KuneKune Pigs

KuneKune pigs should not be mated until they are 12 months old so that they have grown sufficiently. Sows have a 21-day heat cycle and a gestation period of 112 to 116 days, approximately 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days. The piglets will start eating solid foods after 3 - 4 weeks. If the sow is fed moist food such as pig mash, they will start eating bits that she drops on the ground.

The origin of the breed is somewhat uncertain because no documented information exists regarding its introduction to New Zealand. The breed's history is closely associated with the Maori people of New Zealand. It is possible they were brought here by early Maori arrivals to New Zealand some 2 - 3,000 years ago. Over the years crossbreeding with Captain Cookers (European pigs introduced by Captain Cook) and more recently with domestic swine the KuneKune had become a dying breed. Work done in the late 1970's by Michael Willis and John Simister ensured the breeds survival. The Kunekune now numbers just over three thousand all from a purebred foundation stock of six sows and three boars. Today, the Kunekune pig is prized as a pet.
The name Kunekune ("fat and round" in Maori) is an appropriate description of this unusual looking pig. The Kunekune is an almost comical, very round hairy pig with short legs and snout. It is smaller than many other breeds, but like all pigs has a tendency to obesity if overfed.

< Back to For the Kids