6 Important Steps In Starting A Pig Farm By Anyone

6 Important Steps In Starting A Pig Farm

Piggery is an important aspect of farming in Nigeria that is making smart investors huge money on a daily basis. If you are into this pig farming, you sure would not lack money again for the rest of your life. This is another smart way to invest and make more money.

The reason is because
i) Pig meat(bacon) is in high demand in Nigeria and sells very fast in the market
ii) Pigs reproduce in large numbers and grow very fast.

A single pig(sow) gives birth to as much as 15 piglets at a time or more, making it one of the most reproducing mammal in the world. Baby pigs is known as shoat, farrow or piglet. Male pigs are referred to as the boar while females are sows. As a group they are called a herd or drove.

Despite the huge profitability of Piggery, many Nigerians are still overlooking this goldmine because of ignorance of how it works. While some do not just get the fact that it is a big business, many who engage in it do it as part time business but if you can engage in this business fully, you are sure going to smile to the bank very soon. Business needs concentration.

A fully grown Pig goes for as high as N60,000 depending on the weight. Now Imagine for a year you are able to rear hundred to maturity, you will be making  N6 Million from the sales. If you can take it higher, lets say like 2,000 pigs in year, you will be talking of N120 Million here!Considering how fast pigs reproduce, it would not be a problem to come up with 100 pigs in a year.

Then, how do you go about setting up your pig farm? Below are the important guides

1. Buy a piece of land
A piece of land is what you need to consider first. Depending on the management system and how you plan to feed your pigs, a plot of land is just enough to start up on a small scale. but if you can acquire a large farm land (from 5 acres) it is acceptable so that your pig can graze in the open and retire to the pen where they would continue feeding and resting.

Land is your biggest investment in this business. Once you have it, you are half way done. Seek for land in a rural area where you can get it cheaper. 1acre of land in a rural area will be from N200,000.

Do your rough work there and transport your goods to the town. Some butchers will even decide to be coming to your farm to buy, saving you cost of transportation which is additional money and profit. It is good to raise pigs in pasture by leaving them occasionally to root around in the fields where they can find plants to eat, and that can only be achieved when you have large enough farm land (Pasture Ground) to cater for this. As they mature, you take care so that they do not wander away.

2. Construct Standard Pens
This points includes basic management requirements for maximum success in pig farming.You can decide to go into either intensive, semi-intensive or extensive management system. Big pen is important if you don't want your pigs to injure themselves. A good and spacious pen is also important to keep the pigs healthy and free from diseases and contamination. Proper drainage is needed too to avoid water becoming stagnant in your pen which could attract insects and other harmful pets to harm your pigs.

To avoid your pigs getting dirty, you need to build a water pool where they can play or swim as pigs likes swimming, and cool themselves which is important to their well being. Changing the water and cleaning the pool as frequently as possible will ensure that they are clean all the time. If you are keeping them outdoor, shelter should be built for them.

3. Purchase healthy piglets from trusted source
This is as important as the whole pig farm itself. Bad piglet source means bad pigs eventually. This also has caused a lot of losses to many pig farms today.To ensure healthy farm, you need to make sure the piglets you are about to start your farm with are healthy. Buy from trusted source and make sure the ones you are buying have certified history of vaccination.

Buy as much as you want to start with but please do not start with too many. It is advisable to start with small quantity and increase gradually. This way, you will be able to learn the rope and grow and if anything goes wrong at the initial stage, your loss will be minimal.

4. Request the services of a Veterinary Doctor
This is sometimes disregarded by many pig farmers and its negligence cause extreme losses. It is a general belief that pigs are hardy and can survive some harsh conditions. This in a way is true. But if living and management conditions become extreme, huge losses can occur through diseases. You need the services of veterinary doctors for regular check ups and vaccination as well as feeding and nutrition advice. He/she has been specially trained to handle cases that may occur in animals. Please, do not ignore.

5. Employ Workers
Employ few persons if your pigs are up to 100 as you may not be able to handle them all alone. If you are starting on a smaller scale, you may need lesser number of workers, 1 - 2 workers who will be assisting in the cleaning of the pigs and the pens, feeding the pigs and making sure they are well behaved and other things necessary.

6. Feeding
Pigs eat a wide variety of foods, anything human can eat, they can eat. Like human being as well, they need balanced diet such as fibre, energy, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to thrive. Feed will take the major chunk of your spending in the farm. You can follow specific feed formula.

    Pigs, like all animals, must have constant access to clean fresh drinking water. As well as tipping the trough to make a wallow, pigs will also stand in the water trough and wash their dirty faces in it, so it needs to be checked regularly, cleaned out and refilled. Galvanised troughs are robust and easy to clean, and not too easy for the pigs to tip over.  Automatic drinkers are available but aren’t half as much fun for the pigs.

You can be sure to make maximum profit from this venture. All you need has been provided here. You need to be in your own business and make more money for yourself. Poverty is bad and this is one sure way to get rid of that.