If you turn to the lexicology of the Russian language for help, then the difference between the words boar and hog is small. Most authors of book sources believe that these concepts hide the same character - a castrated male pig. In fact, the solution to this problem lies in the ability of the animal to reproduce future generations: the boar has a similar gift, but the hog no longer has. The topic of this article: “Boar and hog - the difference.”
Boar and hog - the difference
- 5.1 Video - How to castrate a piglet
History of pig domestication
Domestication of wild pigs began in ancient times, 13 thousand years ago, during the time of the primitive communal system. In that distant period, the cattle were practically not controlled, they were monitored only during grazing, and selection issues were left to the wise discretion of Mother Nature. It is difficult to imagine at what point our predecessors realized the significant difference in the taste of boar and hog meat. But one day, one enterprising owner of a small old ranch noticed that for culinary purposes, the meat of some artiodactyls was much better suited than others.
Boar meat differs significantly in taste from boar meat
There are a number of tricks that can make boar meat not so tough and remove the unpleasant odor. For example, if you soak it in cold water several times, changing the container with liquid until the repulsive “aroma” disappears. Kefir, lemon, milk and mustard are suitable as a muffler for this characteristic odor. Spices, onions and garlic will also help cope with the problem - if you prepare a marinade based on them and place meat there, after some time it will acquire completely different properties.
Boar meat has an unpleasant odor
Full-fledged manufacturer
What is the difference between a hog and a boar is clear. Now - about the pros and cons of the operation.
If hogs are calm and clumsy animals, then frisky boars can bring a lot of trouble to farmers. First of all, such an individual has a relatively small weight. Although this is not a big problem, they get much less meat. But after puberty, uncastrated males can become violent. They break everything and run away from the yard and paddocks. These are already certain difficulties with maintenance, because you need to catch up with the fugitive and restore broken household items.
A breeding individual can also be overly aggressive. After he has fulfilled his purpose in relation to the female, he is also sent to slaughter. There is another problem here, which we mentioned above. The meat of such animals may smell unpleasant. The taste is generally good. But, in order not to completely spoil the product, when cutting the carcass, you need to carefully remove the place where the sexual secretions accumulate, avoiding damage to it with a knife.
However, this procedure does not save from unpleasant smell and taste, so it is recommended to castrate the boar two to three months before slaughter and wait until the body is cleared of secretions.
What is the difference between a boar and a hog?
Pig farming is a priority agricultural activity in the field of meat production because pigs gain weight very quickly: at the age of 40 weeks, piglets mature and become the size of an adult. Livestock breeders have long noticed one important detail: after castration of a pig, after slaughter you can get much more meat from it than from an uncastrated individual.
Androgens
This is due to the fact that the genital organs, which are responsible for reproduction, secrete androgens during their activity.
In addition to a significant bonus in the form of body weight, the meat of castrated or emasculated pigs, as farmers call them, has excellent qualities: it is more tender in texture and without the characteristic unpleasant odor inherent in uncastrated males. The process of turning a boar into a hog is quite simple. It is produced by a livestock breeder by cutting off the testes of a 3-month-old piglet. After this procedure, a castrated male begins to gain weight very quickly, provided he is properly kept and fed with high-quality food. It is not difficult to assume that the more castrates in the pigsty, the greater the profit the farm owner subsequently makes.
After castration, the male gains weight very quickly
To produce offspring, there must be a male sire in the pigsty. However, it often becomes a source of constant worries and troubles for the farmer. Simultaneously with the cessation of puberty, he stops growing, unlike the castrato, and remains not as large an individual as his emasculated colleague in the shop.
Basically, at the end of the period of realizing their “male” potential, they are sent to slaughter. Boar meat is also edible, but it will not be as tasty as meat from an emasculated male. To get rid of the nasty smell, you should properly cut the carcass during slaughter. The main trick is to carefully remove the place where sexual secretion accumulates.
To produce offspring, there must be a male sire in the pigsty
Why do people call a male pig differently?
Pork production is a popular agricultural activity. Pigs grow quickly and gain weight well. At the age of 10 months they take on the appearance of an adult. A large amount of meat can be obtained from a boar laid out in early childhood, called a boar. The absence of genital organs responsible for reproduction processes allows the animal to actively grow, gain weight and not experience hormonal surges that force males to begin hunting females at the age of six months. The laid out wild boars have tasty meat, without a specific smell, and the finished product is easier to sell.
The better the breed, the larger the male pig grows, and the more profit can be made from it, which is beneficial to the producer. Therefore, in everyday life you can hear the expressions: breeding boar, hog or knur.
On farms where pigs are bred for sale, a breeding boar is always kept. In common parlance, people do not think about the meaning of the word, and can call a male capable of fertilization a boar, a knur or a hog, despite the fact that the word boar would be more suitable for this representative of pigs.
Full-fledged breeding boars bring a lot of trouble to their owners. During the first heat, their growth stops and they remain small. This does not prevent them from jumping over high fences, breaking barriers, and leaving the farm. The owner needs a lot of time and effort to return the fugitive to his place. The longer the breeding male lives, the more destruction he leaves behind. Therefore, the owners let these representatives of pigs go under the knife.
In order for boar meat to have a normal smell, the carcass must be properly cut, cutting out the place where the animal’s sexual secretions collect. If the chamber where the male's secretion is collected is disturbed, the meat acquires an unpleasant taste and smell.
The word knur in the southern regions can also refer to a wild boar that is not castrated. This explains the confusion in concepts when the foul-smelling meat of a male sire is called knuryatina.
Many editors believe that in spoken language there is little difference in the words denoting a male pig. In writing, a castrated hog must be contrasted with a full-fledged boar. And the word boar can be used to name both representatives of the male pig.
It is generally accepted that a male pig is a hog or boar. In general, this is true, however, the meanings of the words are still different. If in the past, when village life was at its peak, people knew the differences between these animals, then in the modern world the concept has begun to be forgotten. But, meanwhile, this individual can be called cleaver, boar, wild boar, boar, knur - the vocabulary is quite extensive. Some of these words are found in the dialects of different villages.
The difference between concepts in everyday speech
In the vast majority of publications there are no discrepancies in the interpretation of the name of a male pig. The creators of authoritative explanatory dictionaries - Efremova, Ozhegov and Ushakov agree that a hog is a castrated male intended for fattening and further slaughter, and a boar is a breeding producer whose main task is to provide the herd with offspring. Only the venerable Dahl interprets both terms identically.
Sometimes there are farmers who are absolutely confident in the boar’s talent to reproduce, and many still believe that a boar and a boar are male pigs with the same characteristics.
Many people still believe that a boar and a hog are male pigs with identical characteristics.
Confusion in definitions also arose thanks to the famous works of Russian writers. Discrepancies in terminology are found both in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s mocking sketches and in the translations of some of Astrid Lindgren’s works. This points to the fact that not all writers, like not all farmers, were knowledgeable in the field of national economy.
Discrepancies in terminology occur among many authors
According to one of the linguistic versions, it is believed that the misconception arose due to the fact that the word hog in our speech is borrowed from the Proto-Slavic language, whose origins go back to the Proto-Indo-European. Translated, “bhorus” means “cut,” which corresponds to the essence of a hog, but for convenience, this word was used to describe any type of wild boar.
In some regions, a male pig is called a knur. This definition is mainly used for wild boars and breeding males in the southern regions of Russia. This is where the name knuryatina comes from - a synonym for meat with a persistent unpleasant odor.
Knur - the definition is used for wild boars and breeding males in the southern regions of Russia
How it all began?
Pig farming traces its roots back to ancient times. According to evidence from archaeological excavations, people have mastered and began to actively practice pig farming since the times of the communal-primitive system. That period is characterized by semi-wild animal breeding and, of course, a complete lack of selection.
In the process of complete domestication of animals, people began to limit the ability of boars to impregnate females in order to control the number of livestock. In this process, a difference and qualitative difference between the meat of an active boar and a representative deprived of the opportunity to lead a full life was discovered.
It is worth noting that changes in hormonal levels and the general activity of the latter led to the accumulation of fatty tissue and an improvement in the quality of meat. It became more juicy and tender. Whereas an active boar has an unpleasant taste and aroma - this is a significant difference. Based on these discoveries, it gradually became the norm to leave a few representatives for the tribe, and deprive the rest of the opportunity to continue the race and fatten them for slaughter.
Features of the castration technique
Pigs are emasculated in order to transform the animal into a calmer and more profitable one. A sterilized male has the following characteristics:
- calm;
- absence of symptoms of hunting or aggression towards other animals and the owner;
- excellent appetite;
- rapid weight gain;
- good endurance;
- excellent chemical characteristics of meat;
- delicate taste of lard.
Scientists have concluded that castration of a piglet at the age of 2 weeks is more humane. During this period, he copes with pain much more easily than a 7-day-old baby. But you shouldn’t hesitate with this procedure either: the younger the male, the less he will resist, and the blood loss will not be so significant.
Scientists have concluded that castration of a piglet at the age of 2 weeks is more humane
It is not recommended to emasculate pigs at the stage of routine vaccinations or a set of preventive measures aimed at combating parasites. You should take at least a 2-week break between these activities.
As a rule, if a pig is not intended to be used as a breeding male, its testes are cut off at 14 days of age. If a male hernia is found in the groin, the castration method is practiced, and if this surgical procedure is done in advance, the pig will subsequently have fewer exacerbations.
Piglet castration machine
There are also supporters of the late emasculation method, who consider 2-week castration to be a lot of stress for a young individual. Often, the consequences of the situation experienced lead to the fact that in the future the pig will gain worse weight, in contrast to uncastrated males, who grow better at this stage. However, all experts agree that emasculation must be carried out 7 days before placing the baby in an enclosure separate from the mother.
There are several types of emasculation - open and closed.
Open way
This method is performed in several simple steps:
- Make a small incision near the anterior edge, away from the anus. This manipulation should be performed extremely carefully so that the testis comes out unhindered at the site of the incision.
- Cut through all layers of the scrotum and vaginal membrane. Separate the seminal ligament in piglets using your fingers, in mature piglets - with a scalpel.
- Place a silk thread on the spermatic cord, 5 cm away from the testis, and cut it. It is important to step back from the thread by about 1 cm.
- The end of the cord should be treated with any antiseptic that does not cause pain.
- Castration of piglets
Sometimes farmers greatly simplify this procedure: instead of surgical intervention, the spermatic cord of the young shoots is torn off. Preliminary manipulations are the same in both cases. The only difference is this: the cord should be clamped with tweezers in the groin area and torn off in one quick movement.
Method of breaking the spermatic cord
Closed method
It is used primarily for the purpose of emasculating mature males or in situations where an intervaginal hernia is detected in a baby. Surgical intervention should be carried out no later than 12 weeks before slaughter:
- Give the male mild sedatives to reduce outbursts of aggression.
- A noose must be placed around the male's jaw and tied in the enclosure.
- Anesthesia: if the boar is in a supine position during the operation, general anesthesia should be used; if the boar is in a standing position, local anesthesia should be used.
- Using a tampon, separate the vaginal membrane from adjacent tissues.
- Apply a thread from the intestines of small cattle to the spermatic cord and remove the testes one by one.
- At the end of the procedure, it is necessary to treat this area with a painless antiseptic.
Ligation of the spermatic cord during castration of a boar
Removal of scrotal hernia
This procedure refers to the method of partial castration, after which the male’s body continues to produce sperm. This kind of operation can be carried out using several methods:
- open castration. Suitable for all males, regardless of the number of months;
- breakage of the spermatic cord. Only for babies under 3 weeks of age;
- for a ligature. Used for adult males after reaching 2 months.
on Zand forceps. Recommended only for mature, large-sized males;
Zand's forceps
Complications after surgery
There are two types of deterioration in the health of males after emasculation: early and late. The first variety reveals itself immediately upon completion of the procedure or after a couple of hours. It manifests itself through profuse hemorrhage, sometimes even prolapse of the intestines. The second type reveals itself approximately 24 hours after castration and is accompanied by the appearance of severe inflammatory edema, blood poisoning or gangrene.
Complications after castration
Preventive methods to eliminate complications
The main rules for observing preventive measures are proper preparation of the animal and the premises for the procedure. Proper sanitary and hygienic standards should be ensured at the site of the operation and all items should be treated using special means. It is also necessary to clean the machine first.
Recommendations for eliminating complications
Nowadays, many European countries are inclined towards the chemical method of emasculating males using medications, considering it more humane in comparison with painful surgical intervention.
Giant wild boars
Usually, only domestic pigs are huge in size. But even in the wild, quite large specimens are sometimes found.
Wild boars are very dangerous and aggressive animals. They can reach a weight of 200-250 kilograms and a length of about 2 meters.
The largest wild boar was killed in America, in the state of Georgia, in 2004. It weighed more than 300 kilograms and had a length of about 3 meters. However, scientists who examined the body concluded that the animal was a cross between a wild boar and a domestic pig, and was raised on a farm.
Another wild giant also comes from America. The boar weighed 480 kilograms and its length was more than 3.5 meters. The beast had terrifying 13-centimeter fangs. It is noteworthy that he was shot by an eleven-year-old boy. Also, a rather large wild boar named Attila lived in Turkey and weighed 350 kilograms.
Mandatory tools
To perform an operation to remove the seminal glands, you will need silk threads, a scalpel, forceps, an antiseptic, a needle, surgical scissors and cotton wool.
Castration tools
All instruments from the list must be thoroughly washed with a special disinfectant solution, and only after that proceed with the operation. Hands should first be washed well with soap.
Before making a decision to carry out emasculation, it is necessary to realize that such manipulations cause great stress in both piglets and boars. This can lead to slower growth and decreased weight gain. As a consequence of these processes, the economic efficiency of pig breeding is significantly reduced, since the output is less meat.
The only way from a boar to a hog is through the castration procedure. Considering the pain of such a surgical procedure, one should be more correct when using these names of male pig varieties.
Who is who?
So which of the listed options is capable of reproduction and which is not?
- A boar is a boar capable of procreation.
- The concept of hog defines a castrated boar that is raised for meat. The word form of this name comes from the Proto-Indo-Europeans; in their vocabulary there was the word “borus”, which in modern translation means “cut”.
This division of concepts is confirmed by V. Dahl’s dictionary, which also defines a hog as an animal for slaughter, and a boar as a breed, and this is where their difference is indicated.
The situation with frequent substitution of concepts in colloquial speech is due to their relative synonymy and incomplete understanding of the meaning. Currently, few people fully understand the difference between these animals and the concepts are often not only used simply to identify a male pig, but also replace each other without feeling the difference.
Source: kotofeev.ru
