By Nathan Eyagu 

Starting piggery is a very much profitable livestock business. Among the various livestock species, piggery is the most potent source for meat production and pigs are more efficient feed converters than the broiler. The business ensures a higher return to the farmers following the increasing consumption of pork by the public.

However, you must have some land area or backyard space for raising pigs. With less effort and investment, thus making it a very profitable venture. 

Compared to other forms of farming, piggery is cheap and easy as 

pigs grow very fast than any other animal, have a higher feed conversion efficiency and can eat and consume almost all types of feed including grains, damaged food, forage, fruits, vegetables etc.

Starting a piggery business is easy and it requires little capital/investment for building houses and buying equipment.

Here are the 8 Steps that will help you who has the passion and interest of starting up a piggery;

Business Plan for Pig Farming

In starting the business, you must craft a business plan for your piggery. Your business plan must consist of the executive summary, business objective, market analysis, marketing plan, management, and operational plan, and financial plan.

According to your business plan, you must have two things ready in your hand. One is the space and the other is the financial resources. First of all, you must select land for setting up your pig farm.

Location 

It is most important to fight a location for a pig farm that is not near a residential area. It is advised to local authorities and gets clearances from them before setting up the far.

Furthermore, ensure that the location is pollution-free and a noise-free environment as it enhances the good quality of good and healthy production of pigs. Other factors that must be considered before the selection is water supply and transportation cost.

Procure productive breeds

After setting up the farm, you have to procure pig breeds. Throughout the world, there are several pig breeds available on the market. However, you must select commercially profitable breeds for your farm.

Compared to local pig breeds, these commercial breeds are less resistant to diseases and suffer more from hot weather and low-quality feeds.

Housing

You can construct a pigsty cheaply by using locally available materials. It needs to be constructed according to climatic conditions and the pig production system. However, you must ensure good ventilation and ample shade, no overheating, no smells no draft, and no dampness.

Additionally, you need to divide the pig building into different pens for each phase of the production cycle. The number and the size of the pens depend on the expected number of pigs to be housed in each production phase. Additionally, provide some outdoor space for roaming your pigs.

Feeds

Pig feeding is an important aspect of commercial pig farming. Overall, animal health and growth ratio depend on the availability of nutritious food. The basic ingredients of pig feed are oat, grains, maize, wheat, rice, sorghum, and other millets.

However, you must add some protein supplements like oil cakes, fish meals, and meat meals. Additionally, you can also use packed feed that comes with a proper nutrition balance. A pig needs lots of fresh clean water, approximately 1.5-2 gallons of water daily over 6 months.

Breeding

The breeding process is simple. Generally, both male and female pigs become suitable for breeding within 8 months of age. Within this time they reach about 100 to 120 kg. The heat period of female pig lengths for 2 to 3 days. The first day during the heat period of gilts is the best time to breed.

And the second day is best for breeding. A sow becomes suitable for breeding again after 2 to 10 days of weaning. The gestation period for pigs is not more than 115 days. A sow can give birth to piglets twice a year and about 8 to 12 piglets each time that you can sell between 100-150,000 ugx depending with the breed.

Care and Piggery Management

In this business, you have to take care of the animals in every stage of life. However, caring is more crucial for the piglets when the gilt is in the gestation stage. Additionally, you have to keep your farm free from all diseases and health problems. Therefore, proper vaccination de-worming is a very important step.

Marketing

In starting a piggery, you must have a marketing plan. According to your farm size, you can plan for selling your mature pigs at good prices. Apart from the local slaughterhouse, the meat processing centers are the potential consumers.

Additionally, you can contact the local restaurants and hotels that have large requirements throughout the year. Additionally, you can consider pig farming for organic meat production also.