Swine Interaction
Swine Terminology
Gilt: Young female that hasn’t had a litter of piglets yet
Boar: Not neutered male
Piglet: Baby pig
Barrow or Hog: neutered male
Farrow: Giving birth
Weaner: A piglet that has been weaned (no longer drinking milk)
Suckling pig: A piglet that is still drinking milk
Swine Interaction
Here we discuss the basics of caring for pigs in a backyard setting. We observe some important management practices including hoof and tusk trims!
Swine Vitals
Temperature: 38.7 – 38.8C
Heart Rate: 70 – 120 beats per minute
Respiration Rate: 32 – 58 breaths per minute
Swine Breeds
There are many different breeds of pig, most are used for meat production but some are becoming more popular as pets!
Communication
Pigs are very smart animals and use multiple different methods to communicate with each other. They use three main senses to communicate including sight, smell, and sounds.
Sight
Body language is important to indicate dominance to one another. Pigs live in a very structured group and they will often fight until a hierarchy is established. Size and ferocity can determine the standing of each pig, but a big personality can often intimidate even the biggest of pigs!
Smell
Pheromones are a common way for many animals to communicate with each other. Pheromones are substances produced by the animal that have a distinct smell to other members of that species. Both male and female pigs produce pheromones as a form of communication. Pigs often use pheromones to indicate if they are ready to breed.
Sound
Pigs have a diverse range of vocalizations they can make. They can create over 20 different sounds to communicate with their fellow pigs. Typically, short grunts can translate to excitement and longer grunts may be used to call other pigs or in response to a pleasant experience. In our video above you can listen to many different pig vocalizations!