Pigs

  • Pigs & Piglets
  • Please don't feed me

Scientific Name

Sus scrofa domesticus

Life Span

15-20 Years

Pig Facts
Scroll right to learn some interesting facts about our Pigs!
Pigs Are Very Smart
Pigs are one of the smartest animals. They can learn tricks, solve puzzles, and even play simple games!
Oink Oink!
Pigs communicate with each other by making different sounds. The most famous sound they make is "oink," but they can also grunt, squeal, and snort.
Pigs Love Mud
Pigs don't have sweat glands like humans, so they use mud to keep cool. They roll around in the mud to stay comfortable and protect their skin from the sun.
Different Breeds, Different Sizes
There are many different types of pigs, and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are small, like the pot-bellied pig, and others can be really big!
Pigs Have a Great Sense of Smell
Pigs have an incredible sense of smell, much better than humans. They use it to find food, detect danger, and even locate truffles (a type of special mushroom).
They're Omnivores
Pigs eat a variety of foods. While they love to eat plants like fruits and vegetables, they are also known to eat small animals like insects and worms.
Baby Pigs are Called Piglets
When a pig has babies, they're called piglets. A pig can have a lot of piglets at once, sometimes up to 12 or more!
Fast Runners
Despite their round bodies, pigs can run really fast! They can reach speeds of up to 11 miles per hour (17 kilometers per hour).
Pigs Have a Great Memory
Pigs have a good memory and can remember things for a long time. They can recognize their names and even learn to respond to commands.
Pigs are Clean Animals
Contrary to what some people might think, pigs are actually quite clean. They usually designate a specific area in their pen for using the bathroom, separate from where they eat and sleep.

Boar Pen & Service Area

The boar (male) pig can be the father to as many as 1000 piglets in his life time at a rate of 15 per week. He is very strong and can grow to weigh 300kgs.

The Nursery

The mother pig (sow) is kept in a farrowing crate to prevent her from laying on her piglets. Without this half of her piglets could be squashed and die. A piglet weighs around 1.5kg, when born, but will double its size within 7 days. After 2 weeks she and her piglets will be moved into a multisuckling pen.

All of our piglets are born in the Nursery and it is important that they are kept warm and dry during their first few days. If they become cold or wet they could suffer from hypothermia and die.

The heat lamps, near to the farrowing pen, attract the piglets to the warmth and light where the temperature is around 26 degrees C.

A sow will produce between 7 and 12 piglets, per litter, each one soon claiming its right to a certain nipple for suckling (feeding). The weakest pig will usually end up at the rear of the udder, where the sows teats are less productive. During the piglets first few days of life it will suckle about every 30 minutes.

Multisuckling Pens

After 2 weeks in the Nursery the piglets are strong and active enough, not to be laid on, and are moved into a multisuckling unit with their mother.
Two or three litters are mixed together here and where most piglets will continue to suckle their own mother some will suckle two or even three different sows.
The piglets are kept with their mothers until they are 28 days old. Then they are weaned (solid food is introduced to replace suckling) and kept here until they weigh 20kg and are transferred to the grower pen.

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