SaskPork

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Facts About Pigs

• There are more than 7,000 pig farms across Canada that raise more than 25.5 million animals a year. About 31,000 people work in the pork industry, from farmers to processors to inspectors.
• Pigs in Canada live in barns, not outside in the mud. Especially in a place like Canada that has such cold winters, barns are designed to provide pigs with the ideal environment. As well as protecting against extreme hot and cold weather, barns also keep out predators and disease.
• A male pig that sires piglets is called a boar. Until they have their first litter, young female pigs are called gilts. Once they give birth, pigs are called sows. The process of birthing a litter of pigs is called farrowing.
• Depending on their age, sows will usually deliver 8 to 16 piglets, weighing about 1 kg (2.2 lb) each. A sow will have 2 to 2.5 litters within a year’s time.
• Pigs are naturally playful and curious. Did you know that farmers try to enrich pigs’ lives by providing items for the pigs to chew and play with, interacting with the pigs and allowing them to interact with one another? Some farmers also play music in their barns and alternate the type of feed.

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