Yorkshire pigs, also known as Large Whites, are the primary pig breed consumed in the United States. The pigs are regarded as highly social, intelligent animals that are frequently kept as pets if not factory-farmed. Female Yorkshires are known to have strong maternal instinct and are protective of their young. In order to maximize pork production sows are kept at a distance from their young using farrow crates: narrow cages, scarcely larger than the pig herself, that allow a mother to nurse her young without further contact.
