How to Estimate a Pig's Weight With a Measuring Tape

Breeders, market growers and owners of pet pigs need to know the approximate weight of each animal. Swine feed bags carry recommended feeding rates based on a pig's weight. Breeding pigs should be kept at a healthy weight to be fertile; a grower estimates a pig's weight before taking it to market because it will be sold by the pound. Wormers and other medications must be administered by the animals' weight.

Things You'll Need

  • Cloth measuring tape
  • Calculator
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Instructions

    • 1

      Get your pig to stand on all four legs with her weight evenly distributed.

    • 2

      Place the tip of a cloth measuring tape on your pig's shoulder blades. Wrap the measuring tape around her just behind her front legs and up to the tip of the measuring tape. Read the measurement in inches. For this example, she has a girth measurement of 52 inches.

    • 3

      Measure your pig's length from the shoulders to the base of her tail where it meets her body. For this example, she is 60 inches long.

    • 4

      Square the girth measurement and multiply it by the length measurement. Divide the result by 400 to obtain the approximate weight of your pig. For example, 52 times 52 equals 2,704; 2,704 times 60 equals 162,240. The product -- 162,240 -- divided by 400 equals 405.6 pounds. Your pig weighs approximately 405.6 pounds with a 3 percent variance.