Pigs

Swine Facts

Pig Terminology:

• Female pigs that have not yet had a litter are called gilts.

• Female pigs that have farrowed at least once are called sows.

• Intact male pigs are called boars.

• Castrated male pigs are called barrows or stags.

• Baby pigs are called piglets.

• Freshly weaned pigs are called shoats.

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

• Gestation length for pigs is about 114 days (3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days).

• Birthing is known as farrowing.

• Domestic pigs average 10 piglets per litter.

• The average weight of a piglet is 3 pounds.

• The typical lifespan of a domestic pig is six to 10 years.

Physical Characteristics and Breeds:

• A group of pigs is called a herd.

• Pigs come in different sizes and colors depending on the breed.

• Fully grown, pigs grow to between 300 and 700 pounds, sometimes more.

• The world record for the heaviest pig was Big Bill, a Poland China breed that weighed 2,552 pounds in 1933. He had a shoulder height of 5 feet and was 9 feet long.

• Pot-bellied pigs are a smaller type of pig that has become popular house pets.

Behavior and Physiology:

• Pigs do not sweat. They like to roll in mud to cool off on hot days, which is where they get the reputation of being a dirty animal. If they are in a cool, covered place, they will stay clean.

• Pigs have very poor eyesight but a great sense of smell.

• Pigs are known to be intelligent animals.

• Wild and domestic pigs are found on every continent except Antarctica.

• There are approximately 840 million pigs on farms throughout the world.

• The average pig eats five pounds of food each day or one ton of food every year.