Anyone have experience with red wattles?

[mollymoo]

I really shouldn't be looking at adding new animals to the farm right now, let alone new species (we have the cow/calf, goats, sheep, chickens already...and DH has become a master farmer taking care of everyone, even dealing with lambing and kidding while I continue my breast cancer treatment/recovery - hehehe...I did pull a couple of lambs myself - not perhaps the smartest thing to do three weeks after a double mastectomy - but you do what you have to ;D)...BUT...I just saw an ad on Craigslist for Red Wattle piglets from a local breeder. Hubby has wanted to raise a pig for a while (heck - it's about the only animal we don't have) - and once I get milking again (Lulu the calf is getting fat and sassy on 24/7 milk at four months, but will have to get used to night-time separation again when I get my strength back to milk again!) - excess milk will not be "wasted" on chickens and cats...enough background...my questions are:
1. How is the meat from red wattles? I have read that it is quite lean. Will it taste significantly different than store bought meat (to the extent that hubby won't like it!)?
2. And how about temperament? Are they an easy going breed for "new to pig" people?
3. Lastly, can we raise just one, or will it be lonely/unhappy without a companion? The "plan" if we go through with it would be to raise one castrated male for slaughter - see how we go with it and maybe look to breed in the future once we have got to know pigs a bit.
I love the look of these pigs. As a Brit, I had previously fancied Gloucester Old Spots or Tamworths - but not sure I can find them locally...any thoughts advice gratefully accepted

[Mitra]

Wait 'til the RW folks on this board see your post! The RW's have a huge fan base here. If you look through some of the threads in this section you'll see pictures and read lots about this breed. The meat is supposed to be out of this world.

While I firmly believe that there are taste/flavor differences between the breeds, I also believe that what you feed your pigs and how you raise them has an equal or greater impact on the resulting pork.

[kristi]

RW fan here!! LOL.

1. The meat is out of this world delicious. We just slaughtered our first RW barrow. He was a little over a year and we were afraid would be tough. There has been NOTHING on this pig we haven't enjoyed!! Every piece and part tender and juicy. We finished him off the last 4 weeks on corn and sweet potatoes. Yummy!

2. This was the first pig I ever got, and my sow was about 2.5 when I got her. She's extremely gentle...not at all aggressive. That said, she can and will protect her babies, although she never was aggressive just because I entered the pasture and looked. But when I grabbed one of her babies I think she would have gotten me. But then.... if someone grabbed one of my babies I would have gotten them too.

3. I've never raised one alone, so can't answer that question. We've always gotten 2 or 3 piglets to raise. I'm sure someone else can help you with that.

I think you'll enjoy having them if you decide to go ahead. They're the best investment I've made so far, I think. Let us know what you decide.