The Gloucestershire Old Spots Breed – Introduction
The Gloucestershire Old Spots breed is probably the best-known pig breed in Britain today. Established with a breed society in 1913, it is the oldest pedigree spotted pig breed in the world.
The GOS has many advantages and these are described throughout this website. It is an ideal breed for small scale production and is a favourite of smallholders everywhere. But it can also serve a more commercial audience in non-intensive conditions.
GOS make an ideal ‘starter’ pig for people new to pig keeping.
With just a little land and basic equipment, you can start keeping pigs quite easily.
This section is designed to provide you with the information and knowledge you need to make informed choices both about keeping pigs and whether GOS are right for your needs. There is a huge amount of useful information provided free of charge. Why do we want to do this? Well, it’s in our members’ interests to have customers who are well informed and knowledgeable about their interest and we hope that once we’ve whetted your appetite, you’ll want more and to become full members of the Club.
The next stage will be to find out more and we recommend a good book on the subject. just Google ‘Pig Keeping Books’ to bring up a wide selection. A good starting place though is some very good articles written by Club member & Secretary Mandy Garbutt which you are welcome to read without charge! Just go to Starting with GOS.
Whether you’re looking to keep a couple of pigs to finish for the freezer or intend to begin your own herd with the prospect of breeding your own, we hope you will find all you need here and end up selecting the Gloucestershire Old Spots as your pig of choice – you won’t find better.