The Mangalica pig is a breed of domestic pig form Hungary. It is also sometimes spelled Mangalitsa in the United Kingdom or Mangalitza in the United States.
It was developed in the mid nineteenth century. The breed was actually developed by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed.
The Breed is also known as Bruce and it was originally reared by Hungarian farmers in the 1830s.
The National Society of Fat-Type Hog Breeders was established in 1927 with the objective of improving the breed. And until the 1950s, the Mangalica pig was the most prominent pig breed in the region.
There were about 30,000 heads in Hungary in 1943. Since then popularity of the breed has been decreasing, as well as the populations.
Currently keeping some Mangalicas have become a popular hobby. Today slightly over 7,000 sows are producing around 60,000 piglets per year in Hungary.
The breed was imported from Austria into the United kingdom in March 2006. It is registered with the British Pig Association and the pedigrees are being maintained on the British Pig Association Mangalitza herdbook. Read some more information about the breed below.
Mangalica Pig Characteristics
Mangalica pig is a small to medium sized breed of domestic pig. There are three breed of the Mangalica pig which are Blonde, Swallow-belied and Red.
All these breeds are different in color, but they all have the same behavior, The Swallow-bellied breed is originally produced by crossing the Blonde Mangalica with the extinct Black Mangalica.
And the red breed was produced by crossing the Blonde mangalica with the Szalonta breed. The Blonde Mangalica is blonde in coloration, Swallow-bellied has a blonde belly and feet with a black body, and the red breed is ginger.
Average body weight of the mature Mangalica boars vary from 68 to 77 kg. And average live body weight of the mature sows is between 64 and 73 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Special Notes
The Mangalica pig breed is suitable for raising semi-intensively or intensively. It produces too little lean meat. As a result the breed has gradually replaced by the modern domestic pig breeds.
The animals are generally fed with a mix of wild pasture, supplemented with potatoes and pumpkins grown on the farm. The main product made from these animals is sausage, usually packed in the pig’s duodenum.
The Mangalica pig is kept free-range in the United Kingdom, and usually fed on standard sow and weanling feeds. The animals usually reach slaughtering weight within their 12 months of age. However, review full breed profile of the Mangalica pig in the chart below.
| Breed Name | Mangalica | |
| Other Name | Bruce, Mangalitsa and Mangalitza | |
| Special Notes | Suitable for raising both semi-intensively or intensively, produce too little lean meat, good for raising in free range system, reach slaughtering age within 12 months | |
| Breed Size | Small to medium | |
| Boars | 68-77 kg | |
| Sows | 64-73 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Color | The Blonde Mangalica is blonde in coloration, Swallow-bellied has a blonde belly and feet with a black body, and the red breed is ginger | |
| Rarity | Common | |
| Country/Place of Origin | Hungary |
