Raising pigs - pig farming basics

Raising pigs - pig farming basics

In the first world pigs are sometimes kept as pets, however most people I know would keep pigs for meat production. Most of these pigs are ... 10:31:00 PM

In the first world pigs are sometimes kept as pets, however most people I know would keep pigs for meat production. Most of these pigs are often bought as weaners from a breeder or a farmer with a surplus.

The other option is to breed them yourself – which can be challenging as it requires skill and good stockmanship. So, I would recommend that anyone looking to start a piggery rather buy them and fatten them for the market than trying to breed them yourself.  So here, I will talk about buying and fattening of weaners for meat production.

Apart from poultry, pigs are great for smallholder farmers with little capital – they are forager so they can find food from their surroundings and eat vegetable waste (if you already have a vegetable farm). In essence, you should not struggle to feed the pigs for meat.

To manage them, you might want to set up fencing. Weaner pigs are not particularly labour intensive to fatten but pigs need care 365 days a year. If they are in a piggery, you will need to feed them twice a day, ideally at regular times and in daylight, so that you can check their health and wellbeing.

While book research is very worthwhile, do try and attend a hands-on pig-keeping course or spend some time with an experienced pig keeper before buying.

More in-depth articles coming soon...