Mulefoot Hog

Mulefoot Hog is an American heritage pig breed distinguished by a solid, non-cloven hoof, a condition called syndactylism, which gives the breed its name because the hoof resembles that of a mule rather than the split hoof typical of pigs. Black-coated and historically raised across the Mississippi River valley and Midwest of the United States, the breed was valued for its calm temperament, ability to forage well on pasture and mast, and meat quality. Mulefoot numbers declined steeply through the twentieth century as commercial hog production consolidated around faster growing breeds, and by the late twentieth century it had become one of the rarest pig breeds in the United States. Conservation efforts by heritage livestock organizations have since increased its numbers somewhat, though it remains a critically rare breed kept mainly by small farms and breed conservators.