Jane and her 11 piglets continue beloved tradition at the Oregon State Fair

Puppies and sea lions are adorable, but how could anyone expect them to compete with a mama sow and her piglets?

Piglets always have been one of the most popular exhibits at the Oregon State Fair , and this year is no exception.

“You can drive around the county and see baby calves and lambs out in the field, but you can never see baby pigs on a farm because they’re in the barn," breeder Rex Sconce said. "I think that’s one of the attractions. You never see them except when they’re on display."

Meet Jane, a 3-year-old Yorkshire and Hampshire cross, and her 11 babies, eight boys and three girls. They were born Aug. 8 at Sconce Farms in Sandy, sired by Cole, a 3 ½-year-old York/Hamp/Duroc cross boar.

Their home during the 11-day fair occupies prime real estate inside the Livestock Pavilion, the first pen at the middle entrance on the west side of the building.

A sign above the pen provides bio information and some trivia. Jane weighs about 600 pounds and eats 12-plus pounds of grain daily while nursing. Her piglets will nurse until 7-8 weeks old. Approximately 7 months from weaning, they will weigh 250 or more pounds.

What the sign does not say is that Jane was at the state fair last year with a litter of 12. Of course, she is not the star of the show. Her babies are.

Most of the piglets are white. One girl has large dark spots on her back, and one boy has markings on his face and butt, referred to as a "blue butt" in the industry. Two of the piglets are black, both boys.

Piglets weigh 2-3 pounds when they are born. Not quite 3 weeks old, Sconce estimated Monday they now weigh 10 pounds.

This is the third year the Oregon State Fair has contracted with Sconce Farms to provide a mama sow and piglets for display during the event. In 2022, another sow from the farm and her 11 piglets were center stage.

"I've heard, ‘This is the only reason I come to the fair’ quite frequently,'" Sconce said. "That’s why we enjoy it.”

He is a part-time breeder and a 4-H leader in Clackamas County.

"I primarily do it to help my 4-H kids get quality show pigs," Sconce said.

In trying to breed a litter for the Clackamas County Fair and the Oregon State Fair, he wound up with four sows with 35 piglets.

Sconce said some will make appearances at pumpkin patch petting zoos this fall at Koch Family Farm in St. Paul, Plumper Farms in Portland, and Bi-Zi Farms in Vancouver, Washington.

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com , and follow her work on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Jane and her 11 piglets continue beloved tradition at the Oregon State Fair