Boar – 

An uncastrated male pig of more than six months of age.

Barrow/Hog – castrated male

Baconer – A pig reared to produce bacon. This is normally around 80-100kg, and reached
between eight and ten months of age.

Bagging up – the increased size of the teats in preparation of milk production

Cutter – A pig reared to produce larger joints of meat, ranging somewhere between 76 – 85 kg.

Dead weight – the given total weight of a pig after slaughter

Farrow – to give birth

Gestation –  The length of a pregnancy. Generally, this is three months, three weeks and three
days. (114 to 116 days)

Gilt – young female pig who has not yet had a litter

Hogging/Brimming – Female pig in season/on heat

Litter – the produce of the farrowing (group of piglets)

Live weight – the given total weight of a pig alive

Parity –  The number of litters a sow has carried (including current pregnancy) e.g. a second
parity sow is in pig and has just weaned her second litter.

Porker –  A pig reared to produce pork. This is normally around 60kg, and reached between four
and six months of age (depending on breed).

Piglet – young pig still suckling from the sow

Pig creep – Highly palatable, easily digestible feed offered to piglets while suckling normally
around 10 to 14 days of age

Pig nuts/Concentrates – a balanced dry feed in the form of pellets

Returned service – Sow re-served after a previous unsuccessful mating.

Runt – Smallet piglet in the litter

Service – Mating/s within the same oestrus period.

Service date –  date of first mating during any one oestrus period (counted as day 0).
Sow –  A female pig who has given birth to its first litter.

Stores – 10 to 12 weeks of age

Weaner – piglets separated from the sow at eight weeks and no longer feeding from the sow
Pig Classifications
1. Baconer – a finished pig ready for market typically weighing between 150-300lbs.
2. Barrow – a male pig that was castrated before reaching sexual maturity.
3. Dam – the female parent.
4. Feeder– a piglet weighing between 40-80lbs that is sold to be finished.
5. Gilt – a young female pig that has never given birth.
6. Grower – a pig that is intended to be raised/sold for slaughter.
7. Hog – a swine weighing over 120 pounds.
8. Pig – a young swine
9. Porker – a grower pig weighing between 80-150lbs.
10. Runt – the smallest pig in a litter.
11. Sire – the male parent.
12. Stag – a male pig that was castrated after reaching sexual maturity.
13. Swine – a term for pigs or hogs.

Groups of Pigs
14. Drift – a group of young pigs.
15. Drove – a herd or group of pigs.

16. Singular of Boars – a group of boars.

17. Sounder – a group of feral swine.
18. Team or Passel – a group of hogs.

Breeding Terminology
19. Boar – a male pig over 6 months of age that can be used for breeding.
20. Breed – to allow a male and female animal to mate; a group of animals with the same
characteristics and ancestry.
21. Castrate – to sterilize a male pig by removing the testicles.
22. Estrus – when a female animal is in heat and ready to mate.
23. Farrowing – birthing of a littler of piglets.
24. Gestation – the period of time between breeding and birth, approximately 114 days.
25. Heritage Breed – the pedigree of a purebred animal that descends from a time before
industrial farming.
26. Heterosis – the process of cross-breeding pigs to produce more favorable breed traits
such as litter size, conception rate, piglet survival rate and growth.
27. Litter – a group of piglets born to a single sow.
28. Sow – an adult female pig that has farrowed a litter of piglets.
29. Wean – to transition an animal from it’s mother’s milk to adult food

Pig Behavior
 30. Forage – when pigs attain their own food by searching their environment.
31. Rooting – when pigs dig up the earth with their noses in search of food.
32. Wallow – a muddy puddle pigs use to cool their body temperature in hot weather.

Anatomy
33. Belly – The underside of a pig.
34. Dewclaw – the small appendage just above the hoof on the posterior side.
35. Hock – the back leg joint.
36. Leg – the leg of a pig from which ham is derived.
37. Loin – the muscles on either side of the spine which produces pork tenderloins.
38. Jowl – the underside of a pig’s neck.
39. Pastern – the bone that connects the hoof and leg joints.
40. Rear Flank – located between the ribs and stifle.
41. Rump – the area on a pig’s back just above it’s tail.
42. Snout – a pig’s nose.
43. Stifle – the “knee” joint in the hind leg.

Butchering Vocabulary
44. Cuts – the end products of pork after the butchering process is complete. Usually
packaged into individual serving sizes.
45. Finishing – the phase between when a pig is born and when it is ready to go to market.
46. Hanging weight or dressed weight – the weight of a pig carcass after it has been gutted
and prepped for butchering.
47. Processing – preparing a slaughtered animal for packaging or storage.