10 Facts About Pigs (2024)

FAQs

What are 20 interesting facts about pigs? ›

Yes, ham, bacon, pork chops, pork loin and sausage all come from pigs...but so does insulin, heart valves, footballs, gelatin, burn dressings, matches, crayons and a whole host of other items.

Pigs have very long memories and can remember things even years later. Newborn piglets learn to run to their mothers' voices, and mother pigs can communicate with them through her grunts whilst they suckle.

Good pig feed contains sufficient energy, protein, minerals and vitamins. Rice bran, broken rice, maize, soya-beans, cassava, vegetables and distillers' residues are often used in pig feed.

Pigs are found and raised all over the world, and provide valuable products for humans, including pork, lard, leather, glue, fertilizer, and a variety of medicines. Most pigs raised in the United States are classified as meat-type pigs, as they produce more lean meat than lard, a fat used in cooking.

And they swim. Because, it turns out, pigs can do that.

They possess an excellent long-term memory and are quick to learn from both positive and negative experiences. Studies have shown that pigs can navigate mazes, distinguish between different objects, and even play simple video games with commendable accuracy!

In a farrow-to-finish operation, 22–26 weeks (or about 6 months, starting at birth) are required to grow a pig to slaughter weight. Sows nurse their litters for an average of 3 weeks before they are weaned, or separated from the sow, and are able to digest a solid ration.

Most pigs love: cooked broccoli, pitted apricots, cucumbers, dark green lettuce, cooked potatoes, beets, grapes, pumpkins, all squashes, zucchini, snow peas, spinach, yams, kale, tomatoes, chard, carrots, pears, apples, berries, oranges, grapefruit, melons, pitted cherries, pitted peaches.

Their intelligence is higher than a dog's, some primates and even young human children. In their natural state, pigs are very clean animals. They keep their toilets far from their living or feeding areas. They are much more tolerant of colder temperatures than heat.

How high is a pigs IQ? ›

Pigs have the intelligence of a human toddler and are ranked as the fifth most intelligent animal in the world! In fact, pigs are more intelligent and trainable than any breed of dog. They learn their names in just two weeks and come when they're called.

To give a comparison, when compared to human intelligence, cats are said to be of a similar intelligence level to a two-year-old child, but pigs are thought to have equivalent cognitive abilities to a three-year-old child.

A pig will live an average of 12-18 years, estimates range to more than 20 years. Considered grown by 6 years of age, and usually weigh 125 pounds or more. In non-breeding adults, feed about 1/2 cup of maintenance food per 25 pounds of the pig's weight, split into 2 meals per day.

Adult domestic pigs can run as fast as 11 miles per hour, while their wild boar counterparts (being a bit sleeker) run faster at 15mph! 5. Pigs are big talkers. They keep in constant communication by grunting with their young and pen-mates.