₦airaland Forum

SinaAkinsanya:
Though I am still learning and open to ideas from others, i have learnt a few things in the 3 years or so that i have been involved. 300k is not likely to feed 500 animals in a month except they are all weaners which is even doubtful. I recall the target is to get the animals to about 70 kg in about 6 months. That requires quality feed and animals. These days maize is about 145/kg, brewery waste 25/kg soy bean 150/kg, pkc 45/kg; cassava cake 100/kg, gnc 135/kg; wheat offal 2900/50 kg. There are additional cost for pre mix ; lysine, methione, drugs etc. Perhaps some of us have been paying too much for these ingredients. From experience, not to use those ingredients is to slow down the growth rate of even the purest lines. We started with concorted breeds and fed them with mostly pkc and brewery waste and got about 60-70 at best in 1 year. We introduced good lines of LR. Again fed them mostly with pkc and brewery waste and got at least 100 kg in one year. We introduced maize, soy bean etc and the growth rates of all our breed, concorted and pure lines improved dramatically. We are hoping to get 80-90 kg in about 7-8 months without the animals building up too much fats. Most of our pure lines reached the target in about 8 months even though we really did not start feeding them well until january this year. The pure line are intended for breeding and sale to others as breeding stock.

That has been our personal experience. Open to ideas particularly on where and how we can source cheap ingredients. Our experience on pure lines vs concorted breed is that pure lines will almost double concorted breeds in weight in about one year.

What is your feeding cost per animal?

Jideams:
Thanks for your response on this and do appreciate the comments from SinaAkinsanya as well. 300k would average my feeding cost at N600 mothly , not sure how close this is to reality. My costing was estimated as follows

Dry 4500/month
lactating sow 6000/month
weaners 750/month
Growers 1125/Month

What does your growth and weight estimate come up to if you feed your animals that much for 10 months?? It means you cannot feed your growers on 500k and as they grow older, you spend more

[quote author=Jideams post=55537850][/quote]To feed 500 animals requires around 300k monthly.

As to your other requirements and questions, you need a detailed practical business plan and a hand holding from when you start till when you start making profits.

U can whatsapp me lets talk

SinaAkinsanya:
Jideam,

Your goals are achievable in about may be 2 years provided you have the funds and the experience or people with experience. We presently have about 600 animals on our farm and we started over 3 years ago. Yet to breakeven, but that should start to happen in couple of months when we should be in a position to increase our monthly sales from about 30 to about 60 @ average weight of 75. There are too many challenges you wil face along the line. Our operating cost/pig /month is over N3000. You need to buy good breeding stocks and they are not cheap. Over the years, we have invested about N35 m. We have capacity to house about 1000 animals at the moment. We have 8 staff including agric university grad. Having said all these, key is start small, learn and grow. Might take a few years for you to start seeing profit.

3000 per month seems to be very high overheads; my thoughts because with your number of staff, the number of pigs should be enough to diffuse their salaries to a manageable minimum. I hope you breakeven soon though i feel u should have @ month 24.
Also try backward integration. If you can control ur corn and cassava production, you will cut down your feed costs drastically especially if the corn yields are exceptional.

Jideams:
Hi Guys,

I have been reading your articles with great interest and need to join in the conversation. Really, raising pigs to sell as additional income and farming pigs as a business are two different things entirely. Please note, I am not a practicing farmer but presently putting together a feasibility report on what it takes to successfully farm pigs as my soul source of income. I would appreciate your contribution as I evaluate pig farming with a GO or no GO decision.

These are my goals for the first year, my inability to meet these goals or successfully project the actualisation of these goals means a NO GO for me. In this business, you need to work back to front (meaning starting from the goal and working your way back). These are my goals at the end of the first year.

1. To attain 75 - 80 kg weight in 6 months.
2. To sell 100 pigs on monthly basis starting 12months from the start of production.
3. To establish the farm on not more than 1-acre land (6 plots)
4. To attain a turnover of 3.6million on monthly basis (80 *100*450) 3.6M.
5. To archive a profit of approximately 40% (1.5M)on monthly basis.
6. Attain a stock capacity of 760 pigs at the end of the year with a sale of 100 pigs every month there after.

Looking at the table below, I would have attained 760 pigs by the end of the year and start selling 100 every month by the following month.

To achieve these goals, pig farming must be run as a business and the following factors need to be considered from the beginning.

1. Breed
2. Feed formulation and alternative cost of feed ingredients.

Question.

Please does anyone have a capacity of 1000 pigs, in a well-organized layout with good record keeping? Please let me know if you do as I have a lot to learn from you. Please I would not hesitate to pay for your time spent.

Also find attached my analysis with commnets

The most important question i will ask is: How much do you have to invest in the business??

Should I Buy A Pregnant Sow?

This is another question that bothers newbies. Should I cut off all the stress and time associated with raising weaners and purchase pregnant sows (in-sows as they are called)?

Have you looked at it from this angle: that pregnant sow will farrow (give birth) in less than 3 months and then you will have tiny piglets to care for – ones that are literally standing at death’s door for the next one week and you are blessed if you don’t have an experienced or capable vet doctor on hand to care for them.

Also, is it economical cost wise? Will they give you a good litter size, bearing in mind that some animals don’t give a good number of young during their first birth? What if the male that serviced them isn’t standard and the young aren’t what is expected?

There are a lot of questions you can ask and a lot of things that could go wrong or right sef like if they farrow 8-12 healthy robust piglets. But as a newbie, start small and grow till you know and master all the aspects of pig rearing.

It’s worth mulling over!!!

A NEWBIE ASKS: WHICH SHOULD I DELVE INTO; BREEDING OR FATTENING?

Breeding vs Fattening: The beginner’s nightmare

Upon deciding to embark on the journey of pig farming, this is one question that is sure to weigh down the mind of any intending farmer. Before we discuss on which is best, let’s define both.

Breeding involves getting a boar (male pig) and several sows (female pigs), raising them either from weaner level or buying them fully grown for the purpose of reproducing.

Fattening refers to raising weaners (pigs of around eight weeks) or growers (pigs of around twenty to twenty four weeks) till they attain market weight. These weaners can either be gotten from the farmer’s breeding stock or acquired.

Now the question; which is better for me to start with?

Hmmmm…… There are actually no right or wrong answers- Why? Let’s look at the dynamics of the business again

Farmers play at different levels. The same is true in Nigeria as it is in other climes.

Some farmers concentrate solely on breeding. They acquire and raise around 20-100 sows and boars then sell the weaned piglets. With proper management, a farmer can sell twice a year. If he has good stock and averages 7 piglets per litter, he can get 140 weaners from 20 sows and twice yearly he makes sales of around 1.2M @ 4500 per weaner. Eliminating overhead costs, you are left with a tidy sum. But before you get carried away, this is just an analysis: with life anything can happen. You can get nothing or you can get more if your pigs average 8-12 piglets per litter.

Some farmers concentrate solely on purchasing weaners and raising them for a further 8-10 months then sell them off. This is where majority of farmers play and there is profit in it as long as you have a steady primary income source that will ensure that your pigs are well taken care of and constantly fed. When some people roll out figures to bamboozle you about the incredibly head spinning profits you make while rearing pigs, they forget to add that the business needs real capital, and a continuous one at that, for a long period before you can make any revenue. Caring for a pig over its lifetime costs an average of 13000. Multiply that by 100 pigs and prepare to be afraid. You need money and any break in feeding or care will have dire consequences.

Some farmers concentrate on purchasing growers and raising too. The argument they bring forth is that they cut off 3-4 months of waiting before they can achieve market weight. This is also a good endeavour as long as you have the financial muscle to put into buying animals at that price.

Some farmers play in all these niches. They breed and then raise some of their piglets to maturity while selling off at various stages: weaner, grower and market.

As a new farmer, you can and should play in all. When purchasing your stock, include animals for breeding eg, if you intend to buy 20 weaners, select 5 females for your breeding program, and then raise the rest for market. With that you are assured of starting your own herd within a year.

I hope this was helpful

atolagbeolaleka:
ok thanks @ dynamix101....pls @ what price can I get the 2..methonie nd lysine..

Truthfully i cant correctly tell you cos the amount you need is dictated by the volume if your compounding. The person who does my compounding knows wat grammage to add once i tell him the volume of feed i am compounding

atolagbeolaleka:
methionine or lysine which cn I do without pls

You need them both for a complete compound

tayo52:
Gguess av answered that,anyway av drop my point for those that needed it just want to tell u buying a weaner of 15 to 20k is not a waste depending on what u intend to use it for,anyway I rest my case here

Ok

tayo52:
baba u are getting it twisted if an animal weigh 105kg in 10months they have the tendency of weighing over 200kg in 2years,i guess u are also a farmer,you don't fattened your breeder stock,u give them maintenance ratio so they won't be too fatty,if his to fatten it trust me it will gain 300kg or more,it even weigh 100kg+ just because of the pregnancy,anyway we are just here to learn from each other if u av any more questions kindly post it here b4 I leave,so when breeding ur parent stock you don't fatten then check my stock dey are not fatty or lean,so they are differences BTW fatteners n breeders

What is the thrust of your argument?? That people buy exotic animals abi??

Ok let me amend: buy exotic breeds but not for fattening, because it makes no economic sense. Why should i keep my animal for 2 years when in that period i can sell off animals twice and have another set in my pen?? Also when buying exotic weaners, dont pay more than 10k for them because it also does not make any sense.

tayo52:
baba nice calculation but now well detailed u can manage to gain 10k with ur calculation so u are making 10k multiply by 30 animals that 300k den divided by 8months that 37k per month do u fink the profit worth it,can it feed a bachelor not to talk of married man,can it even maintain a car? And u made mention of of pocketing the 4500 if u start producing,do u even no the cost of producing each weaners in your farm?

Quick question: Did the fellow who made 300k in 8 months make a profit or not?? Invest that capital in fixed deposit for 8 months and come back to tell me how much interest you got.
You have just outlined the main issue with pig rearing: the pursuit for a quick buck which eventually burns the person.
We are here to learn and i for one wont quote bogus figures and weights just to make people swoon and start signing cheque leaves.
I have been in this business for long enough to know all d antics and i play in every aspect from birth to slaughter so i speak facts not what my friend did or said

tayo52:
baba u bought a Camby weaners for 10k? Anyway I hardly comment on this group base on something I notice,what most farmers practice is to buy good animals and fattening there offspring,u don't expect farmers to buy fatteners and start breeding with it,4 to 8k weaners are meant to fatten not for breeding,nobody will sell cheap weaners with good quality for breeding purpose,most farmers dont rili make profit just because there foundational stock is bad,please u need to tour round diff pig farm n see what going on let embrace change,how many pig farmers are riding jeep from the profit of there pig farming? I started late because I make sure I learn d rope very well,most of my weaners cost me ntin less than 15k,i won't have a pig farm that I will start persuading fellow farmer to buy @peanut do we even no how much it cost to produce 1 weaner?u can't get a quality weaner of 10kg + less than 10k,went to oke aro last week saw a gene converter mix boar d owner turn down offer of 190k for d boar,that d reason of owning a quality breeds,the fcr of an exotic n semi exotic n locals are diff so we av in chicken,u cant see an exotic breeders of 2years that will weigh less than 150kg even if is not fatty,no matter how much u spend on a breeder stock is not a loss cos u will make the profit over time,what I hate most is farmers selling slaghter animals as breeders stock,is high time we educate each other,me I don't Av any exotic animals to sell so u might think I wan sell my animals,they are still young n there fcr are good,stilll planning to buy more superior boar if am opportune to see,if u av anything plus or minus kindly state it out will reply wen I visit again when u buy weaners of 4k den please how much is the price of liveweight then,how much is price of pkc corn n soya then? Just make sure u check d price of ur production stock

You went to Okearo and saw?? In Okearo, there is a farmer there who has a mighty boar that is 7years old and weighs over 300kg with no fat; its true but let me shed some light on issues you may not be aware of:

1. Most farmers who drive the jeeps are the ones eating off newbies and oppressing them to eventual frustration through their terrible antics.
2. Google and read up well on the subject of pig rearing. Even whites will tell you the truth that all pigs start and grow the same. Its when they get to a particular age that the exotic breeds start to shoot up faster. I have asked that why wait for more months when you can sell off your animals, make money and walk away??
3. I have visited farms bro, farms with updated biosecurity They sold in-sow to somebody for 65k but that exotic pig gave birth to 4 piglets. Mine average 9 and they are not exotic, so why waste my time??
4. Its criminal and wicked to sell weaners for 12k not to talk of the ridiculous amounts people quote around. My mom visited Songhai last year and got their contact number. Are you aware that they have a farm in Nigeria?? As at late last year, a whole Songhai had Camborough weaners of the purest breed for guess how much........ 8k. So what are you saying??
5. Before your pig can weigh those ridiculous weights you are dropping, how old are they, be sincere?? The man who has an over 300kg pig has kept tht animal for over 6 years. I went there with a fellow nairalander in February and they use those big old animals to scam people to buy fake weaners at exorbitant costs.
6. Aside our Camborough, we have another boar, a landrace that we acquired for 4,500 then when weaners were 3000. Its first crossing produced 9 piglets. Isnt that one of the aims of exotic breeds?? If my local female can give me 12 and an expensive exotic gives me 10, why waste my time?? Why not continue crossbreeding till i get a perfect lineage?? If you buy an animal for 15k and fatten, how much will you sell?? At least i have dropped a guideline of the costs it will take to bring them up to maturity....... Its a business and once its profitable, remove sentiments and do the right thing.

tayo52:
baba will av love to see d pics od ur camby,any colored any mounted by camby do come out white,let educate each other,u bought 5k weaners after 2years it weigh 105k my fwend bought his weaners 15k 10month old now weighing 105kg or more let say after 2years it will weigh 175kg let assume u sell for 53k his selling his 85k so his making more profit,u will sell ur weaners 7k or less he can't sell his own less than 10k or even more,breeds also determine the profit u willl get in this biz,this are my latest stock tell me when they start producing how much do u fink it will worth

Hmmmm...... From birth to 12months of age (10months from when you bought them), your animals weighed 105kg. In another 12 months, they will add just 70kg?? Are you being serious?? So even after the hyped FCR, your animals cannot add more than 7kg per month??
Well, i am not an exotic breed champion, i am just an advocate of truth and i have shared experiences with farmers and all i have said is true

whugo:
following. pls sir, drop your contact, so those of us that want to venture into the business can reach you. Thank you.

Whatsapp 08082310865

overdrive:
pls kindly outline the injections.

Oxytetracycline and Dewormer

overdrive:
nice one.what treatment do u give to the mother pig after weaning d piglets ie before they take in again.what is d time interval b4 they take in again.thank u

There is no specific time interval for waiting before you cross them after weaning. If you decide to cross them immediately, u just give them injections to balance their hormone, stop milk from flowing and tuck their womb in

WEIGHT GAIN ISSUES
Numerous stories and views abound when it relates to what optimum weight your pigs should be at what point in time. It is distressing when after all you have done and all the ‘rules’ you followed, all the investments you have made towards achieving a particular market weight ends up in the gutter. Imagine the frustration you will feel knowing that it isn’t just working for you.
I have come with an entirely different viewpoint. All those stories about your animals attaining specific weights of over 100kg in 10 months when you feed them special compounded feeds and other such theories are just what they are; stories.
Pig farming like other ventures should be what it is- A business. We should strive to delete sentiments and treat it with objectivity and deal in timelines and milestones which should be measurable. Note the following as you enter the business:
1. Buy any breed of pigs to fatten (if that is where you want to operate) and buy females of any breed for breeding (if that’s what you want to do). The only thing to do is ensure that the animals you are acquiring aren’t runts and that they are good looking and well-formed. For this you need someone who is capable of spotting the differences in animals and ensure that you get the best animals to stock your herd with.
2. Feed your animals well. Compound feeds for them which should form the main part of their diets. Corn is the cornerstone of any livestock’s diet and it is contained in the compounded feed. You can supplement their diet with cassava pellets or peels (paki), brewery spent grains and Palm kernel cake (PKC) to ensure their daily weight intake is achieved.
3. Once your animals are well fed, your target weight should be 55-60kg within 8 months. If they attain that weight before they get to 8 months, good. Once you achieve 55-60kg weight, dispose of them and start all over. There should be no sentiments attached and no crying over large weights; the more you keep them, the more they eat and the greater your loss. Remember that this is a business we intend doing for a very long time and we intend to maximize returns. If your breeding program sets and you get bigger weights, kudos to u; but for now let us keep it simple.
4. Once your females get to 8 months old, you should cross them with your exotic breed males. Assuming they should attain a certain weight before they are crossed is funny because like I said earlier, the key to a healthy numerous litter lies mostly with the male. For this reason, you should be willing to spend more to acquire superb males.
You can forward integrate and control the entire supply chain by getting involved in butchering and selling either directly to individuals or supplying companies. Assuming live weight costs 450/kg while pork costs 1000/kg (these are the current standard prices on-site), a 60kg pig would sell at 27, 000. But once butchered, after the hair, blood, innards, feet and head have been removed (the innards, feet and head will also be sold); you will be left with approximately 32kg. This would amount to 32, 000 if sold to individuals or 35, 200 - 38, 400 if sold to companies (1,100-1,200/kg). Imagine the immense profits you could corner if you engage directly in it. This is a very deep and closely guarded secret and one that I have been engaged in for the better part of 2 years.
You can also backward integrate by leasing acres of farm lands and planting maize and cassava. This will drastically cut your feeding costs and ensure higher quality of feeds because you can decide to feed them with cassava chips, which are highly nutritious, instead of peels.

WHERE DO I START OFF FROM? PERSONAL PROPERTY AS OPPOSED TO A FARMING COMMUNITY

This is one question many newbies and prospective farmers grapple to answer. A lot of ‘experts’ advice that you acquire a piece of property somewhere and start up your farm. You do that and your farm starts operations, you are initially happy and glowing with pride and self-satisfaction; then issues set in:
 Where do I source for food from?
 I am cash strapped, how do I sell off just one animal to raise some cash?
 How do I sell these extra weaners or growers?
 I have 20 mature animals, how do I get buyers for them who will take all and pay up at once?

When you meet advisors who compel you to run off and isolate yourself, ask yourself these and other questions, because herein are some of the reasons for the death of most pig farms. Except you have an iron-clad marketing plan that can never ever fail, even if you have enough land as a newbie, don’t isolate yourself. Stay within a piggery community for at least 3 years. Build knowledge. Build expertise. Build connections. Only then can u go, but maintain a link, a relationship with the community. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not seeking your health and sustainability.
I will suggest Oke-Aro farm, because that is where I have been for years, and it is the largest pig farm in West Africa. There are over 5, 000 registered farmers and their numbers keep growing weekly. Let me list some reasons why it will be beneficial to you to stay in Oke-Aro as opposed to starting on your own:
1. Knowledge to be gained: For a starter, it is essential that you are in the midst of a community of individuals who have been doing for a long time, what you intend to do. You stand on their shoulders and gain from their wealth of experience, and in so doing; you avoid a lot of pitfalls. Imagine you are alone in your bush farm and your newborns get diarrhea and start stooling uncontrollably, what will you do? How long will it take for your vet to get there? If you are in a community, you can get help and sound advice in minutes. This is just one example out of numerous issues that may occur.
2. It is easier and cheaper to source feeds, as you can buy any quantity you want. Staying outside means you have to buy in bulk which might be an inconvenience. Imagine a scenario where you are short on cash and cannot afford to buy a tone of feed, what will happen to your animals, bearing in mind that no feed equals no feeding and it equals a loss in weight and a waste of cash to bring them back to that weight they lost.
3. You have access to plentiful, cheap and experienced labour and veterinary services.
4. Market: One of the things you benefit from being a member of a large community is your ability to quickly sell off animals without stress and with cash down. Whether you want to sell five weaners or 200 weaners; if it is one mature animal or 1000 animals, there is always a readily available market and you sell off any volume cash down within 48 hours. When you are alone, how do you sell off animals when you need cash? If you lack the necessary marketing skills or don’t have a marketing plan, it can be a great inconvenience to you. But in the community, buyers constantly walk up to you to ask if you have animals available for sale.
5. Availability of cheap accommodation: No matter what level you want to play at, there is room for you in a community. If you are buoyant enough, you can buy an entire pen. If you aren’t, you can rent any number of rooms you like and payment is also flexible. You cannot get this offer if you are on your own.
In my earlier post, I said that most farmers are out there to skin you and make life a living hell. They don’t care whether you succeed or drown; all they are after is bleeding you dry. It happens in farming communities as well as in individual farms. Newbies are the prime targets of these dupes and they foment all kinds of stories, mostly relating to income and immediate profits, to lure and trap them before they begin digging deep. Most stories relate to superb breed quality, staggering live weight at maturity, obscene number of piglets at birth by a single mother, short growth span etc. Most long-timers in this business can attest to this fact and also can testify to numerous disappointments when time for performance came, haha!! All you need is someone who is passionate about your success, who is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that you succeed and you eventually start making profits.
From the above listed points, the benefits of staying within a community of farmers far outweigh the disadvantages. Some people might argue that poor sanitation and disease outbreak are one of the greatest risks you face as a farmer in a community. I counter by saying that once you take adequate prevention and adhere to proper management; your animals will be safe and will keep on being alive for you to reap the profits. As you embark on your journey into the world of pig farming, bear it in mind that staying with the herd is of greater advantage if you want to succeed

PIG FARMING: THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE NEEDED

Welcome!! The fact that you are here indicates you are willing to embark on this long stretch. Remember that pig farming isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme and it requires a level of dedication on patience your part to be a successful endeavour. I will list some vital information you need to know before you proceed.
• In pig farming, you can start at any level, with any amount of money you have. But to make complete sense, an initial capital of N200, 000 is advised. If you have more, kudos; you can multiply your investment.
• Breeding is the best way to go, because in the medium run, you control the entire process from birth to maturity. To be practical, you can start a piggery with 5 weaners (4 females and 1 male) and have around 69 pigs in your herd by 24 months, 277 by month 36 and 509 by month 48. This is a proven fact, however, you have to note the following:
a. Just like in any type of agriculture, anything can happen – disease outbreaks, wrong selection of the initial herd, mortality of young animals, sows being unable to produce the required minimum of 6 piglets, sows eating their newborns, bad practices by farmers or their workers etc. these can hamper the attainment of the desired results and slow down growth.
b. Dependence on your farm before 24 months can be the dividing line between success and packing up prematurely. The entire process from gestation to attainment of maturity is long and the waiting process can be very tedious if you don’t have a second income source. You need to have something else doing, realistically, if you are to eventually breakeven and succeed. The only other option is to get a single digit loan with a moratorium of at least 6 months and installment payments 6 months apart.
c. You can buy any female breed, breed is not key; just ensure that the females being selected for breeding look good (female weaners go for around N4, 500)
d. Males are the key to a perfect breeding program and must not be compromised. They are:
 The reason for the litter size at birth (8-15 is optimal)
 Part of the reasons why mothers eat their young at birth
 The key to eventually getting pure breeds in the long run (if you are crazy about pure breeds).
Exotic breeds abound and are of various builds but personally, I prefer the Camborough breeds because in my own words, they are “Designed for Africans by Africans”. You can get a weaner for around N10, 000.
• In pig farming, when engaged in breeding, you breakeven around 24 months and make profits from after 24 months above. If you engage in fattening, you can expect profits every 8 months if you deal in raising weaners to market weight or every 5 months if you decide to deal with raising growers to market weight. Thus, in the interim, before you make profits from breeding, you can make income by engaging in fattening and selling in months 10 and 18. With your initial capital of 200, 000, you can purchase 25 weaners for this purpose and in the first 10 months, revenue from their sales will amount to approximately N675, 000. You repeat it and make the same revenue in month 18, and you repeat it once more to make the same revenue in month 26. By month 24, your breeding program should have around 24 animals ready for market. The revenue on their sales will amount to nothing less than N618, 750, with a net profit of N250, 000 (these are very conservative scenarios. If you adopt a balanced feeding and management regime, you will definitely get better returns). Maintaining this trend will see your farm expanding because you will keep all your females for breeding and sell off only males. Eventually, you will have to get a bigger property to accommodate your animals.

Like all aspects of agriculture, pig farming can either be a very lucrative enterprise or an unimaginable horrible nightmare. What makes the difference between the two? I have personally identified the following as some of the reasons:
a. The assumption that agriculture is a get-rich-quick scheme that pumps millions into your account with just the click of a button ends in frustration when desired results are not achieved
b. A desire and ability to access and acquire the right knowledge
c. A desire to work hard and long as opposed to being an absentee farmer who drops money and feels his money will work for him in his absence. It’s laughable
d. Meeting the right and honest people who are willing and ready to see you succeed
e. Getting the right breeds/species
f. Patience (which we all know is a virtue).
Farmers are divided into two categories. They are:
1. INTERNET FARMERS: who have farms situated online and from there deceive the unsuspecting with fictitious and unimaginable Returns on Investment for so little effort. Their endgame is to sell ebooks which have no real practical applications; greed is what they feed on, afterall who wants to do so much work for so little returns?
2. THE REAL FARMERS: who are further divided into three categories:
a. Farmers who started Big: some individuals/companies enter the business with huge capital and are able to buy the highest quality assets and hire the best hands. Some eventually make headway and keep prospering, while a great majority fades out with time.
b. Farmers who are out to Exploit: I laughed when I read a quote in a book “when you are in the water, don’t bleed”. Some farmers are out there looking for prey. If you dare bleed, they will tear you apart with no mercy. I have, in the course of doing business, met a lot of farmers, some who are pastors and feel it’s their God given right to fleece new entrants.
c. Farmers who started small from Scratch: these are those who started small and were able to learn the ropes, intricacies and secrets of doing the business. True, quite a number of small farming ventures fizzle out because of the non-availability of funds to continue, but some farmers, including myself, have been able to multiply and move up the ladder.

I started pig farming in 2013 with just 3 animals (2 sows and a boar). Between that time and now, I have sold almost 100 matured pigs from my growing herd and have moved from renting rooms to owning a pen in Oke-Aro farms. I have gone through all the motions ranging from mortality to diseases, from pen issues to attendants wahala, from food shortages to formula compounding, from non-performing animals to crazy mothers, from breeding to slaughtering and more pig related issues than you can possibly think of. Because of this, if anyone is to point you in the right direction when it comes to pig rearing, it should be someone like me.

If you have been thinking of what agricultural business to pursue
If you feel pig farming is your passion
If you are willing and ready to drop your hard earned cash to embark on this long journey
If you are patient and ready to wait a while before you reap the fruits of your labour
If you are currently engaged in a daytime job and are looking for a second venture that will be sustainable over time and allow you resign/retire with dignity and pay you well
If you have access to single-digit agricultural loans
If you have read someone’s materials/testimonials and feel this is the right business for you
You need to get the right info before you proceed. I am not here to sell ebooks or any such materials. I am here to debunk some myths and open up some secrets you may not have been privy to.
You are welcome.

Shakitibob0:
chai so profit here is actually 100% or more and one of the bosses here told me 50% or less

There is between 50-100% profits but there are rules:
1. Buy good animals to start with. Runts will kill you, guaranteed. If you are a newbie u need an experienced hand to check out the weaners you want to stock
2. Feed them regularly and water them also. Skipping or shortening their rations will kill u eventually. Thats why you need a primary income source to help you so that you wont faint. Piggery is capital intensive.
3. Supplement their feeds as much as you can.

annalong:
I like your honesty. I started in Oke Aro in September. I will like to meet up with you.

Done

vickifeanyi47:
From your analysis Bro, what is the cost of feeding per day on each pig? housing and attendant?

Divide all the costs by 8 to get a monthly figure.
Attendants cost averagely around 4-8k depending on the size of your herd. Rooms also go for 4000-6000 depending on the size and you pay every 6 months if you will

haywhy17:
For that first sow,that means it attained that 106kg in almost 2 years even though it wasn't for fattening...but wat about the ones u rear for fattening,how fast do they attain their weight

Our rule for fattening is to attain 55-60kg live weight within 8 months. I tell new farmers to forget all those scope people tell them about keeping animals till they weigh 90-150kg. You wont see it and you will end up running at a serious loss. Look at the margin u make when you buy 2 month old weaners at 4500 and keep them for 8 months:
Compounded feed and spent grains: 4972
Housing: 2222
Attendant and other costs:555

Total cost including animal purchase: 12069
Min weight will be 55kg and @ 450/kg equals 24750
Profit is 12681.
Even if profits are 10000, with 30 animals you know what you will make.

When you start breeding, that 4500 enters your pocket.

money4god:
Please how much is the live weight price per kilo of pigs at Oke Aro?

Both New and Old farms 450-480

Acidosis:
I have edited her name cos she's here, I don't want attacks





OP, you see?

Lol..... Blanking out the name wont save us from catching the poster..... Just delete d name totally

Proof:
Below are three of my females. The first gave birth to the second and it was bought for 3000 in those days. The first farrows a minimum of 10 everytime and is pregnant for the 4th time. Its daughter in the 2nd pix farrows a minimum of 12 and is pregnant for the 2nd time. The black sow in the last pix farrowed on Saturday morning and dropped 9 that we saw.
No 1 weighs 104
No 2 weighs 80
No 3 weighed 90 when we checked last

They are all normal breeds but crossed with a Camborough boar we bought for 10k.

FashPet:
I really appreciate many of the farmers who have been helping other farmers out in providing relevant information for all and sundry to be successful farmers.
But it is paramount to also know that you must be careful in dealing with people especially when it comes to money matter because where good people abound, there's all possibility of having some bad eggs who will like to take advantage of young /new farmers.
Some will over rate the prices of their animals and advertise it as exotic breeds whereas it's not the truth.
This platform is a platform for young to learn/grow and come back with testimonies. Consequently, it's a platform to share relevant experiences and not to make them fear by telling them exorbitant rates when such an individual is just looking for a way of survival and profit.
Some people want to be using it as an avenue to shipwreck others whereas such people may not have any farm anywhere They may do that by giving outrageous prices for weaners, gilt e.t.c which is not supposed to be.
My advice to everyone is that exotic breeds are good but if proper nutrition is not observed, the animal won't still grow or reach the market weight at the actual time. Therefore, let your focus be focused more on how you can feed your animals well with balanced diet and not getting weaners claimed to be exotic for 15k, 20k, 30k.
Get the ones of 3k, 4k and feed them with correct diet and you will see the result. You can do the test by getting both exotic and feed them with the same feeds and you will see practically for yourself.

I am talking from experience as a practical farmer. This is open for criticism by some people who might have been offended and other good farmers in the house.
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Have a great day!

In this, i pitch my tent with you. Because of the percieved profitability of the piggery industry, a lot of people have decided to be wicked and inconsiderate to others. Apart from those who have no farms and pose as farmers, real farmers too are a bottleneck and most of them are as greedy as their pigs. How can a farmer sell exotic animals for 15k? You see all kinds of wickedness going on, farmers trying to exploit newbies and they end up running many of them out of the business.
I will continually say this: breeds are just long talk except you want to go into breeding; then i advise you buy an exotic boar not sow. God bless you for this post

money4god:
how much for your weaners and how what is their average weight?

4000-4500. weaners arent sold by weight. They are 8 weeks old

SinaAkinsanya:
What is going price for various types of weaners i.e concorted vs concorted, concorted vs exotic, exotic vs exotic?
Thanks

4000-4500 for other breeds
8000-10000 for exotic depending on who you meet.

tayo52:
baba u are on point that the reason y I preach camboro male weaners but sum pipu decided to tag me as breed promoter then I resr my case

Lol!! The funny thing is that of my 2 males, one is a Camborough and he is superb. All females he has crossed farrowed a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 12. And they are all doing well. Note that my females are all confused breeds though because of our good eyes, we picked lovely looking weaners while purchasing. I should post their pics soon