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Today, the Mulefoot is the rarest of American swine breeds.
The most distinctive feature of the American Mulefoot hog is the solid hoof which
resembles that of a mule. Pigs with solid hooves (also called syndactylism) have
attracted the interest of many writers over the centuries, including Aristotle and
Darwin. Yet of all the mulefooted hogs described, the American Mulefoot is the only
documented population with a breed standard and a long history of agricultural use.
This breed is unique to the United States and is critically rare. Recent events,
however, have led to more optimism regarding its survival.
Today, the Mulefoot is the rarest of American swine breeds. It has been a conservation priority for American Livestock Breeds Conservancy for over a decade. A very thick file of correspondence attests to continued attempts to locate and evaluate additional populations and establish new breeding groups.
A remnant population of the American Mulefoot has been owned by R.M. Holliday of
Louisiana, Missouri, for nearly forty years.
In 1964 Mr. Holliday gathered together stock from all the known breeders and
established his herd. During 1976 he swapped animals with a breeder in North Dakota,
which introduced some undesirable traits such as prick ears, wattles and split
hooves. Nevertheless, Holliday's strong and consistent production selection has
maintained a generally uniform and characteristic herd. After his experience with this
"exotic" animal dealer he sold no more stock except those contracted for
slaughter. During these years the Mulefoot registries folded and all known copies of
the herd books were lost.
In the fall of 1993, Mark Fields in cooperation with ALBC, contacted Mr. Holliday in an
attempt to purchase a few animals and begin a Mulefoot herd. Mr. Fields decided to
reactivate the Mulefoot hog registry. This has been a frustrating task since the registry
information was destroyed after the death of the last registry secretary in the 1960s.
The Mulefoot hog population is classified as Critical by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (fewer than 200 in annual registration). However its outlook is improving. It is now being raised by breeders across the state of Missouri and additional stock has recently been sent to Georgia and Michigan. Anyone interested in raising this breed of swine should contact the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy or the National Mulefoot Hog Association.
You may also contact us for availabliliy:
Windwood Acres Farm
M. Dibert - Tekonsha Michigan
(517) 767-4729
The Origin of the Mulefoot hog.....
The origin of the American Mulefoot breed is not clear, I personally have a different view than stated here, as my father has raised the breed from the early 50's, but it has a well-documented history over the last century. F.D. Coburn, in his classic 1916 book Swine in America, notes that the Mulefoot hog was found in Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa,Indiana, across the southwest and in some parts of Mexico. (In southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, Mulefoots were sometimes called "Ozark pigs.") The National Mulefoot Hog Record Association was organized in Indianapolis, Indiana, in January 1908. Two additional registries were also founded. In 1910 there were 235
breeders registered in twenty-two states.Mulefoots were taken to Canada between 1900 and 1920 but no attempt was made to establish a herd book and pedigree records were not maintained according to J. W. MacEwan in The Breeds of Farm Livestock in Canada, 1941.
My personal belief, as well as documented in "Swine Science" by M.E.
Ensminger, B.S., M.A., Ph.D. Former Manager, U.S.D.A. Dixon Springs Project,
Robbs Illinois, Copyright 1961 is that this breed originated in southern ohio. My father
raised hogs since 1920. Originally from Indiana, where he was raised on a large hog
farm. His first encounter with the Mulefoot hogs was in 1938, where he found a herd in
southern ohio. He had seen many mulefoot hogs in different areas of ohio and indiana
but had not been able to locate any farm that was raising solely Mulefoot pigs. Upon
locating a reputable farm, he purchased 20 sows and three boars. Hence, our herd
began. In 1953 we moved to a small town located in Union City Michigan. At that time
he began to cross the mulefoot with poland chinas, his belief was to produce a more
productive meat hog. He also preserved the Mulefoot breed, for the unusual hoof. I
recall as a child, walking amoungest a hundred feeder pigs, all with solid hoofs. His
personal belief was that this was a genetic fault from poor inbreeding. Although this pig
had the hardiness and the great size, the confirmation of the Mulefoot line alone, was
not desirable for a market hog. After retiring in the 60's, In the early 1970's my dad,
Ernest Dibert, once again, became interested in raising pigs. And again, his love of the
mulefoot breed, promted him to purchase a starter herd from Missouri. In 1985 he
once again liquidated his herd, selling at market.I myself, Mark Dibert, have raised mulefoot hogs since 1984.
Mulefoot description.....
Coburn describes Mulefoot hogs as mainly black, with occasional animals having
white points; medium flop ears; and a soft hair coat. The hogs were of fairly gentle
disposition, fattened quite easily, and weighed from 400-600 pounds at two years of
age. They were considered the highest quality "ham hogs" and were fed to
great weights before slaughter. For some years breeders claimed that Mulefoots were
immune to hog cholera. That claim has been disproved, though the breed does seem
to posses remarkable hardiness.
Today, the Mulefoot is the rarest of American swine breeds. It has been a conservationpriority for American Livestock Breeds Conservancy for over a decade. A very thick file of correspondence attests to continued attempts to locate and evaluate additional populations and establish new breeding groups.
Contact for availabliliy:
Windwood Acres Farm Tekonsha, Michigan
M. Dibert
(517) 767-4729
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