When most people think of pigs, it is often as an animal that rolls around in the mud. So, it may be logical to assume a pig is dirty. And if the pig is dirty, the next logical assumption is that a pig is also smelly.
In this article I answer some basic questions we get regarding the pig smell, you will find out if these assumptions have some truth to them or not.
What do pigs smell like? Pigs do not have their own odor. This is because they don’t have sweat glands. The Odors you smell when you are near pigs are related to the pigs’ manure and also the living conditions you have provided to your pigs have a big influence on this.
Small places, with no ventilation and over populated by pigs, it’s a recipe for bad smells, but this is not the pigs fault, these results are expected not only with pigs but with any animal.
Why Do Pigs Smell Like Maple Syrup?
Some pigs do have a natural odor that is very similar to maple syrup. They are sometimes referred to as “maple pigs.”
The smell seems to come from their eyes, and its origin is unknown. It doesn’t seem to affect the pig and is said not to affect the taste of that pig’s meat.
Do Pigs Smell Like Bacon?
No, they don’t. Part of the meat of a pig can be made into bacon, but the pig itself doesn’t smell like bacon.
When male pigs are not castrated, their meat can have an unpleasant smell. This smell is known as “boar taint .”
This unpleasant smell is caused by hormones in the male pig (androstenone and skatole.) Meat with boar taint is said to taste “like feces”
Do Pigs Smell Like Bears?
Pigs and bears do not smell alike. The two types of animals are not related.
Pigs and bears have similar noses, and both animals’ cheeks are designed to help them crush their food, but they do not smell alike.
Why Do Pigs Smell Bad?
Even though a pig rolls in the mud, the pig itself doesn’t smell bad. Pigs take care to keep themselves and their living area clean.
But their manure (poop) has a powerful and unpleasant smell. A pig’s manure contains a more significant amount of elements (such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfite) than the amount of those elements found in the feces of other animals, so their manure has an extra intense or unpleasant smell.
Pigs produce about three times as much odiferous gas from their manure as chickens; and six times as much gas as cows.
When a male pig becomes old enough to mate (about two months), it will begin to secrete a discharge from its genitals.
This discharge is the pigs’ semen mixed with urine. This discharge will cause a foul odor. The pig cannot control this discharge, so it will leak everywhere where the pig lives.
How to Deal With Pigs That Smell Bad?
Pigs should not be stopped when they roll in the mud since that is not the source of their unpleasant odor.
Pigs roll in the mud because they do not have sweat glands. The mud can cool them off in the same way human sweat helps a human cool off.
There are effective ways for farmers to reduce the odor of their pigs’ manure. Farmers can make changes in the pigs’ environment, and they can also make changes in what they feed the pigs.
The most important thing to do is to give the pigs a separate area to sleep and eat. Farmers should provide dry and soft hay for the sleeping area and a clean surface in the place where the pigs eat and drink.
Pigs will not want to poop in the same area where they eat and sleep, so farmers must also take extra measures by ensuring the pigs have a separate area for their elimination.
There should be space between the places where they sleep, eat and drink and the place where they eliminate.
Farmers will then remove the pigs’ manure daily, bringing it to a special “manure pile” area away from the main farm facilities. The pig’s manure can then be used as part of a compost heap.
If the manure pile or compost pile odor becomes too unpleasant, you can add lime or activated charcoal to the pile.
These substances will absorb the smell. Farmers can then cover the pile with sawdust or straw to further reduce the manure odor.
Another change farmers can make is ensuring they have a shelter where pigs can keep dry. If the pigs live in a wet environment, the smell of their manure will be worse. A Farmers can even change the way the land slopes.
If the farmer “grades” (shapes) the land, so it slopes at a degree of 5%, it will allow the pigs’ land to drain naturally. This slope will provide the driest possible pasture for the pigs.
To reduce the odor of a pig’s manure, farmers can change what they feed to the pigs. Farmers can decrease the amount of protein in the pig’s diet.
Pigs need protein in their diets since protein is essential for pigs’ growth and development. But, the more protein a pig eats, the more its manure odor will be unpleasant.
Farmers can also give the pig dietary supplements. These supplements reduce the amount of ammonia in the manure, resulting in a less unpleasant odor.
If a pig lives at someone’s home, it can be litter trained. A pig can be trained to recognize a pig litter box as the place for them to eliminate their manure.
Cat litter cannot be used in a pig litter box, because pigs will eat cat litter. Pine litter is a good choice for pigs. A pig caretaker must keep the litter box clean and make sure the litter box is big enough for the pigs to keep using it when they grow larger.
The best way to eliminate the pigs’ odors related to mating is to spay or neuter the pigs.
Neutering a male pig will eliminate that odor, and it will also help the pig to be calmer. It has also been shown to prevent testicular and prostate cancer.
Female pigs should be altered for the same reason. When female pigs become old enough to mate, they “come into heat”.
This is called estrous, and she will do it about every three weeks. Spaying the female pig will also prevent cancer of her reproductive organs.
Conclusion:What Do Pigs Smell Like?
Pigs do not have a natural odor. Pigs are very clean animals. They don’t smell like maple syrup and they do not smell like bears. However, a pig’s manure has a very unpleasant odor. To some extent, this odor can be controlled by altering the pig’s environment, decreasing the protein in their food, and giving them supplements to reduce the ammonia in their manure.
Pigs also emit an odor when they reach the age of mating. This odor can be controlled by spaying and neutering the pigs.