Dr Clive Dalton
Baconer: Pig slaughtered around 80kg live weight (60kg carcass weight) to produce bacon and ham.
Barrow: A castrated male pig. Mainly an American term.
Boar: Uncastrated male used for breeding but can be used for younger pigs.
Breeds:
· Large white
· Landrace
· Berkshire
· Welsh
· Hampshire
· Tamworth
· Wessex saddleback
· Large black
· Hybrids from commercial breeding companies
· Kunikuni Maori native pig
· Feral pigs
Farrowing: Process of giving birth to a litter.
Farrowing pen or crate: Confined area where sows is held while farrowing or suckling piglets in first few weeks.
Farrowing index: Average number of litters of piglets a sow produces in a year.
Gilt: Female pig of any age from birth to having her first litter.
Hog: General term (mainly American) for young pig.
Litter: All the piglets produced by a sow at one birth.
Porker: Pig slaughtered at about 50kg liveweight (40kg carcass weight) for fresh meat (pork).
Runt: Small poorly developed piglet in a litter.
Sow: Female kept for breeding which has had at least one litter.
Sucker: Young pig of either sex still, sucking its dam.
Super porker: Pig of bacon weight killed for trimmed pork cuts.
Tassels: Seen on some feral pigs, e.g. NZ Kunikuni.
Weaner: Pig removed from suckling its mother from 3 weeks (early weaning) to 8-10 weeks (conventional weaning).
