20 DEPARTMENT BULLETIN 1360, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
Slaughter Swine. — Slaughter Swine are hogs and pigs that are 
intended for immediate slaughter or are more suitable for slaughter 
than for any other purpose. 
Feeder and Stocker Swine. — Feeder and Stocker Swine include 
all hogs and pigs that show ability to take on additional weight and 
finish and are traded in for Feeder and Stocker use. Although they 
may be more suitable for further growth and fattening than for 
slaughter purposes, if they are to be slaughtered in their existing 
condition, they are automatically classified as Slaughter Swine and 
graded accordingly. 
CLASSES 
The market classes for hogs weighing over 120 pounds are: Bar- 
rows, Gilts, Sows, Boars, and Stags. The market classes for pigs 
weighing from 60 to 120 pounds are Barrows, Gilts, and Boars. Pigs 
under 60 pounds are not separated by classes because the sex of the 
young animal under this weight usually has not developed sufficiently 
to exert an influence on its grade or value. 
A Barrow is a castrated male swine that shows no pronounced 
indication of sex development similar to that of a Boar. As a class. 
Barrows are more evenly developed and balanced in conformation than 
are Sows, Stags, or Boars. The difference between Barrows and Gilts 
in these respects, however, is very slight. 
A Gilt is a female swine that has not produced pigs and that has 
not reached an evident stage of pregnancy. 
A Sow is a female swine that shows evidence of having produced 
pigs or that is in an evident stage of pregnancy. 
A Boar is an uncastrated male swine. 
A Stag is a castrated male swine that shows pronounced sex devel- 
opment or physical characteristics peculiar to the adult Boar. 
AGES AND WEIGHTS 
Two general age groups are used in classifying swine. They are 
Pigs and Hogs. Actual ages are not observed but the selection is made 
largely by weight in relation to the apparent age of the animal . Young 
animals weighing under 120 pounds are called Pigs and those weighing 
over 120 pounds are called Hogs. 
Market prices for Pigs and Hogs, as for other market animals, 
usually vary materially according to the weights of the animals. 
The weight of a Slaughter Hog, together with its grade, has an 
important influence on its yield in carcass and on the kinds and yields 
of the commercial cuts that can be made from its carcass and therefore 
on the market values of the carcass and cuts. The weights, yields, 
and values of the cuts change with relatively small changes in the 
weights of the hogs. Consequently in general market practice, hogs, 
as a rule, are grouped according to relatively narrow weight ranges. 
Boars and Stags usually are not so grouped. The weight groups 
most generally used are shown in the Slaughter Hog schedule. 
