SPOTTED
History
The National Spotted Swine Record, Inc. was formerly the National Spotted Poland China Record. At the 1960 Annual Meeting, the breed’s Board of Directors and members voted to change the name of the association from the National Spotted Poland China Record to the National Spotted Swine Record, Inc. Further, it was voted to refer to the breed as Spotted Swine or SPOTS, rather than the longer previously used name for the breed.
The present day Spots descend from the Spotted hogs which trace a part of their ancestry to the original Poland China, which consisted of six separate breeds and was referred to as the “Warren County Hog” of Ohio. One such breed imported into Ohio in the early 1880’s was a breed called the “Big China”, mostly white in color, but having some black spots.
Three men from Putnam and Hendricks Counties, in Indiana, brought boars and sows back from Ohio from time to time to cross with their own good hogs; and thus developed a breed all their own from this background which kept the characteristic color of large black and white spots. At this time, two hogs imported from England, known as “Gloucester Old Spots” added a wonderful stimulant to the breed in the form of new bloodlines.
There were a number of well-known breeders in central Indiana who had been breeding these spotted hogs to the exclusion of all others for many years, and due to the general demand for them, the need had arisen for an organization to record and promote the big-boned prolific Spotted hog as a separate and distinct family. Thus resulted the organization of Record Association of Bainbridge, Indiana, which was incorporated under one of the top ranking purebred breed associations in the United States. The National Spotted Swine Records, Inc. moved in December, 1985 to Lafayette, Indiana. The Spotted Association moved to Peoria, Illinois, on May 1, 1992, with the current location being Box 9758, Peoria, Illinois and the phone number is 309-691-0151.
Spots have continued to improve in feed efficiency, rate of gain, and carcass quality, as can be proven in the testing stations throughout the country. Spots are popular with farmers and commercial swine producers for their ability to transmit their fast-gaining, feed efficient, meat qualities to their offspring.
Breed Guidelines
Breed Classifications – Effective September 20, 2021
- Must be black and white.
- Must possess Spotted Breed characteristics.
- Must be ear notched within 7 days of birth.
- Ears cannot be erect.
- Any red tinted or brown spots are ineligible.
- No solid black head from ears forward.
- No white belt pattern (hair or skin) that encompasses the back 1/3 of both shoulder blades and extends down to the forleg of the animal. The belt pattern is not completely broken by black. Exception to this rule is a predominately white-bodied individual with a white face.
- Any signs of weighted ear tags or evidence of past existence of such tags are determined to be not permissible and are grounds for disqualification.
- All boars and gilts must have six (6) functional teats on each side for exhibition.
- All Spotted sires used for litter recordings must have a DNA card on file to be allowed to register any litter.
- All Spotted sires must have a stress status identified to be used as a sire and those sires who are the result of a stress-tested negative (testing paid for by NSSR) if notified that this blood test is required.
- All Spotted animals who are entered and exhibited at a national show must be stress identified and can either be stress negative or stress carriers. NO stress positive animals are allowed to be shown or sold.
Questions, call the Certified Pedigreed Swine office at (309) 691-0151.