The period when pig farming is not widely accepted as being bad for human consumption has gone, it is generally loved and consumed by many people today.
Starting this kind of farming does not require much money, and engaging in the business can be so profitable. If you are planning to start a pig farming business, the below tips will guide you on how to go about it.
1. Acquire Training
It is not advisable to start a pig farm without having knowledge about it. So, therefore, before starting up the farming, try and get the basic training on what pig farming is all about by registering in any entrepreneurship training on pig farming.
By doing this, it will help you to get solutions that might occur during the pig farming process and also provide with the necessary you should know for a successful pig farming.
2. Decide on the Species
It is very important to choose the type species you want to deal with, and whether you want to run a large or small scale business. Deciding on the species type will enable you to get the equipment and facilities required before you can start.
Knowing the scale of your operation will enable you to get a land that is suitable for it. But you should know that whether you are planning on starting a small or large scale operation, you need to find a land that is large enough to accommodate your pigs and provides them with enough space to comfortably graze unless you are starting the farming business to serve as a source of meat for your family use.
3. Purchase A Healthy Piglet
In starting pig farming, it is important to buy the younger ones, because the younger ones are very easy to adapt and also easy to control than the older ones.
Purchasing of healthy pigs can help in achieving successful pig farming. So in getting the healthy pigs, you need to get it from a trusted pig farm. And also to ensure that you check their health properly so as to save your money from vaccines and other medication.
As a beginner, it is advisable to buy just a few numbers of pigs, so that you can be able to manage and monitor them properly.
4. Feeding
The nutritional requirement in feeding pig varies with its weight, age, and stage of production. Feed for pigs should not really be a major concern because they are omnivores and as such can eat plants and animals.
Therefore it is advisable to plant grasses around the area of your farm. Planting the grasses will also attract other small animals, thereby serving as a source of food.
When feeding a pig, you should consider foods that are easy to digest, so it is advisable to grind or cook the food.
For other things like leaves like potato vines, peels, grass, and other leafy foods, it is good to leave it under the sun, in order to remove toxins before it can be fed to the pigs.
Also, grain waste gotten from breweries can be used as good feed for pigs and it lasts for long. You can add other things like palm kernel and salt, to balance the diet.
5. Build A Standard Pen
Building a standard pen is very important in starting pig farming because it will help to prevent them from getting injured. It is essential for you to build a good and large pen that can accommodate your pigs even when they start increasing in number, it will also help in keeping your pigs healthy and also protect them from disease contamination.
The use of right drainage is also important to prevent water from staying at a place in your pen and that can attract some harmful pests and insects to infect your pigs. To prevent your pigs from getting dirty, it is advisable to create a water pool where they can swim and play.
It is also important to constantly change the water, in order to ensure that it is clean and healthy for them. If you are planning to keep them outdoors, then you need to create a shelter for them.
6. Employ Workers
The hiring of workers to work for you depends on the scale of your business and also the number of pigs that is on your farm.
A pig farm has so many works like clearing of the drainage, changing of the water in the pool to improve proper hygiene and prevent them from contamination, feeding the pigs regularly, including other jobs associated with pig farming.
It is advisable to start by employing only a few workers for a start and gradually increase them as workload becomes so big and the profit increases as well.
7. Marketing
In pig farming, a piglet that you purchased at two months is matured enough for sale at the sixth month. So in order for you as a farmer to boost your probability of making more profit, it is necessary that you buy them into different groups and then sell them in bulk.
Farming in groups provides lots of profit to the farmers. For example, 20 farmers with two pigs from each of them, will sell like a total number of 40 pigs, thereby boosting their profit.
As a group farmer, you can also divide your transport cost to the slaughterhouse. Pork meat has three grades such as the ones that have only fat, the ones with bones and the ones without bones.
As a pig farmer, you visit hotels, restaurants to deliver meats to them. It is also good to let people about your business, so they can easily locate your farm to pay for pigs even before they mature. You can sell your pigs to your local markets. Those that are just starting their can also purchase pigs from your farm.
8. Feeding Equipment
Pig uses a feeding container, so to improve and maintain the hygiene of the container, it is important to make sure that they are covered with water.
You are to make out a fixed time for their feeding, and they should also be fed according to their size and age. It is good to also create enough space so that they feed abundantly.
Their feeding equipment needs to be constantly washed to improve good hygiene. Ensure that their watering equipment is clean and water from time to time.
Containers, nipples or bowls can be used depending on the size of the farm. Their regular intake of water for each pig differs with the lactating sow which is their highest at about 20 to 30 liters.
How Long Does It Take To Raise a Pig for Slaughter?
The average pig meat that weighs 50 1bs, (22kg) in 7 weeks old is likely to have a weight of 230 1bs, (100kg) in 20 weeks old. The market weight varies from raising it, but most pigs are good to be slaughtered at 250 1bs, which is 22 to 27 weeks old.
What Are The Best Pigs Breed to Raise for Meat?
The following pigs breed like Yorkshire, Berkshire, Chester White, and Poland China are popular pig meat breed that can survive in an average environment.
In Conclusion
Pig farming is a profitable business that you can think of, its source of income is not only from the meat but their skins also serve as a source of income because it is used for production leather materials.
Engaging in this type of farming is very good because it pays well; they can give birth for like 2 or 3 times in a year, and at each stage, they can bear many numbers of piglets like 8 to 12. For every year you will be expecting like 15 to 25 piglets.
So, therefore, it is advisable that before you start a pig farming business, you need to visit other established pig farms, ask questions, visit google too and interact with professionals in the business. With the right knowledge, training, and finance, you can start up a successful pig farming business.
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