Pig Farming Terms
- Boar
An entire (uncastrated) adult male pig.
- Barrow
A castrated male pig
- Baconer
A pig weighing around 65 - 95 kilos that will
produce a relatively lean carcass for the bacon
trade
- Backfatter
Culled breeding sow or boars, usually too large
and fat for the bacon trade. Used for sausages and
smallgoods eg salami.
- Bred
Free Range Sows live outdoors but piglets
are raised in sheds.
- Chopper
Another term for backfatter.
- Dressing
% The percentage of a pig left after it has
been killed and dressed. Generally around 70% but
will depend on the exact trim used to dress the
pig.
- Free
Range Pigs that are free to range and grown
outdoors.
- Gilt
A young, unmated female pig.
- Gestation
The period of pregnancy for a pig. Usually 112 to
115 days. An easy way to remember – 3 months, 3
weeks, 3 days.
- Litter
The number of pigs born to a sow or gilt at one
time.
- Oestrus
Better known as ‘heat’. The time during a sows
breeding cycle that she is receptive to the boar
and usually occurs every 21 days in an unmated
female.
- Pork
Fresh meat from pigs of any age.
- Porker
Used to describe pigs that dress between 40 – 60
kilos (this can vary, depending on current trends)
- Slip
A term used in some states to describe a young pig
that has just past the weaner stage, around 10 –
14 weeks.
- Suckling
Piglets, usually sold to the restaurant trade,
that are sold at weaning. This term is quite
loosely used now and weaned piglets are also sold
in this category. Generally 12 kg live weight.
- Spit
Spit pigs usually dress between 15 and 30 kilos.
- Weaner
A pig that has been recently weaned or separated
from its mother.
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