Pig Glossary

Baconer: Pig slaughtered at about 80 kg liveweight (60kg carcass) to produce bacon and ham.
Barrow: A castrated male pig.
Boar: Usually a male kept for serving females in the herd. Can be used to describe entire male of any age.
Breeds:

• Large white
• Landrace
• Berkshire
• Welsh
• Hampshire
• Tamworth
• Wessex saddleback
• Large black
• Feral pigs – Kunikuni and “Captain Cooker”

Farrowing: The process of giving birth to a litter.
Farrowing crate: A structure to confine a sow when giving birth.
Farrowing index: Average number of litters a sow has in a year.
Gilt: Female pig of any age from birth to having her first litter.
Hog: General term for young growing pigs of both sexes. A USA term for pigs.
Litter: Name given to the offspring of a sow at birth.
Piglet: Young pig of either sex before weaning.
Porker: Pig slaughtered at about 50kg live weight (40 kg carcass) for fresh meat.
Runt: The small piglet in a litter.
Sow: Female pig that has had at least one litter.
Sucker: Young pig of either sex still sucking its dam.
Weaner: Pig removed from its dam at 3, 6, or 8 weeks of age.