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WEIGHING KUNEKUNES

Written by AKKPS Member Debra Allen of Allen's Acres

 

You may well be aware that some swine breeders use a measurement system to weigh their pigs. This system may work for some breeds of pigs, particularly commercial breeds, but are sadly inaccurate to be used as the sole method of weighing your KuneKunes. 

Kunekune have a higher percentage of fat, which is lighter than lean muscle. So a round Kunekune might appear to look heavier than they actually are. This is particularly critical when giving injections based on weight. I think many people use this method, and it’s unfortunate because it over inflates an animal’s actual weight, which may matter to some when looking for certain attributes for meat production. 

We own an expensive platform scale called a Way Pig 500. Extremely accurate and tested against our vets scales for further accuracy. I decided to do a test. Weighing pigs with the scale and then using measurements.

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MEASURING SYSTEM

This is the measuring system: 

Measure the circumference of the animal, as shown in "distance C" in the illustration. Make sure to measure girth in relation to the location of the pig's heart.

Measure the length of the animal's body, as shown in distance A-B in the illustration. The pig must be standing or restrained in the position shown in the illustration for the calculation to be nearly accurate.

Using the measurements from steps 1 and 2, calculate body weight using the formula HEART GIRTH x HEART GIRTH × BODY LENGTH / 400 = ANIMAL WEIGHT IN POUNDS. For example, if an adult pig has a heart girth equal to 45 inches and a body length equal to 54 inches, the calculation would be (45 × 45 × 54) / 400 = 273 Ibs.

 

Here are the results for 10 pigs:

(Actual weight, measured weight, measurements, weight over or under)

  1. Gilt 172.5 194 43HG × 42L + 21.5 lbs 112%
  2. Barrow 140 156 40HG × 39L +16 lbs 111%
  3. Sow 219.7 273.1 51HG x 42L + 54 lbs 124%
  4. Sow 162.4 171 42HG x 39L + 9 lbs 106%
  5. Boar 281 281 50HG × 45L + 0 lbs
  6. Boar 338 426 59HG × 49L + 88 lbs 126%
  7. Sow 197 216 46 HG x 44 L + 19 lbs 110%
  8. Barrow 212 247 48 HG x 43 L + 35 lbs 117%
  9. Sow 219 225 53.2 HG x 41.2 L + 6 lbs 103%
  10. Boar 251 299 51.2 HG x 48.4 L + 48 lbs 119%

 

Avg 113%

You can easily see only 1 pig measured the same by both methods. The others were all over weighed by the tape method. By as much as 88 lbs! 

Obviously not everyone has a platform scale and if this is the only method available, then it’s wise to understand that it most likely overweighs your pigs. Plan your medication doses carefully.

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