Correlation of age and weight in wild boars. Recommendations for measuring the weight of pigs at different ages

This hunt has been around for hundreds of years. And there have been conversations on this topic for just as many years. When the word “boar” is used, one imagines a large boar with huge tusks, this is exactly how it is depicted in old engravings in hunting scenes (for example, in Rubens’s painting “The Hunt for the Wild Boar”), where he is besieged by a whole pack of assorted dogs, surrounded by both foot and horse hunters approach him with spears, spears, rogules, swords, and daggers.

The boar grins angrily, you can imagine how it snaps its teeth, how it lunges and with short blows of its head scatters the dogs tearing at it. The scene is filled with drama; it is clear that the boar intends to send, if not a couple of hunters, then at least several dogs, to their forefathers.

Nowadays, rarely does anyone dare to kill such a boar with a cold weapon. Both people and dogs are sensible enough to fight like this big beast, in addition, firearms have appeared that make it possible to obtain a large cleaver from a safe distance with much less risk. And with a knife, wild boar is still hunted now, but of much smaller sizes, mainly young of the year and gilts (from last year), although they are not large, they also belong to the species Sus scrofa, i.e. Common boar.

They extract using, in general, the same old technology hunting, as in ancient times. The dogs find wild boars, choose the one they like best, if necessary, fight him off from the herd and hold him until the hunter arrives. The hunter approaches and mortally wounds the animal with a special technique. It would seem nothing complicated, but in this exciting and gambling process there are several components, each of which is important.

These components are: dogs, a hunter with his understanding of the process and experience, a knife and, in fact, the boar itself, without which nothing can be done.

Dogs

“And I heard that you catch dogs in Kizlyar, in the fish row,” I remarked.
“This also happens,” Antip answered, grinning. “But it’s out of necessity: after all, master, a lot of dogs disappear, really... Sometimes such an animal will be attacked and spoil five or six dogs.”

N.N. Tolstoy. "Hunting in the Caucasus"

In our countries, the most common boar dogs are huskies. At the huskies good search, viscosity and anger towards the beast. Not every dog has a set of these qualities, which is why they try to assemble a pack of dogs with different talents that complement each other. All the boar breeders I know say that it is one, usually a male, and rarely two huskies that keep a boar. The others help. They can grab, they can spin around, but it is the one that chooses the victim and enters the fight. If given a choice, the dogs choose the most accessible prey - fingerlings. No fingerling, then a little larger. The main husky grabs by the lych, by the cheeks, by the ear, by the scruff of the neck, works from the side of the animal’s head, and the helping ones spin around and grab him by the gacha, by the tail, and grab him in the crotch. More often, at least two dogs are used, but one dog can hold a fingerling. It is not uncommon for large hounds to hold and even strangle younglings weighing twenty to thirty kilograms on their own. One tall male Russian pinto hound began strangling piglets at the age of one year, and continued to do so from great success all season until he was injured by a wild boar. Gonchak recovered, but stopped racing. I lost interest not only in wild boars, but also in goats, hares and foxes. He became a homebody, never set foot in the forest, and guarded the yard. It happens the other way around, dogs get seriously injured and after that they are even more willing to work on wild boars. But overly brave dogs do not live long; sooner or later, close work on an adult boar turns into fatal wounds. Jagdterriers successfully retain young of the year. A friend of mine had three jags successfully cope with a piglet up to forty kilograms.

As soon as the first boar is caught from the dogs, it becomes important for them to keep the animal until the hunter arrives. As soon as they grabbed the piglet, as soon as the hunter got it and killed it, from that moment on such a hunt becomes the most desirable for them. Raising such a dog is not easy. Training begins from puppyhood, natural culling, regular baiting in the off-season, feeding, vaccinations, treatment for injuries - the dog becomes valuable to the hunter, not just a tool for hunting, but also, of course, a friend. Many hunters, for the safety of their dogs, for greater convenience in hunting, purchase modern systems tracking them. These are GPS transmitters on collars and the main device with a screen in the hands of the hunter. The screen shows all the dog’s movements around the area; you can determine whether it is sitting or standing, and at what speed it is moving. The hunter can easily determine by the nature of the dog’s movement what it is doing – whether it is working on the animal, chasing it, or searching for it. Using the device, you can adapt to the movement of the animal or determine with great accuracy the place where it is held, without even hearing the dogs’ voice. With a pair of huskies that have a wide search, viscosity and are equipped with a tracking system, a hunter can hunt with a small mobile team or even alone, adapting to the work of the dogs and the movement of the wild boar on the device screen.

But despite all the modern devices, the life of a wild boar dog is filled with dangers and injuries. A good hunter not only completes and carries with him a serious dog first aid kit, but also has primary surgical skills, since dogs cut by wild boars have to be sewn up regularly.

In addition to huskies, hounds, terriers, as well as other breeds and all kinds of mixed breeds, in some countries of Europe and America, fighting dogs of fighting breeds are used to hunt wild pigs with a knife: bull terriers, Staffordshire terriers, pit bull terriers, etc. They are distinguished by a strong, long-lasting grip, and bull terriers are truly “dead”, “crocodile-like”. With lightning speed and purpose, they grab the boar's snarl, lower jaw or cheek, tuck their legs and try to press the animal's head to the ground with their weight, thereby quite powerfully and reliably fixing it. More often, these dogs are used only for this purpose and are released on a boar that has already been found by other dogs.

Hunter with a knife

“Meanwhile, Balash calmly sat on the shore and took off his shoes, and having taken off his shoes and rolled up his trousers, he just as calmly wandered to the boar, which was still being held by the dogs, killed it and, threading a rope under its fangs, pulled it to the shore.”

Most boar keepers who keep huskies and successfully cut the beast from under them live in rural areas. This includes rangers who conduct driven hunts. They are quite pragmatic people and are not prone to excessive risks and bravado. The fingerling and gilt do not see anything complicated or contradictory in picking with a knife. Dogs hang on a small boar, if it is not yet tired, it will spin, will not allow you to shoot accurately, a shot can ruin part of the meat, and most importantly, big risk hook the dogs with a charge. Therefore, the easiest way is to take a knife and cut it. How do they do this? In two steps. First you need to fix the beast, and then inflict damage incompatible with life. One of the common techniques is to lift it by one hind leg and stab it with a knife under the shoulder blade in the direction of the heart. It must be remembered that a boar's heart is located in the lower third of the sternum, in the middle, between the front legs. Or knocking a pig onto its side (it’s easy to say, knocking it to its side! - one avid boar handler advised me to do this: approach the boar only from behind, grab it firmly by the tail with your left hand, and right hand- by the left front leg and roll it to the side, holding it with your knee from the back), press it down from the back with your knee and, holding it by the ear, open the jugular vein and carotid artery, making an incision along the neck from the spine to the throat. Pressing down with a knee or even sitting astride, they hold the front leg and stab into the heart through the sternum or under the shoulder blade. Here are practically two main ways to quickly kill a wild boar - in the heart with surrounding vessels or in the neck.

There is one more trick. If the boar is large enough and nimble: by piercing the lungs through the ribs (preferably several times), you can achieve the animal’s quick death due to air entering the chest and the lungs sticking together. The boar will arrive in a few minutes.

Practical recruiting skills are developed and maintained throughout the season. During the season, each wild boar slaughters several young wild boars and pigs from the dogs. This hunt continues throughout the period of driven hunts. If at the beginning of the pens the dogs sway and are afraid to work in the corn, where most of the wild boars are kept, then by the end they catch without any problems, and some even kill the piglets on their own. Avid hunters slaughter more than ten wild boars from dogs during the season. Many are so passionate about this hunt that they gladly go into the pen with their dogs without a gun, but with a knife. The majority of boar breeders surveyed indicated that they slaughter only young animals under two years of age.

Knife on a boar

A boar sword, a palm tree, a spear, a spear, a boar knife - all this can be successfully used today for hunting wild boar. And they apply it! In the Czech Republic and Germany, where hunting with bull terriers is practiced, a spear, a boar knife, and dagger-type knives are used to kill large enough boars. Two bull terriers, usually a female and a male (to exclude the possibility of an unforeseen fight between them), hold large boars weighing up to one hundred kilograms. The hunter’s task is to approach the animal from behind and, almost sitting astride it, grab the free ear with one hand, and with the other strike under the shoulder blade, aiming from above at the heart. After being stabbed with a knife, the boar shows strong activity, and at this time it is necessary to hold it by the ear and press the animal to the ground with your body. The bull terriers continue to hold his head all this time.

In America, Australia, and New Zealand, for similar hunting with dogs, they use a fairly large boar knife with a developed guard and a long, wide blade. More often, a boar that is being held by dogs is approached from behind from the side and a piercing blow is delivered under the shoulder blade, even under the armpit, aiming for the heart. And then, without removing the knife completely, they make several more short cutting strokes. If the boar is not very large, then one of the assistants lifts it by the back leg or both legs, thereby depriving it of support for throwing.

When I began to ask our wild boar hunters about what kind of knives they use for harvesting, two elderly hunters said that they always successfully used a sharpened awl made from an iron rod with a blunt end bent into the shape of a handle. This was one of the traditional tools for slaughtering domestic pigs. The rest were thinking about a guard, a comfortable handle to make the blade larger. The sizes ranged from 12 to 17 centimeters, but all the fantasies and variations ended something like this: in general, an ordinary hunting knife, but any other knife that you have with you will do.

If you don’t have a knife, it’s difficult to kill even a small pig. I have heard of silencing using improvised means, strangulation, neck breaking, and even an attempt to impale on a sharp branch... These horrors can be avoided by having a sharpened “regular hunting knife” with you.

Boar and its size

The larger the boar, the more dangerous it is and the fewer people want to poke a knife into it. Experienced huskies also share this point of view. Therefore, when dogs find a healthy or wounded cleaver in the forest and bark at it at a reasonable distance, few people have the idea of trying to take the animal with a knife.

One of the hunters told how he received his only injury: “Once a friend wounded a large pig, and I was without a gun, only with a knife, and in the clearing I noticed that a raspberry tree was moving. I thought it was a youngster and wanted to catch it, but there was a wounded pig there. In general, while the dogs arrived, she chewed my leg. Only after a year did my leg stop going numb. But I killed the pig – there was simply no other choice.”

And there are hunters who, for more than thirty years of such wild boar hunting, have not received a single injury, each season taking several wild boars from under their dogs. Why? Yes, because they never even thought about going after a large boar with a knife. They hunted specifically young of the year, rarely gilts, and only killed a wounded large boar by shooting.

There's another one important reason, why young of the year are preferred to large cleavers. Fingerlings are much tastier. Their meat is juicy and tender, moderately fatty, compared to the strong-smelling meat of the cleaver, which is in rutting season during driven hunts.

And yet there are those who are determined and strong people who take an adult and healthy boar from under their dogs with a knife. For this, of course, we need huskies who can stop and hold such a beast. And no less important is knowledge and experience - how to quickly kill a big beast. These are rare, enthusiastic specialists in a fairly widespread and numerous tribe of wild boar hunters.

In hunting stories there are references to the fact that a large wounded boar, in the absence of cartridges, was killed with a stone and blows to the head with sticks, and then cut with a knife. I would not recommend this method of collection due to its unreliability and great danger to humans.

“At the opening of driven hunting in our area, wild boars live in corn. If there is water in the corn, a persistent puddle or ditch, then they do not come out of there at all for weeks. After lunch, we decide to redistribute, and most of the hunters go into the corn as beaters. The numbers are located at the end of the field. We line up in a chain after 10-12 meters and walk along the rows of corn with a voice, trying to hold the chain. It's gloomy and warm in the corn. You push the hard leaves apart with your hand, but they still touch your face, and this then makes your face itch and itch, almost like nettles. The rows, closing at the top, form shady corridors along which wild boars have trampled their paths. Dogs run next to people. They don’t want to get ahead - they feel that the wild boars have a big advantage in these corn corridors. The shooters wait for the beast to appear at the edge of the field. The beaters are approaching, shouting cheerfully. You can hear the rustling and moving apart of hard leaves. And so, when there are no more than a hundred meters left to the shooters and it seems that there is no one in the corn, there comes a slight lull. The beaters languidly shout to each other... Suddenly, to the heart-rending barking of dogs, in a small piece of the field there is the sound of stomping and squealing, the hooting of a pig, the herd does not come out of the corn into the forest, where the numbers are quietly standing, but turns towards the line of the beaters and, with acceleration, breaks through between the people in the opposite direction. You can’t see the pigs, but you can hear them very well; only a few for a moment see the dark sides darting through the neighboring rows. It is impossible to shoot accurately. If it weren’t for the black-faced husky male, who had previously seemed like a lazy bumpkin, we would have been left without prey that day. Taking advantage of the turmoil, he grabbed the youngster, and the rest of the dogs, plucking up courage, fought the pig off from the herd. Hunters who arrive in time to hear the squealing and barking quickly kill the young of the year. The huntsman looks contentedly at the dog’s gangster face: “It’s not for nothing that I bought him for fifty bucks before the drive!” The next day the dogs dispersed and by lunchtime they got us two more piglets in the same way.”

Russian hunting magazine, January-February 2013

2519

The boar is a famous animal that appears in films and cartoons, and is mentioned in books. This is a desirable and difficult hunting trophy. The wild boar in heraldry signifies strength and fearlessness. This is a peculiar animal with interesting habits.

Description

The wild boar is a cloven-hoofed animal from the pig family. Some scientists believe that the species originated in southeast Asia (the Philippines or Indonesia). Later, wild boars spread to northern Africa and Eurasia.

Boar - close relative domestic pig. They are similar in appearance, but many characteristics are very different:

The boar's body is shorter and stronger. The body is muscular, tapering towards the legs. The front part of the body is especially strong.
Low powerful legs longer than those of a pig.
The head of a wild boar is more elongated and wedge-shaped. Large pointed ears stick out. The animal has excellent hearing and sense of smell, but poor eyesight and small eyes.
The neck is thick and short.
Large and sharp fangs. Particularly terrifying - on the lower jaw. Fangs grow throughout life. Probably because of them, seasoned males are called cleavers - in honor of the instrument of the same name (a hybrid of a knife and an ax). The fangs of males are much larger - up to 25 cm in length.
The snout is coarsened, as with its help the wild boar searches for food by rummaging in the ground.
The body is covered with hair that looks like rough bristles. In winter, the protective cover becomes denser. During stress, the fur bristles and a peculiar mane appears.
The color is camouflage, depending on the place of residence. As a rule, these are shades from whitish and gray to black with a bluish tint, more often brownish, brown. The muzzle, tail, legs (bottom) are darker than the main color. Up to six months, the piglet is colored with stripes: brown, yellowish and light. This enhances camouflage.
Straight ponytail with tassel. Length - 18–25 cm.

A wild pig “communicates” by squealing and grunting, and can thus give an alarm signal or a battle cry.

Weight and dimensions

An adult boar looks scary. In addition to the fangs, the size also makes an impression. Animals have the following dimensions:

body length - 90–180 cm;
height at withers - up to 1.2 m.

Weight - from 90 to 300 kg. Seasoned cleavers weigh more than others. Weight depends on gender, lifestyle, habitat, diet.

The smallest boars live in southeast Asia and India. Their maximum weight is about 45 kg. Larger than the rest are the animals that inhabit the territory between the Urals and the Carpathians. Sometimes they weigh more than 300 kg. In Primorye and Manchuria there are specimens weighing up to half a ton.

A record holder was shot dead in the Sverdlovsk region four years ago. With a height of about 2 m, the weight of the boar was more than 500 kg.

Females are smaller, sexual dimorphism is pronounced. The height does not exceed 90 cm. The maximum weight is about 200 kg.

Varieties

The genus boar is part of the pig family. Boars are its brightest representatives. Relatives are pigs - domestic, Javanese and others.

Wild boars inhabit vast territories on different continents. The differences are mainly related to habitats, climate, and food. There are 16 subspecies of boars. They are divided into four groups:

Western. This includes 7 subspecies of wild boar. A well-known representative is Central European. These are not the largest animals: the length of the male is 130–140 cm, average weight- 100 kg. They live in Russia and Europe.
Indian. This group includes two subspecies. One of them is called Indian. These are peaceful animals. In India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, they peacefully coexist with people. They have a lighter coat when compared to other species.
Eastern. There are 6 subspecies, the largest among them is Ussuri. The standard length of a boar is 170–180 cm, weight is about 300 kg. This group and the western one are the most numerous.
Indonesian. Only one subspecies was included here - the Malaysian wild boar. A small boar compared to the others. Found from the islands of Java and Sumatra to Komodo. Probably these places are the ancestral home wild boars.

Ussuri

Malaysian

Habitat

Wild pigs live in different parts of the planet, occupying vast territories:

Europe in its entirety;
Africa, especially the north;
different parts of Asia;
America, where animals were brought for hunting.

Hybrids between wild boar and domestic pig are a serious threat to agriculture. Fields in the states especially suffer from their raids South America. Australia is home to escaped and feral domestic pigs.

In some countries, the population of these animals has been destroyed or reduced, for example:

In Great Britain, boars were killed back in the 13th century. Only about 30 years ago, a population of wild animals appeared that escaped from special farms.
In Denmark, wild boars were almost completely exterminated in the 19th century. About 50 years ago, animals began to appear again in wildlife.
In Russia, wild boars became scarce by the 1930s. After 20 years, the numbers began to recover. Today, pigs can be found even near densely populated areas.

Wild pigs love forests and water and often live in swampy areas. In Russia they prefer oak and beech forests, but they are also found in mixed ones.

They carry different weather, climate. Wild boars live in areas from semi-desert to humid tropical forests. There are separate populations on islands, for example, Corsica and Sumatra.

Pigs do not like hills, hills, mountains, although they sometimes live there too. For example, in the Caucasus they rise to a height of up to 2600 m. In Russia they are not found only in the tundra and taiga. Wild boar is one of the most widespread mammals.

Lifestyle

Boars try to stay in damp places overgrown with forests, bushes, and reeds. The wild pig is one of the social animals. Most live in groups. The role of leaders is performed by females. The herd consists of boars, piglets and juveniles. Young and weak males occupy a subordinate position. Strong, seasoned males live separately from the herd and approach it only for mating.

The herd usually consists of 10–30 individuals. There are rarely “teams” of up to 100 heads. Animals often roam, but only within their territory. The herd area, according to some scientists, is 1–4 km².

Females mature in the second year of life, their partners in the fourth or fifth. IN temperate climate The mating season lasts from November to January. There are 1–3 females per male. The boars are actively fighting. The winners sometimes get up to 8 females.

Boars give birth to 4–12 piglets once a year. Gestation is approximately 18 weeks. The female boar takes care of the offspring and actively protects them. Breastfeeds with milk up to 3.5 months. By next autumn, each baby boar weighs 20–30 kg.

Boars are fast but clumsy animals. They run at speeds of up to 40–45 km/h. The animals swim well, sometimes for considerable distances, and dig well.

Wild boars are active in the dark, and during the day they rest in a shelter. They dig a hole 30–40 cm deep on their own and throw leaves to the bottom. Sometimes several animals rest in the pit.

What do wild boars eat?

Boars are almost omnivorous. Their “menu” is varied:

They love vegetation: roots, bulbs, fruits, acorns, nuts, mushrooms, berries, etc.
In winter they eat bark, shoots, and twigs.
The wild boar also feeds on animal food: snails, amphibians, worms, rodents, insects, birds and their eggs, and fish.
Sometimes animals eat carrion.

Nutrition depends on the subspecies and habitat. For example, on the island of Java, boars eat fruit; animals living in the Volga basin - fish and small rodents.

Wild boars eat 3–6 kg of feed per day. Most obtain food from the top layer of soil (litter). Here wild boars receive 2/3 of their diet.

Pigs dig up a lot of forest soil in search of food. They unwittingly sow seeds and protect trees from pests, such as the pine moth. Improve the soil.

In times of hunger, wild boars come to fields and vegetable gardens. There they feast on potatoes, turnips, grains and other crops. Areas are trampled, young trees in dachas are eaten.

The wild boar is not a predator, but when the food supply is really bad, it attacks birds and hares. In extreme cases, it even eats deer, roe deer and other large animals, although only weakened, sick or wounded ones. Does not disdain carrion.

Wild boars eat some poisonous plants. Thanks to a special mutation, their diet may contain snakes, the poison of which is also not terrible for boars. However, under normal conditions, wild boars only eat plants.

Natural enemies

Due to its size and tusks, almost everyone in the forest is afraid of the boar. Plus, animals are brave and ferocious, especially when they are wounded or protecting their offspring. However, they have enemies in nature:

Wolves. For example, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, packs of predators hunt boars. But usually wolves attack weaker and younger individuals.
The Bears. An adult male wild boar is a rare prey for this animal; there is a high risk of dying himself. The bear is looking for a weaker victim.
Large cats: lynxes, leopards, tigers. As a rule, sick or small animals are killed.
Komodo dragon.
Big snakes, predator birds. Some stray wild pig becomes their prey.

The most dangerous enemy for the beast is man. Boar hunting is popular, it is considered active recreation and extreme entertainment.

Lifespan

Under natural conditions, wild boars live 10–15 years, but many do not live to see ten.

Wild boars also live under human supervision: in zoos and nature reserves. Private owners sometimes keep them in suburban areas. They build covered pens there and serve a variety of food. They try to create conditions reminiscent of natural ones, for example, they put grass and leaves on the ground in the “pig sty”. In such conditions, animals reach twenty years of age. Domestic pigs, when properly kept, live almost twice as long.

Approximately 10% of boars are killed by hunters or poachers. In addition to lack of food and predators, wild boars face other dangers in nature - plague, scabies, trichinosis and other diseases.

The danger of the boar to humans

Wild boars, like many other animals, attack only when necessary. They don't kill for fun. Some subspecies are more peaceful, for example, the Indian. However, any animal sometimes becomes dangerous: someone has angered, injured, or there is a threat to the offspring.

Adult male wild boars inflict terrible lacerations fangs, bruises. Impact - from bottom to top. Females knock a person down and trample them with their hooves.

If you notice a wild boar or its tracks in the forest, you need to quietly leave. The animal is unlikely to attack first, but a meeting must be avoided. If this happens, consider the following:

A wild boar sees poorly and does not notice a person at a distance of about 15 m. However, the sense of smell and hearing are well developed.
There is no point in running - a boar will even catch up with a cyclist.
You need to climb a tree, even to a small height - at least 1 m. The animal has a thick, immobile neck, so it cannot throw a person off.
It is better to get away from the attacking animal and jump to the side. You need to do this when he is very close.
Do not scare away the wild boar by throwing small objects, branches or cones, even while sitting on a tree. This will not help, but will only anger the beast.
A knife or stun gun is almost useless in the fight against a boar. Best weapon- firearms, large caliber.
A mortally wounded animal is sometimes able to run up to a hundred meters and take revenge on the offender. This happened even when it hit the heart.
During the mating season, cleavers have reliable cartilage protection on their backs and sides.
The best targets are the brain or spinal column. If the enemy is already close, they shoot in the forehead. During the attack, the animal lowers its head.

The wild boar is a formidable forest dweller. The life of a boar is interesting, but it is better to watch it on TV or in the zoo.

A good trophy with such fangs.

Wild boar often causes painful disagreements between hunting workers and farmers, because in some cases causes significant damage to agricultural crops, and the only means of combating it is summer period shooting on the grass is considered to be the case. However, this measure should become a thing of the past, and today we do not have the right to carry out uncontrolled shooting “without rules,” during which leading females, middle-aged loppers, are sometimes destroyed.

The shooting must be targeted and directed, both for use and for maintaining optimal numbers of the species. Besides, we're talking about and about carrying out selective shooting among wild boars (as well as among other species). This shooting should be considered as important event on the formation of highly productive populations, the preservation of their genetic and physiological fund. Unfortunately, even in cases where selection work is carried out, it suffers from one-sidedness, because it is most often carried out only among males. Females, young animals, sub-adults and elderly individuals, which make up the majority of the population, are outside selection, i.e. are not harvested in the required percentage. The population must maintain a certain ratio of all sex and age groups. Without observing this principle, it is impossible to get either good trophies or high numbers. In accordance with the principles of such shooting, on the one hand, harm to agricultural crops is prevented, and on the other, there is the possibility of directed (targeted) shooting of animals culled during the planned shooting. It is very important to maintain the number of wild boars at a level corresponding to the productivity of the land and preserve the most mature and powerful animals. In other words, it is necessary to correctly assess the condition of all age groups of the herd and destroy the least promising ones.

Often during shootings, animals are shot that could have been excellent producers for several years.

There are some freaks in the family.

Because the the fundamental principle is to maintain the optimal state of the population, It must be taken into account that only a powerful, physically strong, healthy young yearling will grow into a strong gilt, which over time will develop into a powerful trophy cleaver. First of all, those individuals from all age classes that have obvious physical disabilities are subject to shooting. I would like to note that in slightly disturbed biocenoses natural selection guarantees selection, but in hunting farms, where a person takes on the role of a regulator of numbers (and especially density), things take a slightly different turn. Man strives to have a high number of game animals, exterminates predators, carries out abundant feeding, carries out veterinary measures that reduce the likelihood of epizootics, etc. As a result of all these measures, weakened individuals survive, those unstable in life, and behavioral stereotypes change. A decrease in the effect of natural selection factors leads to the reduction of animals. But valuable qualities of the population can be preserved through systematic selection by shooting. To do this, you need to know some features of the morphology and biology of the wild boar: to be able to distinguish yearlings from two-year-olds in a natural environment by characteristic external features, and to determine the sex of adults; know the average accepted level of development (weight, body size, color typical for a given population and timing of molting; timing of mass farrowing; be able to distinguish a healthy boar from a sick or wounded boar by behavior). For example, physically handicapped females who give birth to inferior offspring, which subsequently become the cause of population degradation. If such a case occurs, you need to shoot the female, and then her entire brood. Powerful, leading broods of females (hereinafter referred to as leading) are the basis for maintaining quality condition populations. It should be noted that if in the first year of life there are no necessary conditions for the full development of underyearlings, subsequently it will be possible to make up for lost time. impossible. The shooting of females must take place under absolute control. By the way, it has been noted that it is the orphaned fingerlings that cause the greatest damage to agricultural crops. Such animals usually concentrate on the territory that they managed to recognize while their mother was alive.

Due to their inexperience, fingerlings look for the most easily accessible food. Fingerlings whose mother died as a result of improper shooting are deprived of their mother's milk, as a result of which they will never be able to develop into physically strong, healthy animals. In practice, it turns out that by shooting a female who has piglets, we weaken the population. When carrying out shooting, the following principles must be observed:

Big family. Leading females with offspring.

90% of the planned shooting should be fingerlings and gilts (65-75% fingerlings and 15-25% gilts)
The remaining 10% are females and loppers that have exceeded the age of maturity (over 8 years), spawning females that have not had broods for 2 years in a row, walking alone.
Gilts weighing less than 40 kg.
Fingerlings weighing less than 20 kg.
Gilts and young of the year are spotted, light or black in color.
Prohibit the shooting of healthy leading females throughout the year.
In addition, you need to make sure that it is a female and not a low-quality cleaver.
It must be remembered that all age groups should be industrialized, but in different percentages.

The rule that the weakest individual in the herd is subject to destruction should be elevated to the rank of the highest law when shooting females. In addition, it is necessary to take into account late dates the onset of estrus, i.e. Shoot first of all the late-bearing ones.

Determining the age of a boar.

With timely shooting of individuals in age group piglets in winter months Particular care must be taken not to mistakenly shoot the leading individual in the herd. It goes without saying that only a few females can and should survive the gilt age safely, since an increase in the number of females in older age categories will have a detrimental effect on the sex ratio of individuals within the population as a whole. Therefore, to maintain an optimal sex ratio, it is recommended, in other cases, equal conditions, shoot the female, not the cleaver. As for the cleavers, total number of individuals shot, their percentage should be low. To a certain extent, control over the progress of shooting in general (and cleavers in particular) should be carried out on a specific territory of the farm under the strict control of the hunting user. The cleaver to be shot must give the impression of a powerful, mature individual. Before shooting, you must be completely sure based on clear external signs that the cleaver really needs to be shot. If there is no complete certainty, culling cannot be carried out, since there is a danger of mistakenly shooting young, not fully mature loppers. A cleaver that has surpassed the age of a gilt and entered an older age category (over 3 years old) is not subject to shooting. Such boars should not be culled under any circumstances, even if, according to formal age criteria, they are included in the group to be shot. The destruction of young boars that are not yet old enough to be shot is often justified on the grounds of conservation and the desire to prevent harm to agriculture (which could be achieved by other means). However, in reality, such illiterate shooting causes much more significant harm to nature. It is known that young animals mainly stay in forests, where there is a good food supply, and practically never leave them, encroaching on farmland extremely rarely and only a short time. The argument that young animals should be shot is based on low qualifications, lack of hunting culture and deep ignorance of the actual state of affairs. In practice, in the absence of preventive measures, harm to agriculture can be caused by herds of gilts and pigs with litters of young-of-the-year piglets. Among them the following groups can be distinguished:

While the young of the year are feeding on milk.

Herds consisting of one female with yearling piglets. Externally, such herds are easily distinguishable from other groups.
Herds consisting of several females with yearling piglets. In such groups, usually one female is subject to shooting.
Herds consisting of gilts and their older siblings or individuals from other litters.
Mixed herds, in which it is possible to distinguish a four-year-old cleaver (especially during the rutting period or in the presence of good food) and a female with young of the year.
All other, single individuals can be: cleavers, barn females (relatively rare), sick individuals, or experienced females who have isolated themselves to live independently.

Powerful loppers almost never join herds during the rut. They can only accidentally encounter a herd on their way, and if there are females in estrus in it, the loppers stay overnight, and the next morning they leave the herd again. In conclusion, it should be added that in the population as a whole, individuals with light or yellowish shades are considered undesirable and should not be preserved. They need to be shot at the age of young-of-the-year piglets or gilts. The presence of such individuals in older age classes indicates that the shooting was not carried out entirely correctly, and these individuals need to be eliminated. The exception here is the leading alpha females during hunting prohibited times. Regarding the appearance of light-colored or spotted individuals in wild boar herds, I would like to clarify the following. According to the works of Tsarev S.A. such individuals arise as a result of mating of young females - young of the year - with young males, because They instinctively avoid large cleavers. As a result of mating that did not reach full physical development individuals and often closely related mating (inbreeding), a brood with an atypical color appears. As a rule, such animals must be shot. If a late-giving female appears in the herd, the entire brood, including her, is shot. But if you meet a spotted or light-colored female of sufficiently mature age and well-formed, do not rush to shoot her, because her offspring may already be of a completely normal color, moreover, she will not inherit the undesirable traits that she inherited. Heredity, as is known, has variability, and natural selection fixes only those characteristics that correspond the best way environmental conditions.

Main directions of business.

Frightened pigs quickly run away.

As with other types of game animals, when hunting wild pigs, a combination of science and practice is necessary. As prerequisites, it is necessary to take into account the following: an inventory of hunting grounds in order to determine the key habitats of the wild boar, ensuring its year-round existence in terms of food, protection and farrowing places, the presence of predators and wild dogs, the anthropogenic factor, the possibility of creating food fields and distracting feeding. Next, we will talk about the composition of the population by sex and age, which gives the greatest productivity, both in terms of quantity and quality of animals. Sex ratio has a great influence on the amount of growth. This depends on the circumstances, how many females participate in reproduction, what their fertility is, and it largely depends on age. The farm's goal is to achieve a 1:1 sex ratio. But, due to the fact that hunters strive to hunt the largest animals, and these are, as a rule, males, the sex ratio shifts in favor of females. Sometimes, when wild boars cause great damage to agriculture, a 2:1 ratio in favor of males is acceptable. This ratio provides a greater opportunity for raising trophy animals.

Age classes.

Unlike other species of ungulates, the age of which is relatively easily determined by eye based on body features and trophies, the age of wild pigs is quite difficult to determine and requires some experience and observation when determining them. Age is most accurately determined at the childhood stage of development. Both sexes are characterized as a brood (boars up to one year old) or, as we usually do, “fingerlings”. According to the German classification, this age is considered from March to May of the following year and is called “piglets”. At this age, males and females are indistinguishable from each other, but are easily distinguished at a distance from older animals. At one time, Brandt (Brandt 1961) developed an approximate scheme for determining the age of hunted animals depending on the development of the lower canines, and Przibilski (2001) on the wear of the upper ones. Here's the diagram:

An attempt was made to roughly determine the score on a hunted boar whose tusks had not yet been removed. Its essence is as follows: we measure the lower fangs at the base of the section. Based on the wear of the upper and lower canines, we determine the approximate age. Based on Brandt's formula, we find the width at the base of the canine. Since the work of some experts suggests that the lower canines extend one-third out of the jaw, we can find the full length of the lower canine by adding two-thirds. The girth of the upper canines is easy to measure, because... their most powerful part is usually available for measurement. As a result, we receive all measurement parameters, but cannot judge discounts and surcharges. However, this data is sufficient to determine which award the trophy corresponds to. But this is only the author’s assumption; perhaps game managers will try to check it. It was expressed for one purpose: game managers should know the dignity and value of the trophy they harvest. On living animals, some differences from each other were noticed, but we repeat that they require a lot of attention when identifying them; more precisely, these differences are better and more accurately determined by huntsmen and game wardens, who, by the nature of their activities, have the opportunity to constantly observe wild boars in natural conditions and under different lighting. Below is a description of wild boars of different ages and illustrations to the descriptions, which could help hunting specialists in their work, and would serve as a small guide for hunters when hunting wild boars.

Fingerlings.

Even water is no barrier for such a pig.

They have a child's head shape, a short snout, small ears, covered with short stubble. Light spots are clearly visible on the head. The color of the body is striped, yellowish-brown, which lasts up to 5-6 months, completely disappearing in August. The tail is short and thin, reaching mid-thigh. In winter attire, the body seems more powerful due to the regrown underfur. The legs are relatively short and covered with dark hair. In good lighting and short distance at this time the tassel on the tail is already noticeable. In the illustration on the right, the letter A denotes a yearling at the age of 4 months, and the letter B – 8 months.

Gilt.

The next age class is “gilts”. It is considered from one to 2 years. There is no more precise definition, because even boars a year older often look like a classic gilt. Due to the growing winter stubble, the head appears short and blunt, and childish forms completely disappear. The body shape becomes more powerful, especially in the front part. Light stripes are not visible. On the lips, a swelling is clearly visible, through which the points of the lower fangs are visible. The ears are short and covered with powerful bristles. The tail is long, almost to the hock joint, with a tassel at the end. By December, the length of the lower canines is on average 116 mm. The width at the base is 19.0 mm, at the beginning of the section - 12.0 mm. Brandt number – 1.6. The girth of the upper canines is 54 mm. Average weight 38.0 kg. In the illustration on the left is a male, on the right is a female. The issue of weight is quite controversial, because... it depends entirely either on the abundance of natural food or on appropriate feeding. For example, in the Moscow Regional Society, underyearlings reach a weight of 41 kg due to abundant feeding; naturally, the weight of gilts is much higher. At the same time, in societies where not everything is so prosperous, weight indicators are much lower. This example is given to emphasize the exceptional importance of winter feeding.

Two-year-old boar.

Two-year-old boar. He has a powerful short head, childish features completely disappear, the fold on his lips increases, and the points of the lower fangs and the rudiments of the upper ones begin to appear through it, but only in the summer. In winter, due to the overgrown fur, they are not visible. The figure is more massive than that of a gilt, especially in the front part. The front legs are powerful and short. The summer coat is gray, the winter coat is dark brown to black due to the long bristles that have grown. In winter attire, the ears are covered with powerful, short, dark stubble. The line of the back is arched, at the transition from the back to the neck there is a noticeable deepening, then from the withers to the hip there is a smooth decrease. The tail is thicker and longer than that of a gilt with a long tassel. By January, such a boar should have (on average) the following indicators: The length of the lower canines is 127.0 mm. The width at the base is 20.0 mm, the width at the beginning of the section is 14.0 mm. Brandt number – 1.5. The girth of the upper canines is 60.0 mm.

Middle-aged boar (3-5 years).

Boar's head 3-5 years old.

Boar from 3 to 5 years. The head is powerful, blunt in shape. The ears are large and covered with dark hair. The boundary between it and the body is clearly visible. Powerful snout, highly raised lip folds. In five-year-old loppers, the lower and upper fangs are clearly distinguishable. The transition between the head and neck is hardly noticeable in summer, especially in older individuals. From the middle, the line of the back to the hips goes downward, ending sharply towards the back. The body is massive and short, most of it is located in the front. The front legs are short, powerful, stockier than those of 2-year-olds. The tail is powerful and long, with a large brush at the end that reaches the heel joint. The genital organ is clearly outlined even in winter wool. Behavior is typically solitary. Only during the rut does she appear in the herd of females, but plays a minor role, because driven away by more powerful males. In a state of excitement, the fur on the back is very ruffled, and the cleaver looks even more massive. When settling, it behaves extremely carefully, staying in dense thickets of young growths. It comes out to feeding areas only late at night. A cleaver of this age has the following average trophy rates:

The average length of the lower canines is 159.0 mm.
Width at the base – 22.0 mm.
The girth of the upper canines is 68.0 mm.
Brandt number – 1.2.

At the age of 5 to 7 years, wild boars stop growing their skeleton.

Boar 8-9 years old.

A powerful beast, the head is equal in length to a third of the body, the neck is practically not expressed, it immediately turns into the back, which rises with a smooth hump to half the body, then smoothly decreases to the hips, from which it sharply descends to the tail. The ears are large, covered with black bristles, the fangs are clearly visible through the labial fold, most of the body mass is located in the front, the legs are short and powerful. On the withers there is long dark brown bristles, the so-called “brush”. The tail is long and strong, the brush at the end of the tail reaches 25 cm. The trophy indicators are as follows:

Adult wild boar.

The average length of the lower canines is 22.3 cm.
Width at the base – 29, mm.
The average girth of the upper canines is 7.8 cm.
Brandt number – 1.01.

By this age, the growth of the skeleton has ended, the increase in the width of the lower canines has completed, both at the base and at the beginning of the section, and the sharpening of the lower and upper canines has finally formed. The trophy gained the largest dimensions both in the length and width of the lower fangs, and in the girth of the upper ones. Now the boar in the full sense of the word is trophy-mature. In subsequent years, canine growth continues extremely slowly; various kinds deformations, often the width of the lower canines at the beginning of the section becomes greater than at the base.

In accordance with the age, piglets of the current year of birth are called “young yearlings”, last year’s ones are called “gilts” or “lonchaks”, a male 2-3 years old is called “young cleaver”, from 3 to 5 years old “cleaver”, 5-7 years old “ mature cleaver”, 8 years and older – “Odinets”.

Females have the following gradation: primiparous or two-year-old female, middle-aged and old female. A female that has offspring is called a leading female, and is covered every year by a leader female or a resident female. On the basis of her broods, a family-group union is built. An unmarried female is called barren. The rate of reproduction depends on the number and age of females participating in reproduction. Peak productivity in females occurs at 5-7 years and continues until old age. Females - underyearlings participating in reproduction - do not produce an actual increase in numbers, because their offspring do not survive the winter. In unfavorable years, they are completely excluded from reproduction. The main role in reproduction is played by the availability of food in the autumn-winter period.

Mature cleaver.

In addition to age gradation, there is also a gradation of trophy (productive) maturity for males.

Class 1a: the cleaver, which is the purpose of management, must meet the following requirements: its age must be at least 8 years. The cleaver should give the impression of a mature, powerful beast. Its weight in summer is at least 85 kg. The ratio according to the Brandt formula is from 1.03 to 1.0. The average width of the lower canines should be at least 24 cm. The girth of the upper canines should be on average 65 mm. The trophy has a score of at least 100 points according to the CIC system.

Class 2a: a cleaver of all age classes, unmistakably identified, corresponding to its class in body size and weight, but not yet mature, not having reached the required conditions. The lower canines according to the Brandt formula are from 1.50 to 1.05, the width of the lower canines at the beginning of the section should correspond to the age class and differ from the width at the base by 3 to 6 mm, which in the future makes it possible to expect even greater width in adulthood. The girth of the upper canines should correspond to the age class: In gilts - on average from 55 to 60 mm. Young cleavers (2-3 years old) have an average of 60 to 65 mm. For middle-aged loppers (from 3 to 5 years) - on average from 65 to 75 mm.

Shooting planning.

The boar plows while feeding.

When planning shooting, it is necessary to take into account the gender and age ratio in the herd, as well as the goals of the farm. Typically, under normal conditions, shooting by age class is planned as follows: 90% of the planned shooting should be for piglets and gilts (65-75% piglets, 15-25% gilts) and 10% of females and cutters that have reached trophy maturity. When carrying out shootings, it is necessary to adhere to the rules mentioned above, namely, low-productive animals should be seized first: According to the timing of farrowing - females with late (June-July) litters, including piglets, are shot. In this case, first the female is shot, and then the piglets. Gilts whose autumn weight is less than 40 kg, piglets with an autumn weight less than 20-25 kg, piglets that retained traces of striping in August, especially with signs of weakness, piglets with deviating from the normal color (white-motley and black), single females, not producing broods for 3 years, mature loppers, which by the beginning of the rut do not gain their maximum weight . Mature old cleavers who have passed the highest point of their development, females and cleavers, over 8 years old. Animals that are characterized by slow movements, coughing, and passivity. Distinctive features of their exterior are drooping buttocks, hunched posture, and ruffled fur on the back. One misconception is common among huntsmen: they believe that the larger an old boar is, the more best manufacturer . Generally speaking, young females, for example, (according to the observations of S.A. Tsarev) instinctively avoid such giants. Such a “grandfather” drives away younger, but already mature males, but he does not have time to cover all the females. As a result, a large percentage of unmarried females appears, i.e. there is a decrease in herd productivity. That's why It is more rational to remove such a cleaver in time.

The huge head of such a cleaver is an excellent trophy, even if its fangs are not very large. A stuffed animal from it (if there is a taxidermist on the farm) will cost a lot of money.
The material was prepared by A.I. Asinovsky,

trophy group of the Central Enterprise of the Association "Rosokhotrybolovsoyuz".

With high fertility of wild boars, there is also a high mortality rate of young animals: 2.2% of calves die at birth, 21.8% die in the first month, and 15.3% die before 6 months. Based on observations of 831 farrowings, it was found that only 60% of newborns survive to 8 months. In accordance with the deadlines for obtaining objects of the animal world classified as hunting objects, approved by Government Decree dated January 10, 2009 No. 18, the hunting periods, for example in the Republic of Bashkortostan, are as follows (excluding hunting for adult males):
. elk, all age and sex groups: November 1 - December 31 (clause 16);
. wild boar, all sex and age groups, with the exception of females having offspring of the current year: June 1-December 31 (clause 22);
. age up to one year: from January 1 -
February 28 (29);
. Siberian roe deer, all age and sex groups: October 1-December 31 (item 28).

“The standard for the permissible removal of ungulates under the age of 1 year, without division by gender, is established for hunting resources: elk - up to 20%, wild boar - from 40 to 80%, roe deer (European and Siberian) - up to 50% of the quota" (from the order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation dated April 30, 2010 No. 138).

Shooting wild boar underyearlings, given the high mortality rate of young animals, is a biologically justified measure that replaces natural mortality for various reasons. But not everyone knows about it, and if they know, they don’t realize it.
When preparing a document approving the limit on the extraction of hunting resources, the executive body state power of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, in accordance with orders of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated April 30, 2010 No. 138 and dated June 29, 2010 No. 228, determines quotas indicating (if necessary) the number of individuals under the age of one year, adult individuals.

Part 2 of Article 333.3 Tax Code The Russian Federation provides: “When removing young animals (under the age of one year) of wild ungulates, the fee rates for the use of wildlife objects are set at 50 percent of the rates established by paragraph 1 of this article.”

Civil legislation provides for the recovery of not the expected, but the actual amount of unjust enrichment. If you calculate the amount of recovery of the cost of illegally used hunting products, then the basis should be the real, and if it is impossible to establish it, the average weight of meat carcasses of animals, both adult animals and young of the year, and not inflated relative to the real average established by the Model Hunting Rules in the RSFSR.

For example, according to the Model Rules, the weight of an elk carcass to calculate the amount of recovery of the cost of meat must be 170 kg everywhere for each elk. Data from V.M. Glushkova, who has been conducting research on elk and other ungulates for more than 30 years, indicates that the average weight of an elk meat carcass in the Kirov region in different seasons fluctuates around 150 kg (six seasons, sample of 8645 elk). Therefore, the Hunting Rules in the Kirov Region establish that when calculating the cost of meat, the weight of the carcass is taken to be 150 kg. Review of literary sources and V.M.’s own research Glushkov present the following data regarding the weight of the meat carcass of young animals:
. yearling moose: females - 77 kg (plus or minus 6), males - 79 kg (plus or minus 3);
. yearling wild boar: 21-25 kg.

Even by the weight of the skin of an elk or other wild ungulate carcass left at the cutting site, one can easily determine the real weight of the animal’s meat. In other words, if the weight of wild animal meat is established in the Hunting Rules, then it must be justified, differentiated depending on age - young adults (Kraev N.V. Recovery of the cost of illegally obtained hunting products: legal problems. Journal of Russian Law, 2002).
Part 1 of Article 8.37 of the Code of the Russian Federation on administrative offenses it is stipulated that for violation of hunting rules, administrative liability arises in the form of the imposition of an administrative fine: on citizens - in the amount of one thousand to two thousand rubles with or without confiscation of hunting tools or deprivation of the right to hunt for up to two years; for officials - from ten thousand to fifteen thousand rubles with or without confiscation of hunting tools.

In the judicial practice of the Republic of Bashkortostan, illegal hunting of wild boar, including wild boar under the age of one year, constitutes a crime under Part 1 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: illegal hunting causing major damage.

The above can be perceived as an analogue of the hunting minimum for a novice hunter or brief information about how hunting for ungulates, including ungulates under the age of one year, is formally “arranged”, and what should be expected in case of violation of legislative requirements in the field of hunting and conservation of hunting resources.
I hope everyone has already understood that there are such hunting resources as elk, roe deer and wild boar.

Immediately after August 1 of the current year (from the moment of approval by the highest official subject of the Russian Federation document on approval of the limit for the production of hunting resources), any hunter became aware of the volume and in what hunting grounds the quotas for the production of elk, roe deer and wild boar over 1 year old (adults) and up to one year old (young yearlings) were approved. Subsequently, the hunter, realizing what animal he wants to hunt, personally submits an application either to the hunting user, intending to hunt in the hunting grounds assigned to him, or to the executive authority of the subject of the Russian Federation, suggesting hunting in publicly accessible hunting grounds. That is, moral preparation for hunting elk, roe deer and wild boar under the age of 1 year (young year) begins from this moment.

But there is also a basic moral preparation for the prey of young ungulates, which is formed in the hunter from the moment of self-assessment of his actions: is he capable of killing an animal in general and the baby of such an animal in particular?
Hunters, born and raised in the countryside, are practical people. From their experience they know that piglets from domestic pigs are raised up to 1-1.5 years, young cattle - up to 1.5-2 years, in order to have a full yield of meat products from them both for themselves and for sale.

Accordingly, the hand of a practical rural hunter will not rise to young animals of a younger age.
City hunters (not all) are clever guys by nature, it’s a shame to pay a lot of money and get a “minke whale” with a team of 3-10 people: your own people will laugh at you, your family won’t understand. Screw it - so on
100 kg, no less. Or, given the poor hunting experience of most hunters, just to hit a moving target, and then, they say, we’ll figure out who fell and whether it’s worth closing the permit because of some 10 kilos...
Due to climate change and the acceleration of female ungulates, late calvings are increasingly occurring in moose and wild boars, as a result of which stripes weighing 15 kg or less (5 kg) are found in the hunting grounds of Bashkiria in October-November (December).

Thanks to the care of a number of hunting farms and contrary to natural selection, such babies survive until spring, and then quite realistically bear the same later offspring.
Many hunters are deeply convinced that a cat-sized minke or roe deer simply cannot be shot, they are still small, they have to grow and grow. Some people sincerely think that with a permit to hunt wild boars under the age of
At the age of 1 year (yearlings), animals with a live weight of at least 30 kg, or even larger, should be shot. It is impossible to convince them; with such explanations you yourself fall into the category of monsters. Sometimes state game inspectors support such misconceptions out of pity.

It is not easy to control this situation.
Ministry natural resources and ecology of Russia, issuing order No. 512 dated 06.11.2010 “On approval of the Hunting Rules”, which will come into force in the near future, established the timing of moose hunting (all age and sex groups) from October 1 (?!) to January 15; for wild boar (all sex and age groups) from June 1 to February 28 (29) (with the introduction of a ban on hunting by driving, drive, and also using hunting dogs from January 1 to February 28 (29)). Everything is clear about the wild boar - ASF. Apparently, it’s not a pity?!

The bottom line is that we have a fairly massive harvest of adult ungulates under permits issued for the harvest of ungulates under the age of 1 year (fingerlings), and in the future, another killing of the breeding stock.
What is this? Legal illiteracy, a deliberate violation based on impunity and insufficient control on the part of state hunting supervision and hunting users, or the cowardice of the hunter?

To calculate profits from pig farming, it is important to know the live weight of animals. It is impossible to put a boar on a scale, but there are methods by which animals can be measured without them. A novice farmer needs not only to know how to determine the weight of a pig without scales, but also to understand the average indicators for animals of different ages and breeds in order to adjust their nutrition if necessary and achieve maximum profitability of production.

The average weight of a pig depends on several main factors:

Age;
Breed;
Conditions of feeding and maintenance.

Like people, pigs sometimes set weight records - cases of animals reaching a weight of more than a ton have been recorded, and the length of its body almost reached 3 m. There are also dwarf individuals that are kept as ornamental animals. On average, representatives of the breeds most often bred in agriculture, reach live weights from 140 kg (weight of Vietnamese pigs) to 350 kg (large white pigs).

Great white hog breed

How much pigs weigh when they reach reproductive age depends on their gender. Adult boars are usually 100 kg heavier than sows. Thus, a female white pig weighs on average 200–240 kg, and a male weighs up to 360 kg. However, when good feeding and low mobility, a large sow can be equal in weight to an average boar and weigh about 330 kg.

The weight of piglets depends on how properly they are fed. At birth, the weight of a piglet does not exceed 1 kg, but at 7 months, when the animal reaches puberty and begins to feed naturally, it reaches 90–110 kg.

To control the fattening process, it is important to know how much the piglet weighs by month:

0 months - when piglets are born, their weight averages 800–1000 g, up to 1400 g for large breeds and no more than 600 g for representatives of the Vietnamese breed. If a piglet is born too small, this can affect the animal's further weight gain and productivity. To avoid problems, the sow needs to be well fed during pregnancy.
1 month - up to 9 kg. Weight gains quickly as the baby feeds on mother's milk.
At 2 months the piglet begins to be fed with a specially formulated diet, and at 3 months the average weight of the piglet reaches 25 kg.
Starting from 3 months, the piglet begins to actively fatten, so the weight at 4 months reaches 60 kg.
At 6 months the animal is approaching reproductive age, its weight reaches 80 kg.

More detailed information The average size of piglets by week can be found in the piglet weight table.

A piglet becomes an adult at 9–10 months. The weight of young pigs starts at 130 kilograms; they reach their maximum size by the end of the first year. However, once the pigs have received one and a half centners of live weight, they can be slaughtered.

How to measure the weight of an adult pig

In order to find out the real weight of the animal and compare it with how much an adult pig weighs on average, you will need a measuring tape, a special table, calculation formulas and a calculator. In pig farming, three methods for determining weight are used, differing in accuracy.

Measuring by table

If you do not have enough experience in pig farming to determine the weight of animals by eye, you will have to take some measurements. You need to know only two parameters: the length of the body from the back of the head to the beginning of the tail and the girth of the chest behind the shoulder blades. When taking measurements, the head should be directed forward, not tilted, and be on the same axis with the body, so the animal will have to be occupied with something for a while.

To simplify the measurement, you need to follow some rules:

The animal must be measured early in the morning;
The pig does not need to be fed before measuring;
You should use a soft tape without pressing it into the animal's skin, so as not to cause it discomfort and maintain the accuracy of measurements.

The resulting dimensions are looked up in a special pig weight table (shown above), which lists possible body lengths vertically and chest girths horizontally. In the cell at the intersection of parameters is the approximate mass of the animal. The measurement error in this case is 4–11%.

Calculation by formula

To compile the table, a special formula is used, according to which you can calculate the weight of the animal with higher accuracy yourself.

Live weight = 1.54 × X + 0.99 × K – 150

X - chest circumference in cm;
K - body length in cm.

The accuracy in this case is higher, but a couple of % can be subtracted from the result if you take into account a certain amount of food consumed.

Calculation by fatness category

A more accurate formula is based on fatness. It is also more convenient, since you can use it to find out the weight of a pig without scales and a table. To use it, you also need to know the length of the body and the girth of the chest, but the coefficient (which is equal to 150 in the previous formula and is the same for all cases) changes depending on how fat the individual is.

Live weight = (X × K)/N

X - chest circumference in cm;
K - body length in cm.
N - fatness coefficient. It is equal to 142 for fat, 156 for medium and 162 for thin animals.

Body shape;
The thickness of the bacon, determined by touch by palpability of the vertebrae of the thoracic spine;
Gender and age.

Fatty or greasy, pigs have rounded shapes, their neck merges with the shoulder blades, the back is wide and smooth, without visible outlines of individual parts. The lard has a thickness of 7 cm, the vertebrae cannot be palpated. Also classified as fat are semi-greasy pigs, which have the same characteristics, only their bacon can be 5–7 cm thick.

Normal, ham and bacon, pigs that fall into the average fatness category have backfat 3–5 cm thick, the fat is hard to the touch. The body is straight, the stomach does not sag. The spinal processes can be felt by pressing firmly on the skin in the area of the 6th and 7th thoracic vertebrae. The weight of an adult pig from this category does not exceed 110 kg.

Skinny or meaty, pigs have backfat 1.5–3 cm thick, the vertebrae are easy to feel, but they do not protrude through the skin. Signs of fatness are weak, with a visible interception behind the shoulder blades.

Thus, you don’t have to be a specialist to determine live weight with sufficient accuracy - a table of pig weights will help novice pig farmers, and with experience they can weigh the animal by eye. The described methods can be used not only to find out the weight of a boar, but also to measure a pig - the same formulas are used. The only difference between individuals of different ages is that very small piglets can be measured on scales, simply by holding them in your arms.

Video: weighing Vietnamese piglets

Knowing how much a pig weighs on average and how to measure a pig’s weight is important not only for determining the profit from selling pork, but also for caring for the animal - selecting a diet to maintain its health, calculating dosages of medications, etc. In addition, weight is used to determine the category of a pig.