VOCABULARY of SWINE
Male pigs are called boars or barrows.
• barrow is a neutered male swine
• boar is a mature, male swine used
for breeding
Female pigs are called gilts or sows.
• gilt is a female pig that has never
been pregnant
• sow is a mature, female swine
• farrow (verb) is the process of a sow
giving birth to piglets
• farrow (noun) is a litter of piglets
• gestation is the period when a
sow is pregnant, which is about 3
months, 3 weeks, 3 days
• herd is a group of pigs
• hog - a swine that is nearing market
weight (about 280 pounds)
• litter refers to the group of baby
pigs born to a sow
• nursing is when the piglets get milk
from the sow
• pig - a young, immature swine,
older than a piglet but not as big as
a hog
• piglet - is a pig from birth to three
weeks
• shoat - a young hog, especially one
that has been weaned
• swine (singular and plural) - a hog,
pig or piglet; hogs collectively or
generally
• weaning when piglets and the sow
are separated because the young
pigs no longer need the sow’s milk
Colorado Ag in the Classroom
Use the word(s) to the left and choose the
best word to fill in the blanks below.
1. The large swine in the picture above is
a _____________.
2. The small swine in the picture above
are called ___________________.
3. The group of small swine pictured
above are called a ________________.
4. The small swine pictured above are
_________________ the sow.
5. Hogs, pigs, piglets are collectively
called _________________.
6. A sow is pregnant for about ___________
______________________________________.
7. A male pig is called either a
_______________ or a __________________.
8. A female pig is called either a
_____________ or a ____________________.
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