# To AI or not to AI... Opinions Please!



## disturbedinwv (Jun 30, 2014)

My dad and I have two Hampshire sows which aren't registered, nor have papers. I'm not so sure they don't have a little bit of Tamworth in them because the one sow is red with a white belt. At any rate we were thinking about going the route of AI. 

The idea was that we could keep a couple or so of the females from the litters. We figured that eventually we would get better and better genetics as time went on and we would butcher the females after they had their piglets weaned. This would also keep us from having to deal with 500 or so pound sows in the not so distant future. 

Anyways my old man found a Gloucester Old Spot boar for a decent price. Although he doesn't have papers, he is assured to be pure bread. 

What do you guys think of crossing the Hampshire with the GOS? 

For what it's worth we keep our hogs, at the moment, on two acres of a wooded lot with electric rope, where they have free range to "express their pigness", as Joel Salatin so eloquently puts it. 

Thanks


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## disturbedinwv (Jun 30, 2014)

To clarify, the question would be whether we should pursue the route of AI, or get that GOS boar and breed him to our Hamps.

Has anyone had any experience with this cross?


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