Which Little Piggy?

Ear Notching
Grades 7-8
Pre Algebra

Objectives
Students identify procedures used to ear notch pigs and then read the ear notches to determine the pigs
litter number and individual number.

Vocabulary
Ear Notcher––​a tool that makes a “V” shaped notch by cutting an ear, used for identifying animals
Hog–– ​generic term, usually applied to growing swine
Identification​–– a way to determine one thing from another
Notch–– ​a small “V” shaped cut
Pork producer–– i​ntegrated swine producer and meat packer

Background
According to the National Pork Producers Council, there are more than 60,000 ​pork producers​ in the
United States that raise more than 115 million ​hogs​ for our nation's food supply. This contributes to a
gross income of more than $20 billion to the nation’s economy each year. But before ​This Little Piggy
can go to market, it is raised by one of the 60,000 pork producers. These farmers work day in and day
out to ensure the animals are healthy and growing at their optimum rate. Part of their job is to monitor
each animal individually, and with so many pigs that look alike, this can be difficult to do without a
method of identification.

Many livestock species use tagging as a method of identification, but when the piglets are first born,
their ears are VERY SMALL. Piglets are also very inquisitive and playful which makes ear tags
dangerous as they get pulled out and can permanently damage the ear. Using an ear notcher,
producers are able to make small notches in the pigs ear that represent a universal code that is used by
most all pig producers. The great thing is, the identification is permanent, easily visible, and unlike a
tag, cannot get lost.

Additional Resources
http://surechamp.com/blog/2016/06/29/how-to-read-pig-ear-notches/

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma
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 Which Little Piggy? Ear Notching
Grades 7-8
Teacher Resources

Activity 1: Reading Ear Notches, (ELA) 1-2 50 minute class periods

Procedures
1. Pass out the “How to Read Ear Notches” information sheet included with this lesson.
2. Read over the information as a class, discussing what is read to ensure the students
understand how to read the ear notches.
3. Pass out the “Identifying Ear Notches” worksheet and allow students time to complete
it.
4. Give students the “Make Your Own Ears” worksheet to make their own set of pig ears.
Allow them to notch the ears ​making the pig ears so the Litter number is the day of
their birthday and in the individual number is the month they were born.

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 Lesson Title
Grades 7-8
Standards

Oklahoma Academic Standards

Activity 1: Identifying Ear Notches (Math)

7.N.2.5 Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving calculations with rational
numbers and positive integer exponents.

PA.N.1 Read, write, compare, classify, and represent real numbers and use them to solve
problems in various contexts.

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Which Little Piggy? How to Read an Ear Notch
How to Read an Ear Notch
Ear notches may look complicated but if you can add, reading ear notches is simple. Once you know
what each ear represents, and understand the five different areas of the ear that can be notched you’ll
be able to identity the litter and individual notches of a pig. Keep these five things in mind when
reading ear notches:

1. Know which ear is which.

The pigs ​RIGHT​ ear represents the ​LITTER​ number on the ​RANCH​, think of it as the pigs last
name. The ​LEFT​ ear represents the​ INDIVIDUAL​ number, or it’s # in that ​LITTER,​ like the
pigs first name.
All pigs in the same litter must have the same ear notches in the right ear. The left ear will have
different notches to show the individual pig’s number in the litter, so each pig will have a
different combination of notches in the left ear.

2. Divide the ear into quadrants.

A pig can be notched in four different quadrants. Imagine a line down the
center of the ear, from the top straight down to the bottom. Now imagine a
second line from midway through the ear straight across. There may also
be a notch at the very tip of the ear.

3. Know what the quadrants are worth.

Starting at the bottom quadrant nearest the pig’s head first, multiply each
quadrant by three as you work your way around to the top. The first
quadrant is worth 1, second quadrant is worth 3, third quadrant is worth 9,
and the last quadrant at the top of the ear is worth 27. But remember if the
tip of the ear is notched, it is worth 81.

4. Add the notches together.

Once you know what each notch is worth, add them together.
There will never be more than 2 notches in any one quadrant, as 3 notches
in the 1 quadrant would be equal to 1 notch in the 2nd quadrant.

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Which Little Piggy? How to Read an Ear Notch (Continued)
5. State the litter number followed by the individual number.
Now that you know the value of the notches you have, you can read them! Looking at the pig from
the front, you can read from your left to your right, and it’s will be the pigs Litter# on the Ranch
(Your Left=Pigs Right Ear), followed by their Individual Number# in their Litter (Your
Right=Pig’s Left Ear). State the litter number followed by dash the individual number. ​For
example, this pig would be identified as 24-4.

Notice the distance between

notches? Sometimes having a
bunch of notches can get
confusing… is the left ear a 2, 4
or 6? Well, look at the right ear…
see how close those notches are to
one another? It’s customary to
place two notches that are the
same closer together… Thus, the
following would be the same
number of total notches on the
individual ear, but all mean
something different.

24-2
This is Pig #2 in Litter #24

24-6
This is Pig #6 in Litter #24

24-??
Is this Pig #2? 4? or 6? in Litter #24.
Because these notches are not in a distinct
quadrant, it is hard to tell what number
they are. It is important for producers to
remember to make notches as clear as
possible.

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 Which Little Piggy? Ear Notching
Activity 1 Worksheet 1: Identifying Ear Notches
Name: _____________________________________Date: ____________________

Class/Hour/Teacher: __________________________________________________

Use the information from the “How to Read an Ear Notch” pages to determine the
Litter number and Individual number for each pig. Circle the 2 pigs from same
litter.

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 Which Little Piggy? Ear Notching
Activity 1 Worksheet 1: Identifying Ear Notches ​ANSWERS
Name: _____________________________________Date: ____________________

Class/Hour/Teacher: __________________________________________________

Use the information from the “How to Read an Ear Notch” pages to determine the
Litter number and Individual number for each pig. Circle the 2 pigs from same
litter.

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 Which Little Piggy? Ear Notching
Activity 1 Worksheet 2: Make Your Own Ears
Name: _____________________________________Date: ____________________

Class/Hour/Teacher: __________________________________________________

Make your own ears.

Now is your chance to make a set of pig ears and notch them with your information! But first,
let’s review…

The notches in the pig’s RIGHT ear represents the __________________ number on the
_______________. We might also call this the pigs FIRST LAST (circle one) name.

The notches in the pig’s LEFT ear represents the __________________ number in their
_______________. We might also call this the pigs FIRST LAST (circle one) name.

In the box below, draw a pig head (as if they are facing you) and on its ears, draw in the
quadrants and what a notch in each quadrant represents.

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 Which Little Piggy? Ear Notching: Activity 1 Make Your Own Ears (Continued)
Alright, now is your chance to make some ears…

Using the ears provided by your teacher, make the pig ears so that your Litter number is the
Day of your birthday and the Individual number is the Month you were born. For example, if
you were born on April 27​th​, your pig number would be 27-4 meaning you were born on the 27​th
day of the 4​th​ month. Then attach ears to the headband.

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 Which Little Piggy? Ear Notching: Activity 1 Make Your Own Ears (Continued)

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 Which Little Piggy? Ear Notching
Activity 1 Worksheet 2: Make Your Own Ears ​ANSWERS
Name: _____________________________________Date: ____________________

Class/Hour/Teacher: __________________________________________________

Make your own ears.

Now is your chance to make a set of pig ears and notch them with your information! But first,
let’s review…

The notches in the pig’s RIGHT ear represents the ​LITTER​ number on the
RANCH​. We might also call this the pigs FIRST ​LAST​ (circle one) name.

The notches in the pig’s LEFT ear represents the ​INDIVIDUAL​ number in their
LITTER​. We might also call this the pigs ​FIRST​ LAST (circle one) name.

In the box below, draw a pig head (as if they are facing you) and on its ears, draw in the
quadrants and what a notch in each quadrant represents.

For more resources, please visit ​www.agclassroom.org/ok Page |​ 11