteads across the South for lard, meat and general foraging, the Guinea Hog was valued for its docile temperament, ability to thrive on pasture and kitchen scraps, and relatively small size compared to commercial breeds. The breed nearly disappeared by the late twentieth century as small-scale hog keeping declined, falling to a very small population before conservation efforts by heritage breed organizations, including the Livestock Conservancy, helped stabilize its numbers. It remains a rare breed today, kept mainly on small farms and homesteads pursuing traditional or heritage livestock.