How Much Does A Pig Weigh?

How much does a pig weigh? It is a topic of interest for many pig lovers and they are often seen arguing about the average weight of pigs.

If you plan to raise pigs on the farm, it is important to know every little detail about this adorable creature from feeding habits to its weight.

When you are feeding and caring for the pigs, it is important to know the average pig’s weight. 

Every pig owner wants pigs to have a healthy slaughter weight in a short but reasonable time.

Pig’s weight is always a mystery for most people. Besides knowing it for fun, it is important to monitor the weight as a guide to how much to feed them, their overall health, and estimated finishing date.

Pigs farming has developed dramatically in the last couple of decades, it is made more profitable by incorporating a number of factors.

Pig’s weight affects the profit greatly, it is not taken lightly by the pig owners and they do everything in their power for pigs to gain weight.

Before stepping into this territory, pig farming, it is important to know how much do pigs weigh to assess the feed required to raise them.

How Much Do Pigs Weigh?

Despite having a small size, pigs can be quite heavy. According to research, Fully-grown pigs can weigh between 110 lbs to 770 lbs (50 KG to 350 KG).

Some well-fed pigs even exceed this weight range. The size and weight of pigs are dependent on the breed as well to some extent.

Often, domesticated pigs are bred and raised to be heavier. Not all pigs fall within the weight range mentioned above, some are less and some are heavier.

Pigs are being bred and raised at a faster rate today than before. 

Pig farming has evolved in the last couple of decades, now, the average pig weight is higher than before.

Better breeding and feed efficiency have dramatically increased the average pig weight for the market.

With the increase in average weight, the productivity of a pig farmer has also increased significantly.

With the incorporation of modern and innovative ways, pig farming has become one of the most profitable businesses out there.

Pigs stay profitable at heavier market weights that are a sure sign of successful furrow-to-finish operations.

Thanks to feed efficiency and other factors, Pigs reach the slaughter weight quickly.

The furrow-to-finish operations mean the time required from birth to pigs attaining slaughter weight.

Now, it happens within 22 to 26 weeks. The furrow-to-finish operation has many stages and it lasts till the pig is ready to be slaughtered.

This has helped pig farmers greatly to track pig’s weight through different stages. 

The weaning stage approximately lasts 3 weeks or till the hog weighs 10 pounds. Next comes the wean-to-feeder or nursery stage where the pig’s weight is approximately 40 pounds.

As the nursery stage ends, the animal goes directly to the finishing stage. The pig enters the feeder-to-finish or, simply, finishing stage, at the age of approximately six months.

In this stage, the pig reaches the desired slaughter weight and produces an appropriate carcass. 

How Much Do Piglets Weigh?

Baby pigs or piglets weigh 2.5 pounds or 1.1 kilograms at birth. This weight is doubled within a week’s time.

Pigs grow and gain weight quite quickly, so, by the time they are three weeks old, pigs have already gained about 12 to 13 lbs on average.

The modern breeding and raising methods make sure the pig gets the optimum market weight in a short time. 

Heaviest Pig in the History 

Do you know about the world’s heaviest pig? It was called Big Bill. Big Bill holds the record for being the largest and heaviest pig so far.

This heaviest pig was the Poland China bred and owned by Elias Buford Butler of Jackson, Tennessee. When weighed, it tipped the scales at 2,552 lbs or 1,157 kg in 1933. 

Average Slaughter Weight of Pigs

The desired slaughter weight or the optimum market weight for the pigs is more than 280 pounds.

A 280 pounds pig produces about 210 lbs of the carcass. Carcass weight is the weight of the pig following slaughter when several unwanted body parts are removed.

Average Weight For Different Pig Breeds

Now that you know the average weight of pigs overall, it is important to know how much do popular pig breeds weigh on average.

• Yorkshire Pig – Though they are not good domestic pigs, Yorkshire pigs are known for their large size. The average weight of male Yorkshire pigs is between 550 lbs to 770 lbs whereas female pigs weigh between 450 lbs to 650 lbs.
• Hampshire Pig – Hampshire pigs are medium-sized, so, they may not weigh as much as the Yorkshire pigs. Male Hampshire pigs can weigh as much as 650 pounds whereas female pigs generally reach 500 pounds.
• Landrace Pigs – There are many varieties of Landrace red pigs today, on average, these adult pigs weigh between 400 lbs to 880 lbs. 
• Duroc Pigs – Duroc pigs are medium-sized with long bodies. They generally weigh between 450 lbs to 880 lbs. Some pigs of this breed can become as heavy as 1000 lbs.
• Berkshire Pigs – Berkshire Pigs are of medium size and adult pigs weigh more or less 595 lbs. 
• Chester White pig – This prolific breed generally has a weight range of 500 lbs to 800 lbs. 
• Vietnamese pot-Bellied Pigs – Pot-Bellied pigs do not grow to be heavier or taller. So, their average weight lies between 70 lbs to 150 lbs. 
• Mini Pig – As the name implies, mini or miniature pigs are of small size. The adult pigs weigh between 50 lbs to 150 lbs. 

Conclusion

Pigs can grow to be heavier due to the feed efficiency, however, there is not much advantage to it. As the pigs grow to be 225 pounds, their ratio of weight gained to food consumed reduces significantly. It means you will be wasting a lot of money on the feed without getting much in return.