I evaluated the Hampshire boars 1-2-3-4. You have to certainly give the advantage of balance, design and structural correctness of 1 and 2 as a logical top pair. With muscle appearing to be more than adequate with both. I prefer the added width of chest, circumference of bone and the stoutness of forearm that 1 posses. Couple this with his looseness of spine and correctness to the angle of his joints that makes him my class winner.
Number 2 does give you an advantage of design from the profile, but I elected to leave him second as he is narrower chested, lighter boned and smaller footed.
In my middle pair of contrasting styles I look to the added length in extension of 2 that places him over 3. 2 is a longer fronted, longer sided boar that is stronger behind his blades and levelest out of his rump. I feel that when mated to the added muscle of the crossbred sows he should produce the more eye appealing correctly balanced market barrows. Understanding that 3 is the biggest ribbed, softest center boar of the drive he goes 3 rd as he is the shortest coupled, steepest hipped, quickest maturing boar of the class.
With that said, it is the added depth of body and curvature of the rib cage as well as evidence of muscle that places 3 over 4 in my bottom pair. It's those traits that need to be maintained to produce heavy muscled, big bodied market hogs.
Yes, 4 appears to be a wider chested hog with extra length of body, but as we finish inside the bottom pair, the black toed boar goes last as he is the shallowest bodied, lightest muscled, frailest made boar in the drive. |
