Profiting from pigs - without trying to breed them yourself

Profiting from pigs - without trying to breed them yourself

In this article, my first in 2016 – and my first in a long time, we explore how you can take advantage of the demand for pig meat and pig p... 5:18:00 AM

In this article, my first in 2016 – and my first in a long time, we explore how you can take advantage of the demand for pig meat and pig products on the Zimbabwean market, ie is local abattoirs and butcheries – without those hassles associated with trying to breed your own stock.

This does not mean, you have taken away the hard work that you need to succeed in agriculture, I am saying you have just minimised the risks associated with the endeavour like young piglets dying or trying to mate the right breeds yourself.

The idea is to buy white or Landrace piglets that have reached 18kg to 24kg, and growing them out to a minimum of 65kg before selling. You are basically buying weaner piglets and fattening them before send them to the market.

What are weaner piglets? They are piglets at 2–3 weeks of age when piglets have reached a stage when their digestive system is able to handle the more complex food - not just milk.

How to do it?

Do your research, visit piggeries and farms and locate where you can get the best strong weaner piglets for the right price.

Once you have secured them, feed them weaner feed for around two weeks and then grower feed until they are ready to be taken to market. 

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.

You should be prepared to spend something like $3 000 per week on feed and other inputs – depending on the size of your piggery project. Advice is to start small and scale the operation up as you get more income.

Make sure you understand diseases that affect pigs and make your local vet your friend so that he keeps a close watch on the disease status of your operation on regularly visits.

Growing the business 

Once you master, this buying-fattening-selling trick, it is going to be easier for you to expand into breeding your own pigs. 

While it is very risky, breeding your own stock will increase your profits as you run everything in-house.