₦airaland Forum

Eefosa1:
please house why is large white breed very selective,i just got one and due to transportation stress, i gave ironiii ,multivamin,and LA,i observed slugglish attiutude ,i decided to mingle with other breed ,come see serious fight i need to seperate them and left some before getting home the animal is very week,i need to call vet for proper medical treatment but d animal dont eat cassava peel but they rush fresh bread,i put cabbage not acceptable,i want to know best feed for this breed

Bro,

Ask, where you bought it, what they feed it before you got it.

You cant feed broilers .. local chicken feed, ( Guinea corn) and expect it to eat it o!. Ajebutter wont drink Garri as dinner.

eazeefix:
The gilt was approx 8 months old and toped 70kg at the time of mating. Deija(I prefer Deji joor) your comment brings up another important issue of relevance of weight in breeding animals in the tropics. I read in a book on pig production in the tropics that large gilts and sows are important due to heat and all. I get my best results from my big sows I have adopted 60-70kg as weight @ first mating after an awful experience with 40kg(bad advice from a senior who visited my farm)
Can experienced farmer shed more light on this?
Farrowing crate fabrication will start on Monday.

Eefosa1: Also said it all.

we cant say specifically the cause, but most times it is when the gilts/sow is too young, since you said , your was matured enough, it could also be feed quality, stress, maybe she wasnt well taken care of.. ( Post natal depression). But most times the sow are too young.
she should go on heat in another 35days, mate her again and see what happens.

Mating at 40kg, i think is "child abuse"( young pig abuse).

jeffmyson:
Just as I initially promised, I finally started a pilot project for tomatoes marketing. We have developed a model which we intend to spread across Nigeria. We have started a trail run in Abuja to better understand how the final system will work. Just this week we have started delivering to wholesale markets at least 5,000 Kgs (100 Basket) of tomatoes daily which we are also able to sell of almost immediately.
There are challenges in the marketing of the commodity, one of which is lack of standardized quality, quantity and price mechanism. From our brief sojorn so far, I have come to realise that the farmers pay for the risks involved in the business as most dealers are not willing to offer better prices for the produce for fear of losing money either during produce transit or flooding of the market with products which may undercut their margins! Imagine right now we currently buy almost 70KG of tomatoes from farmers in Zaria and Kano for around N1,300.
I am sharing my experience so that farmers of the commodity will better understand the marketing aspects and it challenges!
Though the tomatoes we are trading on is for the wholesale mass market.

Jeffmyson,

Do you say N1,300 for 70kg? Thats like 2 basket for N1,300?. Thats N18.50 per kg?

eazeefix:
Not to derail this thread exclesoir na my oga so let's move on.
Can we discuss cannibalism in nursing pigs. I read it is common in first time gilts has anyone been able to overcome it?
My obj landrance ate 5 of her 8 piglets I have mated her again and I no want take chances.

Thanks for " bringing the thread back to what we should focus on.

On your subject, there could be alot of factors, How old was the gilts, when she became pregnants? I always tell people, pigs are exactly like human beings, a 13year old girl, can give birth.. but is she matured enough to handle it? the way a 13yr old girl will take care of a baby will be diffrent from the way a 25year will handle a baby, its the same principle most times, some people mate "growers" i call them growers based on weight and age ( mostly weight ). they have a 40kg " grower which is 8months old due to lots of factors ( breed, feed, management etc). and expect her to be able to take care of the piglets when born..

South africa will never cross a gilts until shes minimum of 9months and 110kgs; i will say in Nigeria, atleast achieve 80kg before you do cross..

some do it for a 50kg " grower" and get lucky, but i will always recommend that you rather wait for 80kg, than u let the poor grower go thru pregnancy.

Fingertips:
I just came across this thread and i have spent the last four hours going through it. I have been conducting and intensive research for the past one month and finally interested in starting this business with my mum, we have a plot of land measuring 60 x 120sqm in which we intend to start with 100 piglets. I have some major concerns about the pig pen construction as that seems to be the foundation of getting everything right.
1. What ratio of male to female piglets do i include in the 100?
2. How many pig pen houses will be required to comfortable support theses piglets and their future produce?
3. Where can i find a low cost design or layout of an operational pig pen or any pig farmer willing to share here, showing the following details; floors, roof, materials used, walls, feeding system, water management. i would love to see a practical one already in use.
I will really appreciate if i get a response. Please dearest farmers, keep this thread alive for newbies like us...we need to learn from your wealth of experience.

Fingertips,

I have few advice for you, first, start small!.. 100 pigs to start with is alot. Dont rush it, if you do, you might rush out of the business.

secondly, i think for the size of land you have... i dont think you should stock more than 20sow, except you intend to dispose the waste somewhere else.. you need to look at the waste carefully, . i will recommend you either look for land somewhere else a minmum of 6 plots, or start from there with the intention to move to another site. 1plot for a piggery of the magnitude you are looking at is extremely small.

to answer your questions

1) Ratio: it depends... are you saying 100 sow or 100 pigs? You can work out this way, a boar should mate a maximum of twice a week, it all depends on your program; most farmers dont have programs.. but i will recommend you draw out a program , so that you can mate a few at the same time, for them to litter around the same time and wean around the same time.

2) It is difficult to say.. pig pen depends on size etc.. Lagbaja has given you a weblink for designs.

3) I think the weblink has most of that... my advice on pig pen is... ensure the floor is solid.. i recommend German floor; pig pen is long investment, if you make a cheap pen, you will spend monthly on repairs. You mustnt get the housing wrong, it cost alot of money to build a pig pen.
Pls ensure the floor is solid... else you and the bricklayers will be friends for along time.

Whoever will sell your your breeding stock, can help you, or engage a consultant to help you.

Immortalz:
Pls how do i deworm without stress? My animals are seriously stubborn when it comes to injecting so i stopped. Also, which dewormer do u think works best? I use Kepromec.

You can use Ecometin, premix You will add it to the feed.. but from my experience the injection ( Ivomec) remains the most effective of them all.

I will recommend you find out from a vet shop nearest to you,

also, why are your animals stubborn? Most hybrid pigs are genetically modified to be calm..

Belexy:
Just a quick question: are fully grown pigs dangerous animals? I want to get abt four piglets and let them roam in my compound wt out cages/pen till adulthood and ready for slaughter. This are just for personal/family consumption and not business. Would my family be safe? My compound is quite large.

Yes you can . i also had some of my fatteners on free range some time ago. i know some farmers who do.

Pigs arent dangerous, they are emotional animals and freely.

Ensure you have a nice shade for them to hide when its sunny and clean water.

Eefosa1:
PLS ADVICE FEEDS FORMULA
I USED MAINLY PKC ,FIRST CRUSHED,MAIZE,FOOD FAT SOYA,BICUIT WASTE,INDOMIE BUT I DONT SEE SO MUCH RAPID GROWTH AS EXPECTED,I TRIED YEAST ONCE TO MIXED WITH PKC THEY REFUSED TO EAT THE FOOD EVENTUALLY WASTE,I AM TRYING TO SOURCE FOR BREWERY WASTE ,WHO CAN BRING IT TO MY AREA

Eefosa,

Feed might not be the only reason your pigs arent growing; it could be also be breed, it could even be access to clean water, management..
When you think of pigs, compare them with human beings, food isnt all that is require for someone to grow fat or big. drop me an e-mail with pictures and more details of your farm, i will try to help you out. Try to read on previous post on this page, it will also help you.

Also, looking at your feed, i dont think you have a balanced diet.

Niyoga:
can anyone tell me the breeds thats best for fattening, cos i want to start the my farm comes january.

Hi Niyoga,

When you say " fattenning," what exactly do you mean? Do you mean, you just want to buy weaners and fatten and sell off, without running a farrow to finish program?

in regards to breed, it depends on alot of factors, what breed do you want? like i wrote in my previous post, piggery is like chicken, you have local chicken, cockrel and broilers, each of those categories have various breed, all those categories are profitable. share more details on your plans and i will see how i could be of help.


Merry Christmas to all...

i have gone into processing, for those interested in buying pork and mince meat( pork); drop me an e-mail : deji@fulfillsa.co.za

H

Buddhar:
Hello @ deji.a, your numbrs no de go o. Are they still active @ all. Kindly mail m ur activ contact @ olabodeadebayo@gmail.com. Thanks

Adefola:
Hi Dejia,
I'm starting my farm come January 2015. I'm at the point of constructing the pen now and I will be glad to learn from you. Can you please give me your contact for further discusion. Here are my details: Mobile-08036475535, e-mail- olaprs@yahoo.com. Thanks for your kind consideration.

Sorry guys,

I have sent both of you an e-mail; am not in Nigeria at the moment.. but we can communicate via e-mail.

togodbetheglory:
I need a comprehensive proposal on piggery because I am starting off by JANUARY 2015, i NEED THE COST IMPLICATION IF YOU ARE SETTING UP A large scale business. Thanks (samolawuyi@yahoo.com)

Pig farming is not only about proposals, you have to do extensive research on your own and try to look for pig farmers around and consult ; or look for a consultant who can help you..

In my 3yrs experience, i have come to conclusion that.. pig farming can be categorized into 3 diff breeds; similar to chicken, local chicken, cockerel and broilers. The 3 are profitable, yet very diff, if you feed a local chicken broilers feed, you wont make money, if you feed broilers , local chicken feed, you will also lose money, time and will be frustrated.. investigate , read and choose which of the 3 category works best for you

Hi,

Where is the pick up point?

Boc4real:
My sow gave birth yesterday to five piglets(her first time)I decided to make a new house for her so as to prevent other pigs from trampling on the newly born.... So after I separated her from the rest,I fed her x2 of the feed others ate,a new water, I also disinfect the room.
I woke up this morning to check on her and the piglets and to my surprise she has eaten four of the piglets and the only one remaining is lifeless!
Please!!! What makes her eat all the piglets?
Have you experienced this before?
Your response will be highly appreciated!

Boc4real,

There could also be some other things, that could cause that.. from your post, its seems dia were other sows( or pigs) with her when she littered; which isnt a good practice.. also you didnt provide us with the age and weight of the sow; she might also be too young when she was crossed, hence too young to handle the piglets: also the feed.. what do you feed her with? Also 5piglets is small.. i guess something went wrong when she was crossed, a minimum of 8 piglets should be born if you follow the correct procedure of crossing.
My advice is.. dont sell her off, keep her in a diff from from others, flush feed her for the next 28days, she shd go on heat again cross her.. that is if shes matured enuff ( I mean, minimum of 10 months and say 80kg weight). Get a farrowing crates like FEMU suggested as well.

emman44:
Do you have weaners for sale? If yes how do u sale and cost of transportation to ijebu-ode.

Emman44,

Yes i have a few left. How many do you want? send me an e-mail: deji@fulfillsa.co.za

I do deliveries and also offer support for people would buy our weaners.

Hi Fellow Farmers,



From my researched, i noticed lots of pig farmers, dont use nipples, alot of them still pour water on the floor for pigs to drink,


We all know how important water is. It is the most essential nutrient to any living being. Without water we would not be able to grow, develop and survive. Water plays an important role for your pig. It helps with the digestion and movement of nutrients through the body as well as acts as an agent to help maintain body temperature.
Over 50% of your pig’s weight is water as well.




alot of this water carries, bacteria and are very dirty, from my research.. this harbor grow and create worms.. which slows the grow of pigs.

In conclusion, your pigs need fresh, cool water. If you wouldn’t drink the water, don’t expect your pigs to!

Pigs is one of the closest animals to human, give them clear water , always using a nipple

For those interested in getting nipples email me ( deji@fulfillsa.co.za) , i have 60 in stock to sell at N1,500 each

Click on the following on water requirements for pigs http://www.ncsu.edu/project/swine_extension/healthyhogs/book1995/almond.htm

Value of water : http://nationalhogfarmer.com/nutrition/don-t-forget-water-s-value-pig-performance

Hi Fellow Farmers,

Thanks for your patronage, thru this forum, we have sold about 132 weaners to various nairalanders in various location in the last 8weeks.

75 weaners are left , with weight from 8-15kg,( Age between 35-60days) at N700 per Kg

We also 7 active Boars, with weight between 55-75kg, they were born in January this year, a combination of A.I (PIC 433)and Obasanjo sow .

Very good for those who do natural mating;Price is N350 per kg.


Contact me on 07019320034 / 07069701998 or better still email: deji@fulfillsa.co.za

We are located in ilorin, Kwara state

Pure Registered Boerbull from SA, with in built chips avail for mating

Email: deji@fulfillsa.co.za

@Immortalz: What you are buying is Rice Husk, not Rice Bran. I will suggest you change the diet for those gilts/ sow and see if it makes a diff.

I had a similar problem with a sow, which i inseminated, but seems she lost the pregnancy at an early stage twice, i changed her diet to a ration with richer protein, and its seems to be stable, i cant say exactly you have a similar problem, but you can try that.

Maize is relatively cheap at this stage, i think you should try to increase it and use less of Rice husk ( 10% or less).

@ Ijobarun: Are you sure it is rice bran or Rice husk? there is a huge diff btwn the 2; i noticed most people call Rice husk, Rice bran; confirm and be sure..

I use Rice husk, about 10percent of it my feed, just as fillers; please dont use it for weaners or growers.

ops: @ Dejia; kept wondering what BDG was. Tot its BSG: brewers spent grain.
Anyway, its free in ilesa. All u have to do is tip d attendants and they load your truck at the brewery.
I buy from a middleman who gets from nigeria breweries here in ibadan or sometimes I buy the already dried one @ about N11k/tonne.

Hi Ops,

Can you link me up with ur BDG supplier? My van is in ibadan, i will need 2tonnes of BDG urgently.

@ Boluwajokosegun: Yes i give them Moringa leaves, i have planted about an hectare of Moringa, majorly for my pigs, when i get the seeds, i intend to extra the oil and the remains, i will also give to the pigs, i have read so many things about it; It is a good source of vitamins and protein, it will cost me far less than soybeans
I dont know Oyo so well, so am not sure i know apata, but it shouldnt cost much to transport them the piglets, send me an e-mail when ready; we have sold about half already.

Ijobaorun: My staff wont let you in, because of bio security, i should be around next weekend, drop me an e-mail then you can see the farm.

Trainning in SA: ( someone asked me, where i trained): i only did a 3days course on A.I in kanhm SA ; the rest i learnt from reading and experience, visiting big farms,research and from gurus like Femu.

femu/eezeefix: Well, my opinion about Obj pigs is this, there are too many factors that could affect the litter size of a sow,if you need to judge Obj pigs we need to have met all those factors ; you shouldnt expect a sow that was crossed 2days after ovulation to give the same numbers as the sow crossed at the right time.Breed , feed,environment, quality of water, room size,hygiene and so many other things also counts.

Guys, i spoke about an association and a club; its seems only few of us like the idea, the association could help with tackling negative press about Ebola and Pork, i still believe the club will go along way in helping us all; we can have a press release on issues like this, we can even go and challenge , the radio station, who made such a lousy comment ;take them to court.. that alone will create more awareness for us
All this middlemen, manipulating farmers to sell at below market value, we can also handle all that, i believe in a club/association we can do more
Just my 2kobo advice

HI All,

I have about 60 weaners, am offloading into the market; they will be weaned in a next week or in fornight.

There weight ranges will range from 7kg-12kg; they will be between 28-40days old ( by the next week and the week after)

There are all products of A.I ; from PIC 433; from Kanhym , SA.

We sell weaners at N700 per kg; I will recommend them as breeders stock, for anyone who intend to breed them

The farm is in ilorin, we are about 30mins from Ogbomosho,Oyo state

We can arrange delivery at a cost.

Call Farm Supervisor Ms Paulina 07019320034; to view;
or e-mail me: deji@fulfillsa.co.za

I have attached 2 pictures of some of them at this stage ( they are about 5kg at this stage)

Hi,


Do you still have point of lay?


Can you supply me in Ilorin?

Artificial Insemination Pictures

Hi Guys,

Sorry i have been off the trend lately.
let me quickly answer some of those who sent me personal messages

@ fayahsoul: No., A.I is diff, we inseminate them with semens, i will try and post some of the pictures of me in the process; you can also google it

@ Konnet: My farm is at Laduba ( towards Afon); am based in SA, but come to the farm monthly, i will be in 9ja in 3weeks, will prefer you come then, e-mail: deji@fulfillsa.co.za

Read a post on adding yeast to feed, i think i will try it; i have also been experimenting some thing of late, and it seems to be working fine, i have introduced Rice husk ( some feedmill will call it rice bran, but it is husk most times) as 25% of my feed, rice husk at some feedmills in ilorin is N10-N13; i discovered a place, where it is free of charge in Lafiagi, i have used it to as a to lower my cost for my sow and finishers;

My view on buying weaners and fattening: if you do the maths, it is very profitable, because if you can get weaners like u said for N3,500; but i have a diff. view, if you get your sow management right, and you are able to ensure all process is followed, then breeding is more profitable, because you should be able to atleast wean 23 piglets from a sow each year.

Guys,

Can we start a young pig farmers club? I think most of here are young , i think with the club we can achieve alot, the market is huge, i think together we can do more, we can create biggier market, we can expand the market,;few people in nigeria, still see pork has a fatten/ unhealthy meat, they dont know that pork is white meat, healthier than beef or goat meat.
Also, We can collectively look into processing, i think that is the future, at the moment, we still have imported pork coming into Nigeria, because few farms process.We can conveniently sell our pork for twice or thrice what we sell for at the moment, if we process them;
With the club/association, we can have some who specialise in breeding, some in fattening, some can go into A.I, we can negotiate feed prices better, cut out the middle men, who get brewery waste, and sell it to us at high prices, we can go straight to the company, and get it off them in bulk and distribute it.

Just my thought, i dont know if something like that has failed before, if anyone also feels this might not work, i will like to know

Brazil is a very interesting country; most of the news and impression most of us ( africans) have about Brazil isnt the true reflection of what is going on there.

I find the place to be a nice decent country, with so so much potentials for business minded people.

back to your question, there are only about 10,000 Nigerians in Brazil, and i can tell you about 7,000 of them are in Sao Paulo, the others are in other states, mostly studying .

You need to speak Portugese to survive in Brazil, the weather is similar to 9ja weather, everything in brazil is expensive, so ensure you buy all you will need to survive for sometime.

If you give me more details on your plan in brazil, i might be able to hook you up with some few pple i met there, doing legitimate businesses

Ops:

Pls can you give me the contact of the person , who offers you for N11? i need regular supplies of it in ilorin.

@ omode2:

I dont sell A.I semens yet, it requires you to have a lab for analysis and some few other things which isnt attainable yet, also i want to compare the cross breed with a pureblood line and see which gives the best result.

for now, all i sell are crossbreed ( growers from A.I +Obasanjo); i have some few boars for sale, am keeping all the females because i want to inseminate them to get a pureblood line and see which is better.

easyflexx & Lagbaja: Honestly, i think A.I is the way to go; most farmers in developing countries now specialize, i have seen farms with 500 sow, without a simple boar, they just buy semens and inseminate, some farmers also specialise in semens production alone ; that is what we should aim for in Nigeria, also , with A.I you can easily predict your outcome, with natural mating its treaky, you will find some sow gives as low as 4-7 piglets, when you can easily secure a minimum of 14 with A.I; remember the gestation period is the same, so why let your sow give u 6, when you can have 16? even if it will cost u more? A.I is expensive but i think it pays itself.

Guys, lets talk about feed; from my analysis, i think BDG is very good for pigs, my challenge is the processing ( drying),so i wont mind getting it wet and dry it myself, is it true BDG is free in ilesha?, and all you have is to get your truck to pick up.

Am also looking for a good source for blood meal, from my analysis, it has 88% protein, but i heard some feedmill, mixes it with burnt tyre; where can i source it from?

Hi eazeefix:

I used estromate, to synchronize the pigs, you give them the injection and within 4-5days, they wll all go on heat, some pple say it has an effect over time, i havent noticed; i only did it ones, when i had to inseminate, so they all litter around the same time, i wean after 40days, and flush feed the sow for 10days, if you flush feed in 10days, they will all go on heat, so that is the method am using, we have 3 sets already and we do that to minimize cost.

I will really like us to discuss more on feed cost, as 80% of our cost is on feed; am looking for a good source of BDG; am looking at a way , where we farmers can work together, i can get what is cheaper in ilorin to any farmer in ,Osun Ogun or Oyo, and those in Oyo can also supply me with what is cheaper at there end. we have a bus that can move it around and split the cost of transportation.

Pls lets discuss it, the only thing that i get cheaply in Kwara is Maize, and wheat offal.

Hi farmers,

I have taken time to read almost all the post, i have learnt alot , we hope to learn more from each other

Am a pig farmer in ilorin.. Yes, ilorin ; our farm is 2years old , we have about a 30 sow production,
with a capacity of about 70 sow unit.( still growing)

We only use A.I from PIC in SA ,to cross the breed we got from Obasanjo, we dont even have a boar on the farm.

We decided to go this route, when we noticed we bought some piglets from a farm when we started 2years ago, immediately they got to about 45kg

they simply stopped growing, even when we feed them with soyabeans and maize, the best we got was 48kg. We eventually sold them losing

money;
I took time to research and did a training in piggery training in SA from a farm that has 6,000 sow unit, and discovered it might be inbreeding problem;
In SA, at 7months weigh about 135kg averagely while a 7months old pig in Nigeria weigh about 45kg,
what we are trying to do is to bridge the gap and have atleast 80kg within 7months,

i know alot of expert here will argue that breed isnt the only reason, for the weight diff.. i also

agree but it is one of the biggest factors.

but if you are able to achieve 80kg in 7months, you wont mind to feed maize and soyabeans, eventhough they are expensive ( we dont feed that)

We inseminated my first set of sow Sept last year, and they littered early this year, some gave us as high as 19 piglets, in SA, any litter less than 14 isnt accepted for A.I, something must have gone wrong in the process


Our third set of A.I litter has started littering since last week, and we hope to wean them after 40days, and re-inseminate

10days after than. We synchronise our sow, so we inseminate them in batches

From my experience, A.I is the way to go ( some farmers might not agree), foreign breed is necessary to prevent inbreeding . We intend to re-inseminate our first batch end of August, as they will be about 80kg and ready to be served. with that, we hope to get a pure PIC breed by Jan,2015. We are still experimenting and researching, but we are happy with the result so far.

We are a breeders farm, majorly looking at serving those who want to go into piggery, Our pigs dont come cheap, because of

the cost associated with bringing in A.I into the country; but i can tell you, its worth it.

Also, let me also advice, farrowing crate is a must.

Liquid feeding is also the best way, mix your feed with water before giving it to the pigs, we mix our water with

multi-vitamins and then mix it with the feed. We also use a growth promoter instead of broiler premix

I also read post about nipples, well we have been using nipples for 2years, a sow requires about 20liters of water

when lactating, how do you serve her that? Also i noticed alot of people give there pigs dirty water; it is totally wrong

from trainning, the farmer must be able to drink the water the pig drinks, so ensure you supply clean water.

Am openned to help any new farmer, who wants to learn from my 2years experience.

Hello Nairalanders,

IS there any corper, who has studied, Animal Reproduction and health , Vet.Medicine or Agriculture or loves farming?; who has been posted to Asa LG or Ilorin, looking for somewhere to work?

We have a farm at Laduba,( Not too far from Afon) with accomodation,we are looking to Corpers who are willing to serve /work ;

We have a piggery,quail farm,geese etc; , Electricity is 24/7;

Kindly let me know if you are interested, Salary ( Attractive)

There is so much to also learn , for those planning to start farming after service

Send me an e-mail

Hi,

Well do your research very well, I have a piggery at the moment in ILORIN, and its not doing badly; pigs are in high demand, you have pple coming all the way from Port Harcount to ilorin to buy pigs, I must also tell you, piggery requires alot of money ( initial capital is high) and patience;
Fishery for me, i think its black market, it is diff to handle theft, ur staff can still 10 while you aint around; it is diff to detect compared with pigs;the market is also not so stable, u have to depend on pepper soup joints, who most time take advantage; unless you smoke your fish and possibly look into sending it to abuja or export.

Well, i think look for a farmer that does both, also, look at your location;
All the best