Kunekunes

Back from the Brink of Extinction!!

These little pigs were almost extinct. No one really knows exactly how they came to New Zealand, but several theories exist from whalers bringing them over to New Zealand to the Maori tribes bringing them back in their canoes. The Maori tribes used to keep KuneKunes (Coonie Coonies) as a meat pig and for their lard. Maybe saying “keep” is the wrong word since they allowed them to roam free, but they stayed close to Maori homes. Some say this is how they became so domesticated and friendly.

Two gentleman, Michael Willis and John Simister, began searching out these little pigs to begin a recovery program when they found out there were less than 50 of them left. They encountered difficulty in finding just 18, and they acquired them through gifts and purchasing them. They were very successful in their recovery breeding program and basically brought the breed back from the brink of extinction.

The appearance of the Kunekune is short legged with a round body, hence their name Kunekune, meaning ‘fat and round’, in the Maori language.

They have a short upturned snout, a round dish shaped head, upright or semi lopped ears, and tassels or ‘pire pire’, which hang down from the lower jaw.

The coat can vary in colour and texture, and range from short and sleek to long, coarse and curly.

The nature of this breed is sociable and placid. They love human interaction and will do anything for food or a good scratch.

The most important feature of the Kunekune is their ability to graze. Due to the short upturned snout, they can efficiently graze on a pasture with minimal damage. They fatten up quickly on grass, which in turn produces a delicious, unique tasting red pork which is well-marbled with a delicate, white tasty fat.

The great value of this little pig is that it grazes and fattens on grass alone, needing to be fed only during the winter months. They like crushed or soaked grain, spuds or anything at all. Household scraps may, in fact, be all that is required in winter. Some Kunekunes root the ground in winter. Kunekunes make excellent lawnmowers for your orchard as they do not harm trees and shrubs. It is not recommended that these little pigs be kept in a sty and fattened on grain as they become too fat and are slower to mature. But they do need a small shed or a drum to shelter them from the wet and cold. Losses from pneumonia will occur if this not provided. Initially you may put some hay into their shed but they will soon make their own nest.

Boars become fertile at 6-7 months. Gilts can get pregnant as early as 5 months but it is recommended that they should not be mated until they are at least one year old giving them time to grow. Infertility is rare but is sometimes caused by boars and sows being too fat. If a male and female are brought up together they may not mate until they have been separated for a couple of weeks and put back together again. Litter numbers vary considerably. The piglets require access to a heat lamp in colder weather for best results. Piglets can be weaned at six weeks and the sow mated again after about a week of weaning her piglets.

KuneKunes are affectionate, friendly, docile little pigs. They will flop over for a belly rub at just a simple touch. They get along well with other animals and other animals seem to accept them easily.

Our Kunekunes are registered breeding stock and will serve as breeders for future sales of registered piglets and pasture raised pork. We have added 2 sows, Bonnie and Gypsy, a boar named Jazz and a barrow named George Kune to our Farm Family. Bonnie, Gypsy and Jazz will be our breeding stock, while George is a castrated boar (barrow) for Jazz to roughhouse with and “just be boys” while he is apart from the girls during the non-breeding months. They are still young and not fully grown. The girls should top out around 150-175lbs, and Jazz can reach up to 210lbs. This breed is affectionate, friendly, and docile. They enjoy belly rubs and all the food scraps from the Ranch House and Hunter House.

Kunekunes have an excellent ratio of meat to fat. The nicest pork is that harvested before a year old. Kunekunes are considered by many to be a specialty pork and nicer eating than the faster grown commercial pig.

The meat of Kune Kune pig is tasty and marbled. They are naturally fatty and produce enough meat to sell in the market. The meat of Kune Kune pig is not white meat. They are bred for their lean meat and fast growth. The slow-growing traditional pigs produce tastier meat having high-quality that’s why kunekune pigs are kept for meat production. They take almost 14 to 18 months to maturity and produce flavorful, rich meat. The colour of their meat is deep pink to red and has gorgeous tasty fat on it. Their meat is high in nutrients and complete nourishment for humans.

Kunekune is a Maori term that means “Fat and Round”