Acronyms and Definitions

DEFINITION OF COMMON TERMINOLOGIES USED

Acaricide: A chemical used to control ticks, mites and other ecto-parasites

Barrow: Castrated male pig

Boar: Mature intact male

Castrate: Removing the testicles

Colostrum: The first milk produced after furrowing (birth of piglets). It is very high in proteins, vitamin A and immunizing agents

Constipation: An abnormality in passing out feaces. It is characterized by abnormally hard feaces.

Creep feed: Baby pig feed provided in the creep area beginning at about two weeks

Creep area: Area within a sow pen so constructed that the piglets can enter and leave but the sow does not have access

Dam: Mother or female of an animal.

Disinfectant: Chemical agent used to kill microorganisms

Dry sow: Sows that are not suckling piglets

Estrus: Time during which the female is sexually receptive to the male.

Farrow: To give birth to a litter of piglets

Feed conversion rate: Amount of feed required by a pig to produce 1 Kg increase in body weight

Feeder pig: Young pigs sold after weaning for growing to reach slaughter weight

Finishing pig: Young pig generally weighing more than 60 Kg.

Flushing: Practice of increasing feed allowance around time of serving (mating with boar) to increase number of eggs produced.

Fostering: Transferring of piglets to be raised by a sow other than their own mother

Gender: A term used to describe roles of men, women and children

Gilt: Young developing female pig Growing pig: Young pig after weaning, generally weighing less than 60 Kg

Hand-mating: Supervised mating whereby sow observed on heat is taken to boar for service

Heterosis: Phenomenon whereby the performance of offsprings from parents of two different breeds is higher than the average performance of the parents

Lactation: Period between birth and weaning when the sow suckles her piglets

Limit feeding: Weighing out a determined amount of feed to be given to each pig per day as a way of preventing them from getting too fat.

Litter: Set of piglets born to a sow at a time

Litter number: Number of times a sow has farrowed.

Litter size: Number of piglets in a given litter.

Longevity: Ability of a pig to remain productive in the herd.

Mange: A skin disease caused by mites leading to intense itching.

Pen: Room in a pig house to be occupied by an animal or group of animals.

Pen-mating: Mating in which a breeding female is housed together with a boar and mates with them as and when they come on heat.

Piglet: Young pig before weaning 

Rooting: A habit among pigs where they dig up the ground using their snouts

Runt piglets: Small weak piglets within a litter, which are less than average in weight

Slaughter pig: Young pig ready for slaughter, usually 90-120 Kg. 

Tethering: To tie a pig with a rope it can only move within a specific area. 

Sow: Mature female pig. 

Wean: Remove the piglets from their dam to end suckling. 

Weaning pig: Young pig at or shortly after weaning 

Withdrawal period: Time period within which if a drug is used on an animal, the animal should  not be slaughtered for meat to avoid drug resistance in humans.