₦airaland Forum

muyiroro:
Gud moni my people , just feel I should share how far we've gone in our new pig pen. The brick is stronger and is also cost effective compare to horo block.

tayo52:
whatsap me let me send a video den u go there urself n see things,

SinaAkinsanya:
It a combination of quality/ adequate quantity of feeds as well as genetics. Along the same lines, i hear of someone that imported his pigs from the UK at about N400,000 plus / pig. According to him, one of his males weighs about 275 kilos in a little over a year. All the females are approaching 200 kilos in 1 year. He sells his females @ N70,000 and males at N85,000 per weaner. Pigs whose generation have been in 9ja for many years are not likely to give you that kind of result even with good feed. With good breed and feed one can easily achieve 100 kg in about 7 months but the challenge is of course market price of pork. Being frustrated with the growth rate, we have started experimenting with pigs (presently large white) whose parents or grand parents are imported from the western world, in other words, they have verifiable history. My partner and farm manager tells me the growth rate (essentially height and lenght) is a world of difference with the same feed. The first 3 we bought (bought the offspring of someone who bought from Obasanjo Farms) are approaching 90 kg in about 9 months. We are careful about their feeding because we are using them as breeders. Don't want them to develop too much fat quickly. Our LWs should start giving birth in December. We recently bought from IART, Ikenne as well (they are already bigger than our concorted breed that is 2 months older than them) and will be taking delivery of another exotic breeds within a week or so. All of these is to enable us see the difference and create a variety of gene pool for the future. The challenge of our industry is largely finance, dedicated and knowledgeable employees and market. As entrepreneurs, we must continue to work on overcoming those challenges.

SinaAkinsanya:
It a combination of quality/ adequate quantity of feeds as well as genetics. Along the same lines, i hear of someone that imported his pigs from the UK at about N400,000 plus / pig. According to him, one of his males weighs about 275 kilos in a little over a year. All the females are approaching 200 kilos in 1 year. He sells his females @ N70,000 and males at N85,000 per weaner. Pigs whose generation have been in 9ja for many years are not likely to give you that kind of result even with good feed. With good breed and feed one can easily achieve 100 kg in about 7 months but the challenge is of course market price of pork. Being frustrated with the growth rate, we have started experimenting with pigs (presently large white) whose parents or grand parents are imported from the western world, in other words, they have verifiable history. My partner and farm manager tells me the growth rate (essentially height and lenght) is a world of difference with the same feed. The first 3 we bought (bought the offspring of someone who bought from Obasanjo Farms) are approaching 90 kg in about 9 months. We are careful about their feeding because we are using them as breeders. Don't want them to develop too much fat quickly. Our LWs should start giving birth in December. We recently bought from IART, Ikenne as well (they are already bigger than our concorted breed that is 2 months older than them) and will be taking delivery of another exotic breeds within a week or so. All of these is to enable us see the difference and create a variety of gene pool for the future. The challenge of our industry is largely finance, dedicated and knowledgeable employees and market. As entrepreneurs, we must continue to work on overcoming those challenges.

Thanks for the information, very enlightening, however I would like to see the females offered for 70k, I might want to buy some. I am also interested in exotic breeds, where can I get some?

tayo52:
if any farmer can even get 80kg in 7months they will be happy,how many farmer can buy 40k weaners as there breeders,how many farmer are using nipple drinker,how many farmers can use maize n soya xcept using a bi-product,if we can adjust and do this u can achieve it,a lady has a 7months boar that weigh 185kg,imported from UK wen it was a weaner,but we can't pay the price n u xpect 100kg in 5months,we still av a longway to go,now camborough Dat can even improve our breeds,how many farmer can afford it as there breeding stock both male n female?

tayo52:
it depends on the quantity you want but strictly for breeding purpose 1 of them will cost u 25k can't guarantee u how long the stock we last cos na popular demand,u can cross breed the female with landrace or large whiteboar or use the boar to cross breed LW or LR ,then fattening there offspring with good feed and management I can guarantee u 80kg in 7 months or less

tayo52:
some1 offer me a pen in Ijebu ode (mushin) don't no if we can join hand to rent it,22 rooms and cost of pkc there is 25k per tonne den brewery waste 18k per 5tonnes plus delivery if u don't mind

dejia:
Hello Fellow Farmers/ Potential Farmers,


This month ( October) was so fast! i will try and write a few advice for those looking into " our industry".

I promised to write about Management and the Nigerian factor


** Management: uhmm.. like i have written in some of my previous posts, We have 3 major factors to succeed in Piggery, they are

1) The Breed ( Genetics)

2) Feed

3) Management


Management for me is the biggest among the 3 factors, alot of us think Labour is cheap, "why do i have to automate,

Nigeria is a country, where the minimum wage is N18,000; so why do i have to spend so much money on automation? I will

rather employ someone to do the job than spend alot of money ( drinking nipples, slated floors,farrowing crates)"..

Labour in Nigeria is inefficient, unreliable, scarce and one of the biggest challenges most farmers in Africa .

In Nigeria its worse, in my 3years as a pig farmer, i have lost count of how many farm workers i have employed, i have tried, Togolese, Benue, Igbo, Yoruba

Tiv, Nassawa boys etc... Most of them work when you are there, they work when they want to and dont follow instructions.

They also dont come cheap.this is a major factor constraint in our industry. Pigs have specific time they need to be fed, to convert it ultimately

; i love to compare pigs with human beings, what is the point, when instead of you giving a child food 3 times a day,

you put his breakfast and lunch in the microwave and at night, you give him the 3 meals.. will that child be as healthy as

a child given his 3 meals has at when due?


** Skilled Labour: Well, am sorry to say,.. the graduates coming out of Nigerian Universities these days are something else..

I have employed Master degree holders, who will cross their legs and do nothing and cant even keep farm records. some cant use Ms.excel

I have employed a Vet Doctor, who couldnt diffreniate between a castrate Male pig from an uncastrate pig.

You have so many people claiming to be vet doctors who cant inject correctly, who cant read pig behaviours;

There are quacks who claim to be vet doctors. all these are big issues that have to be considered before setting up a piggery..

For alot of farmers or people looking at farming " inabsential " ( you are abroad, and you are looking into having a farm

in nigeria or you are working and want to have it as a side business). This is a big factor that i will recommend

you take time to look carefully.


The Nigerian Factor:

There are stories of farm manager making substandard feed, we have cases of feedmillers cheating the farmer etc.selling unpalatable feed

Most successful farms in Nigeria, now hire expartriates from China, India and SA, not because they know the job better

maybe because they dont understand what is called " Nigerian factor"

I can write a book on Management issues especially on Nigerian factor, i will advice that people going into piggery should

look into ways to reduce it; it is believed you cant eradicate it completely, you can only reduce it.

Also I will advice people looking into piggery to try and automate as many things as they can. Network with

people who have experience, get consultants who have experience to consult for you. You also need to do alot of Research, read books,

there are thousands of materials all over the internet on piggery, some are not applicable in Nigeria, some are relevant while others are not.

*** Farm Record:

Alot of young people ( including myself) are into farming, but most of us are still doing it the old way, the way the

illerates do it, i have visited alot of farms in Nigeria, and they cant tell me, how much feed their pigs eat per day or

how much it cost? Farming is all about " Input and Output" it is pure Mathematics, in Piggery, all we are doing is converting

feed to meat ( for those fattening). You have to know your cost per day, per animal .

farm record keeping is has important has the farm itself

you need to know when your pigs were born, when they are supposed to be weaned, when they attain first heat, etc.

in some countries, they monitor the cycles of their sows to know when they will be on heat.( Secret for having large

number of piglets). You need to either tag each pig or tatoo them, or have a way of identify each of your breeders stock to keep

proper record.


** Digital Scale:

You also need to have a digital scale to weigh you pigs on a regular basis to know if you are making profit or not.

Alot of farmers dont have scales, some have " hanging scales" which i think is " Barbaric " to hang a pig upside down

just to check its weight. Some sell pigs just by the way it looks (lol), this is 2015.. we need to measure correctly.

I will recommend that anyone going into piggery, should ensure that they have a digital scale to weigh their pigs regularly, to know

how to calculate its FCR ( Feed Conversion Ratio) and know if the farm was making money or running at a loss.

I hope i have been able to add another 2kobo to my previous post.