# How to tell age of adult pig?



## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

About a month ago, I bought a huge, but thankfully very friendly pig at the sale. She was brought in with a boar about half her size, so I have no idea whether or not she was bred/pregnant when brought in or not. She weighed 540 pounds, a huge red hog of a girl! Is there a way to approximate age on them? When are they too old to produce piglets or have a successful pregnancy? Didn't want to butcher her until I could determine that she ISN'T going to have any little ones, and I know the length of gestation, so figured in another month I'd be able to tell if she is or isn't preggers. Any advice? I'm just glad she is friendly, she's like a Volkswagon with legs! Jan in Co


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

A sow's productivity starts to drop after 4 years of age so if she's that big and you got her at an auction I would guess she's around that age where producers think she's no longer productive. Does she look grossly overweight or is she just a big sow? She may have missed her last insemination or has dropped in production or was a pet that was eating too much??? Just guessing. I don't know how to tell a sow's age and will look forward to others answering that question. 

Sows go into heat every three weeks so you'll learn soon enough if she is pregnant or not. If she doesn't cycle pay particular attention to mineral intake and nutrition to give her good support through gestation. I bought a 350 pound sow at auction first week in February to till my garden. I noticed she wasn't cycling so held on to her. This Sunday she farrowed 10 healthy piglets. Good luck with yours


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## Firefly (Dec 7, 2005)

Marcia that's so cool about your piglets! This is interesting. I never thought of buying an adult sow but it might be cheaper. How much could I expect to pay for one? Is a 500+ lb pig good eating for chops and such, or do you have to turn the whole thing into sausage?


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