Male pigs- terminology, facts, and special care

Pigs are one our favourite additions to the homestead. Here is some terminology as you search for that perfect homestead pig: male pigs are called boars or barrows. Boars are not castrated and are used for breeding, where as barrows are neutered and harvested for meat. Female pigs are sows and gilts. Sows are used for breeding and gilts are younger pigs who have not had a litter of piglets. Let’s explore more specifics and how to care for your male pigs.

During my growing up years, Dad owned and operated a farrow to finish hog production on our farm. He bred and raised pigs until they were ready for market. It was a large barn holding 1500 Landrace/Yorkshire pigs. When I was a kid, there were many more ‘little big’ farms in the area. Unfortunately, none of them are in operation today, including our family hog barn.

Homesteading is growing in popularity as more families desire the quiet country lifestyle and the opportunity to raise their own food. Here are some helpful facts to get that bacon in your freezer!

What are male pigs called?

Boar

A boar is a male pigs over 6 months of age that has not been castrated. Intact male pigs are used for breeding.

Barrow

 A barrow is a neutered male swine. Pigs are typically castrated from 4-14 days of age.

Cut male pig

This refers to a castrated pig.

Stag

 A stag is a male pig which was castrated after it reached sexual maturity. Boar taint is a concern after they reach sexual maturity since it can cause the meat to have a detestable flavour.

Shoat

A shoat is a young pig ready for market before it has reached sexual maturity and under one year old. It may also be used to refer to a young pig that has been weaned from its mother.

Helpful Hint: Males reach sexual maturity around 5-6 months, but most males are not confident to breed until 12 months.

The Wild Boar

Wild Boar is a breed of pig, also known as the Eurasian wild pig. Typically, a boar is known as a male pig, however in this case, it is referring to the entire breed; males and females included.

What are female pigs called?

Sow

 A sow is an adult female pig used for breeding. She has had at least one litter of young called piglets

Gilt

A gilt is a young female pig that has not had her first litter of piglets. Gilts can be grown for butchering.

Farrow

Farrow is the term for a sow giving birth.

Helpful Hint: A gilt will be ready to breed at 6-7 months of age. She will come into heat every 21 days. A sow is pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days.

General Pig Terms

• weaner- young pigs that are no longer nursing from the mother. Piglets are weaned from 9-22 days. 
• suckling- piglets that are still on mother’s milk. They may be harvested for a specialty full meal.
• Roaster- pigs used for a whole hog cooking, cooked on a spit or roasted whole.
• grower pig- a pig between 20 and 40 kg (45 lbs – 90 lbs)
• feeder pigs- a young pig under 40 kg (90 lbs)
• herd- a group of pigs
• drove- a group of pigs
• drift- a group of pigs
• porcine- referring to or relating to pigs
• pigs- young immature swine, either male or female
• hogs- adult pigs, either male or female
• live weight- total weight of the hog
• hanging weight- after slaughtered and eviscerated, still containing bones, fat, and pork
• lard- fat chunks from a pig appropriate to render
• leaf lard- the fat around the kidney, pure odorless and tasteless when rendered properly

Special care for male pigs

Castration

If a hog is being raised for meat, he will need to be castrated before 2 weeks of age to omit any chance of ‘boar taint’ in the meat. Boar taint is an unfavourable flavour that can be present in the meat due to the presence of androstenone (pheromone) and skatole (intestinal bacteria). It is said to give the meat a flavour of sweat, faces, or urine! 

Piglets are generally castrated between 4-14 days. Some farmers may choose to castrate as early as 24-36 hours. The process requires that the scrotum skin be cut and both testicles be completely removed. This video tutorial is very helpful (begin viewing at 1:13 to avoid some unfortunate coarse language).

Banding (cutting off circulation to the testicles) is not effective, as pig testicles do not hang down from the body as other animals, such as cattle, horses, or goats. 

Trimming Tusks

A male pig will grow tusks (castrated or not). It is highly recommended that tusks be trimmed to prevent injury to others pigs and care takers.  Tusk trimming will be required every 6-12 months. A barrow’s tusks may grow slower and only need to be trimmed once a year. This post includes a video tutorial and is very helpful.

Trimming Hooves

All pigs will require a hoof trim around 6 months. Hooves may need to be trimmed as often as every three months. Keep an eye on the growth. You will need a pair of hand held trimmers for the job. Some pigs may let you trim their hooves while they are getting belly scratch or even sleeping! Other pigs may require you to flip them on their back. Once positioned, cut away the excess hoof material, careful not to pierce the fleshy ‘quick’ because it will bleed. If it does bleed, apply pressure and hold for a few minutes until the blood clots¹. You can use a clotting powder if desired. Here is another great tutorial by Belbeck’s Family Farm.

Sources

• Pig-tionary>porkcdn.com
• Pig Terminology>montana.edu
• Animal Terms and Their Proper Usage>The Livestock Conservancy>livestockconservancy.org

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Check out these articles

1. Goat Hoof Trimming> Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences> cals.cornell.edu ↩︎