Cutter pig is the pig that is between pork and bacon weight. The pork weight is usually 60 kg (130 lbs) live weight and the bacon weight is around 80 kg to 100 kg (175 lbs – 220 lbs).
A Pig that is raised for a pork weight of 60 kg (130 lbs) live weight in a span of 4 to 6 months is called Porker and the Pig that is raised for a bacon weight of 80 kg to 100 kg (175 lbs – 220 lbs) live weight in a span of 8 to 10 months is Baconer.
Pig Terminology
Pigs are raised all over the world for their fast growth and profitability. If you want to raise pigs, you need to understand Pig’s terminology well. The simple glossary of pig terms will be a goto guide for pig-keeping.
| Pig Terms | Definition |
| Pig | A common word used for Swine. |
| Hog | A male pig that is castrated. |
| Boar | A pig that is over six months and it’s uncastrated. |
| Barrow | A male castrated pig before it’s puberty |
| Stag | An Older male pig that is castrated. |
| Gilt | A young female pig that is not mated yet or not yet produced a litter. |
| Sow | A female pig that has its first litter. |
| Sucker | A young pig that is between birth and weaning. |
| Weaner | A young pig that is separated from the sow and starts to eat solid food. |
Pig slaughter
The above Pig Terminology glossary is based on raising of the pig. You should be able to know the terminology for the slaughtering of pigs too.
Pig slaughter is done to obtain the pig meat, which is called pork. The slaughtering of the pig takes place at different ages. Some of the terms are explained below
| Pig Slaughter Terms | Definition |
| Suckling pig | A young pig that is slaughtered for its tender meat. |
| Feeder pig | Generally a small pig usually Gilt or barrow is slaughtered at the age of 6 to 8 weeks with a weight between 18 kg to 37 kg ( 40 lb to 82 lb). |
| Porker | A pig that is ready for the market pork when it reaches a weight of 60 kg (130 lbs) live weight at the age of 4 to 6 months. |
| Baconer | When the pig weight is reached at 80 kg to 100 kg (175 lbs – 220 lbs) of live weight at the age of 8 to 10 months. |
| Cutter | Cutter pig is the one that is between pork weight and bacon weight. Mainly raised to produce larger joints. |
| Grower | A pig that is raised for slaughter generally culled between weaning and breeding age. |
| Finisher | A grower pig that weighs over 70 kg (150 lb) of live weight. |
| Butcher hog | A hog that reaches around 100 kg of live weight. But in other parts of the world even 180 kg of live weight of hog is considered as Butcher hog. |
| Backfatter | Slaughtering the breeding pigs. |
What is the difference between a Porker and a Baconer?
Both Porker and Baconer are raised mainly for meat purposes. But there is a huge difference in the timing of culling.
The Porkers are grown primarily for the pork meat. The one we consume as pork chops and barbeque. Usually the age of pig will be around 4 to 6 months, which weighs around 60 kg (130 lbs) of live weight. We can’t consume Baconer pigs as their meat quality is poor and will have more fat.
The Baconer are the pigs of age 8 to 10 months and weighs approximately 100 kg (220 lbs) of live weight. The meat of Baconer can only be used for bacon production as their meat is large and rasher. We can’t use Porker meat for Bacon production as they are small.
Hello, I am Siddartha Reddy . A fulltime farmer and blogger who love to share all his farming experiences. Also, a strong supporter of sustainable farming practices. Thanks for visiting our site, let’s make this world a better place to live. Say No to Chemicals and plastics.
