₦airaland Forum

Fattening pigs
The main objective to use probiotics in this phase would be to enhance productivity. Scientific literature published until now would support the idea that although older pigs have more developed immunity, and capacity to resist intestinal disorders, there is still a margin for probiotics to act and potentiate growth; especially in early growing phases or high-density diets (Meng et al. 2010). Improvement of the final meat quality and organoleptic properties could also be another target for probiotics in this phase, as probiotics have been described to affect meat color, marbling and firmness scores (Černauskienė et al., 2011); and reduce potentially zoonotic infections such as Salmonella spp. (Casey et al., 2007). Finally, a weakly explored but interesting potential of probiotics is to reduce environmental pollutants from animal manure. Several probiotics have been reported to be capable of reducing potential pollutants from manure such as fecal noxious gas (H2S) or ammonia (NH3) content, particularly in pigs fed high-nutrient density diets (Yan and Kim, 2013). The direct mechanisms for these effects are still unknown, although indirect mechanisms such as improving feed efficiency, nutrient retention and modulation of gut microbiota are probably involved.
Support sow longevity with probiotics
Optimal body condition score at the end of the lactation period positively influences the longevity of the sows. Use of dietary probiotics has proven to reduce weight losses during the lactation period and as a result, improve sow fertility. Additionally, probiotics are able to increase piglet weaning weight. Therefore, probiotics seem to be a very promising feed strategy for sustainable pig production.

Nursery piglets
Up until today, the nursery period is where the use of probiotics is receiving more interest in swine production, with the aim to improve weaning outcome (de Lange et al. 2010). Weanling piglets have low disease resistance, which makes them vulnerable to stress reactions and invasion by pathogenic microorganisms (Konstantinov et al., 2006). This can be a serious problem, as this period is considered critical in terms of productivity, because performance parameters at the first week post-weaning can be correlated to subsequent performance of the pigs up to the market weight (Kats et al., 1992).
Probiotics can potentially act beneficially in these animals in several ways. For instance, it has been reported that supplementing weanlings with probiotics may prevent or improve diarrhea (Bhandari et al. 2008), re-establish microbial balance after a transient drop in favorable bacteria (Krause et al. 2010), protect against pathogenic bacteria (Casey et al. 2007), enhance intestinal barrier function (Guerra-Ordaz et al. 2014) and stimulate immunity (Lessard et al. 2009). As a consequence of one or a combination of the before-mentioned reasons, probiotics have been reported to improve productive parameters of post-weaning piglets in many occasions (Ahmed et al. 2014, Bhandari et al. 2010).

Sow herd and piglets
Administering probiotic treatments to sows has demonstrated a dual potential, including benefits for themselves and for piglets. Supplementation of sows with probiotics may increase feed consumption during late pregnancy stages or lactation, improving body condition at the end of lactation (Bohmer et al. 2006). This situation is desirable, because it can cause a reduction of the necessity of energy mobilization at lactation. This, in turn, could be the explanation of the reduction in the weaning–estrus interval that has also been reported with probiotics (Hayakawa et al. 2016). Reproductive-performance-related benefits have also been reported with the use of probiotics in sows. For example, an increase in the number of piglets (Apic et al. 2014) or higher piglet growth rates with greater body weight at weaning (Alexopoulos et al. 2004). Furthermore, a reduction of gut pathogens (Kritas et al. 2015), clinical signs of uterus and/or udder disease (Apic et al. 2014), together with fewer clinical signs of diarrhea in piglets (Taras et al. 2006) have also been described. Finally, there is an ongoing scientific interest to assess the capacity of sows to deliver probiotics to piglets in early-life stages (Scharek-Tedin et al. 2015).

benefits of probiotics to fattening pigs
• Improvement of meat quality
• Improvement of digestibility
• Reduction of contamination by decreasing fecal NH3- N
• Reduction of subclinical pathogenic infections or zoonoses
• Reduction of mortality
• Improvement of weight gain
• Improvement of gut health

benefits of probiotic in nursery
• Modulation of piglet’s gut microbiota
• Protection against pathogenic bacteria, gastrointestinal disorders and diarrhea
• Enhancement of intestinal barrier function
• Modulation of immunity
• Improvement of digestibility, enhanced growth and feed conversion ratio
• Improvement of productive parameters in piglets
• Supplementation of targeted nutrients

benefits of probiotics to the sow herd
• Reduction of clinical signs of the uterus and/or udder disease
• Increase feed consumption during last pregnancy stages or lactation
• Improvement of body condition at the end of lactation
• Reduction of the weaning–estrus interval due to energy mobilization
• Improvement of colostrum quality, milk quality and quantity
• Reduction of gut pathogens in sows and/or piglets
• Modulation of litter immunity
• Enhancement of litter size
• Enhancement of growth rates of the piglets
• Reduction of clinical signs of diarrhea in piglets
• Delivery of probiotics to piglets
• Modulation of stress response

Probiotics are used in all stages of pig production: sow herd, nursery and growing-finishing pigs. Generally speaking, the use of probiotics aims to establish a healthy gut microbiota, improve health, well-being and productivity of the animals (Cho et al. 2011). However, if we are more specific, the practical application (or result) of using probiotics can be distinct in every context

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prevention of death in piglets caused by diarrhea
Most causes of diarrhoea in piglets are infectious but Dr Sue Burlatschenko, a Veterinarian with Goshen Ridge Veterinary Services, told those on hand last month for the 2019 London Swine Conference that death is often a result of dehydration not the actual infection.
"When we look at piglets with diarrohea we tend to think it's an organism and I must treat that but what we tend to forget is what's happening during the course of the diarrhoea," says Dr Burlatschenko.
"These piglets are actually losing body salts like sodium, potassium, bicarbonates and it's really affecting their ability to function normally.
"Although one reaches for an antibiotic, say if it's an E. coli and we think if we treat them they'll get better, we can hasten recovery and improve the quality of piglet by replacing those salts that they're losing.
"That's pretty straight forward. They've been around for a long time. With my producers I often advocate for the use of electrolyte replacement solutions. That usually comes as a concentrate in a jug that you dilute out or you can buy a powdered solution.
"I also encourage you to examine the packaging if you have some there. There are two sets of electrolytes: there's a stress electrolyte that is used for animals that have been shipped and they are coming into the barn, which we often use to help them adjust to the barn. Those are not the ones you want to use.
"You want to use what we call replacement electrolytes and those are specifically designed for animals that are having diarrhoea episodes."

Dr Burlatschenko says that in instances where replacement electrolytes are not immediately available, calf replacement electrolytes will work or producers can use can use a World Health Organisation recipe which includes one litre of water, eight teaspoons of sugar, one teaspoon of table salt and, if desired, flavouring such as Kool-Aid.

prevention of death in piglets caused by diarrhea
Most causes of diarrhoea in piglets are infectious but Dr Sue Burlatschenko, a Veterinarian with Goshen Ridge Veterinary Services, told those on hand last month for the 2019 London Swine Conference that death is often a result of dehydration not the actual infection.
"When we look at piglets with diarrohea we tend to think it's an organism and I must treat that but what we tend to forget is what's happening during the course of the diarrhoea," says Dr Burlatschenko.
"These piglets are actually losing body salts like sodium, potassium, bicarbonates and it's really affecting their ability to function normally.
"Although one reaches for an antibiotic, say if it's an E. coli and we think if we treat them they'll get better, we can hasten recovery and improve the quality of piglet by replacing those salts that they're losing.
"That's pretty straight forward. They've been around for a long time. With my producers I often advocate for the use of electrolyte replacement solutions. That usually comes as a concentrate in a jug that you dilute out or you can buy a powdered solution.
"I also encourage you to examine the packaging if you have some there. There are two sets of electrolytes: there's a stress electrolyte that is used for animals that have been shipped and they are coming into the barn, which we often use to help them adjust to the barn. Those are not the ones you want to use.
"You want to use what we call replacement electrolytes and those are specifically designed for animals that are having diarrhoea episodes."

Dr Burlatschenko says that in instances where replacement electrolytes are not immediately available, calf replacement electrolytes will work or producers can use can use a World Health Organisation recipe which includes one litre of water, eight teaspoons of sugar, one teaspoon of table salt and, if desired, flavouring such as Kool-Aid.

To know more about profitable pig production join my pig production masterclass and arm yourself with competencies and knowledge about pig production. call 08185385212 or text for more information about the master class training

prevention of death in piglets caused by diarrhea

Most causes of diarrhoea in piglets are infectious but Dr Sue Burlatschenko, a Veterinarian with Goshen Ridge Veterinary Services, told those on hand last month for the 2019 London Swine Conference that death is often a result of dehydration not the actual infection.
"When we look at piglets with diarrohea we tend to think it's an organism and I must treat that but what we tend to forget is what's happening during the course of the diarrhoea," says Dr Burlatschenko.
"These piglets are actually losing body salts like sodium, potassium, bicarbonates and it's really affecting their ability to function normally.
"Although one reaches for an antibiotic, say if it's an E. coli and we think if we treat them they'll get better, we can hasten recovery and improve the quality of piglet by replacing those salts that they're losing.
"That's pretty straight forward. They've been around for a long time. With my producers I often advocate for the use of electrolyte replacement solutions. That usually comes as a concentrate in a jug that you dilute out or you can buy a powdered solution.
"I also encourage you to examine the packaging if you have some there. There are two sets of electrolytes: there's a stress electrolyte that is used for animals that have been shipped and they are coming into the barn, which we often use to help them adjust to the barn. Those are not the ones you want to use.
"You want to use what we call replacement electrolytes and those are specifically designed for animals that are having diarrhoea episodes."

Dr Burlatschenko says that in instances where replacement electrolytes are not immediately available, calf replacement electrolytes will work or producers can use can use a World Health Organisation recipe which includes one litre of water, eight teaspoons of sugar, one teaspoon of table salt

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These are substances which when linked together in different combinations form different proteins. There are approximately 22 amino acids and whilst the pig can synthesise the majority of these, there are a number it cannot. These are described as the essential amino acids for normal health and metabolic processes.
The essential amino acids
Arginine.
Isoleucine.
Histidine.
Leucine.
Lysine.
Methionine plus cystine.
Phenylalanine plus tyrosine.
Threonine.
Tryptophan.
Valine.
The importance of amino acids
Field experiences constantly reinforce the importance of good quality proteins and amino acid availability particularly during periods of stress, management change and when the immune system is challenged.
Critical time periods are in the first 14 days post-weaning, and from 6 to 12 weeks of age when maternal antibodies are declining to EP, PRRS and App and when pigs are exposed to new endemically infected environments. During these periods of challenge you are advised to feed or continue feeding the higher quality diet. The advent of segregated early weaning, which removes many pathogens and environmental contaminants that are normally exposed to the pig, has increased the nutritional requirements necessary to satisfy the increased growth. This is particularly true of lysine and energy.
The quality of the protein in the pigs' diet is a reflection of the amount and the availability of these essential amino acids. High quality protein contains all of the essential amino acids at acceptable levels, poor quality protein is deficient in one or more. When proteins enter the intestinal tract they are broken down into the separate amino acids which are absorbed into the blood stream and transported around the body. These amino acids are then built into different types of proteins to satisfy the many diverse requirements of the body. It can be seen therefore, that where there is a deficiency of one or more essential amino acids in the diet, the metabolic functions of the pig are compromised leading to biological inefficiency and possibly disease.
The major roles of amino acids are in the production of muscle protein, digestive enzymes, haemoglobin in the blood, gamma globulins (antibodies), milk protein and in hormone metabolism. Since the proteins used in pig diets are of variable quality, some of the essential amino acids may be deficient. These are called the limiting ones and in most cases lysine is the most likely, followed by methionine, and both are often added to diets routinely.
If the diet is deficient in one or more of these essential amino acids then protein synthesis will only continue to the level associated with the first limiting amino acid. The amounts of each amino acid required in the diet are expressed as a percentage of the total lysine requirement. (Fig.14-1).

Enteric diseases such as E. coli enteritis in the sucking pig, transmissible gastro enteritis, colitis and swine dysentery, which severely damage the lining of the intestine and its capacity to absorb nutrients can have a profound effect on the absorption of amino acids and exacerbate the effects of the disease. It is important when dealing with such diseases to ensure that the diet has a high level of amino acids during the recovery period.

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These are substances which when linked together in different combinations form different proteins. There are approximately 22 amino acids and whilst the pig can synthesise the majority of these, there are a number it cannot. These are described as the essential amino acids for normal health and metabolic processes.
The essential amino acids
Arginine.
Isoleucine.
Histidine.
Leucine.
Lysine.
Methionine plus cystine.
Phenylalanine plus tyrosine.
Threonine.
Tryptophan.
Valine.
The importance of amino acids
Field experiences constantly reinforce the importance of good quality proteins and amino acid availability particularly during periods of stress, management change and when the immune system is challenged.
Critical time periods are in the first 14 days post-weaning, and from 6 to 12 weeks of age when maternal antibodies are declining to EP, PRRS and App and when pigs are exposed to new endemically infected environments. During these periods of challenge you are advised to feed or continue feeding the higher quality diet. The advent of segregated early weaning, which removes many pathogens and environmental contaminants that are normally exposed to the pig, has increased the nutritional requirements necessary to satisfy the increased growth. This is particularly true of lysine and energy.
The quality of the protein in the pigs' diet is a reflection of the amount and the availability of these essential amino acids. High quality protein contains all of the essential amino acids at acceptable levels, poor quality protein is deficient in one or more. When proteins enter the intestinal tract they are broken down into the separate amino acids which are absorbed into the blood stream and transported around the body. These amino acids are then built into different types of proteins to satisfy the many diverse requirements of the body. It can be seen therefore, that where there is a deficiency of one or more essential amino acids in the diet, the metabolic functions of the pig are compromised leading to biological inefficiency and possibly disease.
The major roles of amino acids are in the production of muscle protein, digestive enzymes, haemoglobin in the blood, gamma globulins (antibodies), milk protein and in hormone metabolism. Since the proteins used in pig diets are of variable quality, some of the essential amino acids may be deficient. These are called the limiting ones and in most cases lysine is the most likely, followed by methionine, and both are often added to diets routinely.
If the diet is deficient in one or more of these essential amino acids then protein synthesis will only continue to the level associated with the first limiting amino acid. The amounts of each amino acid required in the diet are expressed as a percentage of the total lysine requirement.

Enteric diseases such as E. coli enteritis in the sucking pig, transmissible gastro enteritis, colitis and swine dysentery, which severely damage the lining of the intestine and its capacity to absorb nutrients can have a profound effect on the absorption of amino acids and exacerbate the effects of the disease. It is important when dealing with such diseases to ensure that the diet has a high level of amino acids during the recovery period.

crest2j:
I want to venture into piggery.. I will need guidelines on how to proceed.....

which type of help do u need piggery is agribusiness and it is very scientific now if u want it to be successful.you need good information training and guide if u want to run a successful pig production

wolffire:
Good evening great farmers. How long does it take weaners of two months old to reach market size sir. If our local breed or mixture breeds are given quality feeds, likes of (soya, maize, GNC and others), how many months will it take to feed them to market weight of about 70 to 80kg sir. Thanks

if you have good breed it can take 6 months.but the breed and feed will determine it.

if u want to know more about pig farming and profitable pig production.join my pig training master class.

Why are pigs in Africa struggling to meet the growth rates achieved in Europe?
Why do pigs in Africa sometimes struggle to reach 100kg in five months? And does this matter to the profitability of your farm?
HERD MANAGEMENTENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTHOUSING AND EQUIPMENTFEED AND NUTRITIONHUSBANDRY




Historically, slaughter weights achieved by sub-Saharan African wild pigs reared in Africa tend to be lower than the weights achieved by European breeds raised in Europe. What is perhaps surprising is that those same high-performing European breeds also do not perform as well in Africa as they do in Europe. Over the course of two articles, we explore why this performance gap is observed between pig herds in Africa and Europe and whether this has a critical impact on the profitability of pig farms in Africa.
To answer the first part of this question, we need to understand the innate behaviour and characteristics of domestic pig breeds and their wild pig ancestors. According to Lund and Weary, “natural behaviour is the collection of different behaviours that pig have acquired and used to survive the evolutionary process. These innate behaviours are essential aspects of natural and survival behaviour”.
To raise pigs successfully and profitably, we must tailor husbandry protocol to suit the innate needs of the pig and ensure the environment is optimised for their productivity.
Living environment
Temperature
Research has also shown that environment temperature is a significant factor affecting both voluntary feed intake level and overall nutrient requirements for pigs.
The preferred temperature range for pigs is called the thermoneutral zone. This is the range of temperature in which the pig is comfortable and does not require additional or reduced energy intake to maintain body temperature.
As a general rule, for every 2 °F decrease below or above the thermoneutral zone, energy intake in growing pigs will be increased or decreased, respectively, by about 40 kcal/da. In cold conditions like in Europe, the pig increases food consumption and energy metabolism to generate body heat and maintain internal body temperature. In contrast, when environmental temperatures are above the thermoneutral zone, like in Africa, pigs consume less feed to reduce the extra heat produced by digestion of feed and metabolism of nutrients.
In parts of Africa where the temperature is consistently above the thermoneutral zone, pigs automatically decreases the amount of feed they consume so as to reduce the extra heat generation thus resulting in poorer feed conversion and slower growth rate.

More fat and less lean meat
During the first four months in the life of a pig (under 45kg weight), the muscle tissue and the bones of the skeleton develop faster than the fat tissues. However, at four months old, this process is reversed, and muscle, which forms the lean meat, develops slower, and the pig body forms more fat.
For pigs raised in hotter climates, they may reach the 45kg weight at the same time as those raised in more temperate countries. However, as they reach 45kg and switch to producing more body fat, they begin to experience more heat stress and as a result, they automatically begin to consume more water and less feed.

The impact of warm weather on pig physiology was further confirmed in recent studies which show that even in temperate countries, breeding and carcase weights of pigs are lower in the summer months than during winter months.
During the first four months in the life of a pig (under 45kg weight), the muscle tissue and the bones of the skeleton develop faster than the fat tissues. However, at four months old, this process is reversed, and muscle, which forms the lean meat, develops slower, and the pig body forms more fat.

Stocking density
It is easy for stocking density to get out of control as your pigs increase in size, but this problem is further exacerbated by the higher ambient temperature in Africa. Research has shown that in intensive systems, stocking densities should be lowered by 10 percent if the temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius.
Stress
Research has shown that environmental stress plays a significant part in the growth rate of pigs. Naturally, acute stress is a natural part of a pigs’ life and this starts from within the context of their social dynamics, especially during feeding and drinking and mating - within a few hours after birth, social dominance hierarchies are established among piglets.

Genetics
Most of the exotic breeds, imported to sub-Saharan Africa have been genetically engineered by scientists in their country of origin to reach certain weights within a particular time frame under some stipulated environmental conditions and parameters, which is sometimes difficult or too expensive to adhere to on the typical pig farm environment in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes the conducive weather, farm environment, housing, pathogen exposures, and staffing, all of which impact the performance and the growth rate of the pig.
As a pig farmer and trainer, people always ask me what breed of pig is the best for their system? My answer is that it depends on the goal of your farm and this is not always the answer that people expect from me. I always stress the importance of ‘profitability’ during my training because just increasing the litter size of pigs (or any other physical performance of the pigs) is not enough. You need to consider how profitable the whole effort is and will be.
I have met many African farmers who started their farm with high-performing exotic pig breeds in Africa without taking the time to understand the fundamentals of pig farming. The price of these imported pigs and the cost of feeding them (concentrate) was so expensive that with the current pig market situation and the price of feed, especially in Nigeria, it was extremely difficult for such pig farmer to break even despite all the praiseworthy effort and courageous capitalisation that they have invested on their farms.
I have also seen farms rearing hybrid pigs (a cross between an exotic breed and a popular local breed) which cost less than the pure exotic breeds and also require less capital to feed (because they can partly utilise locally available feed ingredients). Though these hybrids have performed below the high-performing exotic breeds in physical performance, they are more profitable when considering the return on investment and currrent market price of pigs.
Furthermore, while genetics play an important role in achieving success in pig farming, they only account for 30 percent of the factors determining pig growth rate. Farmers should focus on providing good husbandry and maintaining a high health status in their herd.
Birth and weaning weight
Research has shown that poor feeding during pregnancy, poor weaning weight/size due to poor creep feed, the age of weaning, quality of staff all impact pig’s growth rate. For example, a difference of 0.5 kg birthweight is equivalent to a weaning weight of 1 kg and 10kg at finisher weight. Birth weight is important because it is an area that is within the farmer’s control. Birthweight is not determined by genetics but rather by how well your staff manage and treat the gilt or sow at the very early stage of the reproductive cycle.
Feed
Ingredients and quality
Many African pig farms can only afford to provide pigs with industrial waste or by-products such as palm kernel cake, corn bran, wheat bran and some maize and soya meal. This is not because African farmers are cruel and mean to their pigs but rather because they cannot harvest enough grain to feed both the human population and the pig population.
Research has shown that many of these common feedstuffs used in Africa contain natural toxins or indigestible nutrient forms that actually impair pig performance and reduce voluntary feed intake, thus negatively affecting feed:conversion ratios. These toxins include phytate, trypsin inhibitors, saponins, tannins, and glucosinolates. Trypsin inhibitors are present in soybeans that have not been properly heat processed, and are also present in alfalfa, rye and barley.
Other factors affecting feed and ingredient quality in Africa include the lack of appropriate feed ingredients which is aggravated by persistent incidences of drought or floods. The production and the quality of feedstuffs is often low and seasonal. This situation is further exacerbated by poor harvesting, processing and storage of the feed ingredients, lack of laboratory facilities for chemical analysis of ingredients, lack of trained feed technologists, frequent interruptions in power supply to grind and compound feed ingredients, and lack of spare parts for maintenance of equipment for harvesting and processing, which are generally imported from other countries.
Many African pig farms can only afford to provide pigs with industrial waste or by-products such as palm kernel cake, corn bran, wheat bran and some maize and soya meal
Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are leftover toxic chemical products produced by organisms of fungal origin. Fungi include moulds, mildews, rusts, yeasts and mushrooms. As an organism, they lack chlorophyll, leaves, true stems and roots. They reproduce by growing spores on dead organic matter or parasites.
Mould is the coating or discolouration caused by various fungi that develop in a damp atmosphere on the surface of stored food - this is prevalent where humidity is very high during the rainy season especially in forested areas. The mould fungus may be harmless or even dead but it can still leave mycotoxin (poisonous) residues behind, commonly in stored and mixed feed, and especially in mouldy grain.
Even when the grain is eventually processed, while it may destroy the moulds, it still leaves mycotoxin residues behind. Mycotoxins only need to be present in very small quantities in the feed to cause problems in pigs, such as infertility, anoestrus, prolapse, false pregnancies and embryo mortality. Poor growth and vomiting are also common clinical signs of mycotoxin poisoning. Mycotoxins can also pass through sow’s milk and remain behind in any slaughtered carcase.
Mycotoxins are an important issue and many pig farms are suffering problems in the herd that emanate from using mycotoxin infected grains and feed ingredients. There is also a lack of awareness in farming communities that mycotoxins are a major cause of productivity decline and sickness in the herd.
While the mycotoxin problem is present on every continent, it is more pronounced in African farms because of the following reasons:
1. the high heat and humidity in Africa provides a perfect environment for fungal growth.
2. Maize and groundnut are a cheaper alternative to soya meal and fishmeal but also provide optimal conditions for fungi.
3. There is also increased use of by-products such as brewery waste, rice and corn and wheat bran as an alternative feed ingredient to reduce feed costs. This factory waste often have a high degree of mycotoxin contamination.
4. Increased mixture of crops grown under different climatic conditions eg, savannah in the north and humid southwest which, when mixed together, can result in a wide spectrum of mycotoxin presence, made more acute in their effects on the pig, poor harvesting method and substandard storage facilities which crack the protective grain pericarp before any drying process takes place and allows surface moulds to gain entry. Poor storage of moist grain (grain with more than 13 percent moisture) – this is common in West Africa, especially where grains are harvested during the rainy season and are not allowed to dry properly and finally, keeping feed that is in a bag on a bare floor or on the wall instead of silo is very common in Africa and this can increase moulding of feed. Such feed should have been stored on the farm on a rack and away from the wall.
Frequency of feeding
For the high-performing exotic pigs to achieve 100kg in 5 months, they need to be fed ad libitum. Ad lib is the feeding management through which pigs are offered as much food as they want. That is, they always have feed in their feeding trough at their disposal 24/7 thus allowing pigs to grow faster as there is less competition for feed.
However, in most African farms, pigs are ration fed with very limited amounts of feed, normally lower than the amount that they can eat (the feed is not available 24 hours a day). While this lowers the cost of food for farmers, it also slows growth rate.

Why are pigs in Africa struggling to meet the growth rates achieved in Europe?
Why do pigs in Africa sometimes struggle to reach 100kg in five months? And does this matter to the profitability of your farm?
HERD MANAGEMENTENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTHOUSING AND EQUIPMENTFEED AND NUTRITIONHUSBANDRY




Historically, slaughter weights achieved by sub-Saharan African wild pigs reared in Africa tend to be lower than the weights achieved by European breeds raised in Europe. What is perhaps surprising is that those same high-performing European breeds also do not perform as well in Africa as they do in Europe. Over the course of two articles, we explore why this performance gap is observed between pig herds in Africa and Europe and whether this has a critical impact on the profitability of pig farms in Africa.
To answer the first part of this question, we need to understand the innate behaviour and characteristics of domestic pig breeds and their wild pig ancestors. According to Lund and Weary, “natural behaviour is the collection of different behaviours that pig have acquired and used to survive the evolutionary process. These innate behaviours are essential aspects of natural and survival behaviour”.
To raise pigs successfully and profitably, we must tailor husbandry protocol to suit the innate needs of the pig and ensure the environment is optimised for their productivity.
Living environment
Temperature
Research has also shown that environment temperature is a significant factor affecting both voluntary feed intake level and overall nutrient requirements for pigs.
The preferred temperature range for pigs is called the thermoneutral zone. This is the range of temperature in which the pig is comfortable and does not require additional or reduced energy intake to maintain body temperature.
As a general rule, for every 2 °F decrease below or above the thermoneutral zone, energy intake in growing pigs will be increased or decreased, respectively, by about 40 kcal/da. In cold conditions like in Europe, the pig increases food consumption and energy metabolism to generate body heat and maintain internal body temperature. In contrast, when environmental temperatures are above the thermoneutral zone, like in Africa, pigs consume less feed to reduce the extra heat produced by digestion of feed and metabolism of nutrients.
In parts of Africa where the temperature is consistently above the thermoneutral zone, pigs automatically decreases the amount of feed they consume so as to reduce the extra heat generation thus resulting in poorer feed conversion and slower growth rate.

More fat and less lean meat
During the first four months in the life of a pig (under 45kg weight), the muscle tissue and the bones of the skeleton develop faster than the fat tissues. However, at four months old, this process is reversed, and muscle, which forms the lean meat, develops slower, and the pig body forms more fat.
For pigs raised in hotter climates, they may reach the 45kg weight at the same time as those raised in more temperate countries. However, as they reach 45kg and switch to producing more body fat, they begin to experience more heat stress and as a result, they automatically begin to consume more water and less feed.

The impact of warm weather on pig physiology was further confirmed in recent studies which show that even in temperate countries, breeding and carcase weights of pigs are lower in the summer months than during winter months.
During the first four months in the life of a pig (under 45kg weight), the muscle tissue and the bones of the skeleton develop faster than the fat tissues. However, at four months old, this process is reversed, and muscle, which forms the lean meat, develops slower, and the pig body forms more fat.

Stocking density
It is easy for stocking density to get out of control as your pigs increase in size, but this problem is further exacerbated by the higher ambient temperature in Africa. Research has shown that in intensive systems, stocking densities should be lowered by 10 percent if the temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius.
Stress
Research has shown that environmental stress plays a significant part in the growth rate of pigs. Naturally, acute stress is a natural part of a pigs’ life and this starts from within the context of their social dynamics, especially during feeding and drinking and mating - within a few hours after birth, social dominance hierarchies are established among piglets.

Genetics
Most of the exotic breeds, imported to sub-Saharan Africa have been genetically engineered by scientists in their country of origin to reach certain weights within a particular time frame under some stipulated environmental conditions and parameters, which is sometimes difficult or too expensive to adhere to on the typical pig farm environment in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes the conducive weather, farm environment, housing, pathogen exposures, and staffing, all of which impact the performance and the growth rate of the pig.
As a pig farmer and trainer, people always ask me what breed of pig is the best for their system? My answer is that it depends on the goal of your farm and this is not always the answer that people expect from me. I always stress the importance of ‘profitability’ during my training because just increasing the litter size of pigs (or any other physical performance of the pigs) is not enough. You need to consider how profitable the whole effort is and will be.
I have met many African farmers who started their farm with high-performing exotic pig breeds in Africa without taking the time to understand the fundamentals of pig farming. The price of these imported pigs and the cost of feeding them (concentrate) was so expensive that with the current pig market situation and the price of feed, especially in Nigeria, it was extremely difficult for such pig farmer to break even despite all the praiseworthy effort and courageous capitalisation that they have invested on their farms.
I have also seen farms rearing hybrid pigs (a cross between an exotic breed and a popular local breed) which cost less than the pure exotic breeds and also require less capital to feed (because they can partly utilise locally available feed ingredients). Though these hybrids have performed below the high-performing exotic breeds in physical performance, they are more profitable when considering the return on investment and currrent market price of pigs.
Furthermore, while genetics play an important role in achieving success in pig farming, they only account for 30 percent of the factors determining pig growth rate. Farmers should focus on providing good husbandry and maintaining a high health status in their herd.
Birth and weaning weight
Research has shown that poor feeding during pregnancy, poor weaning weight/size due to poor creep feed, the age of weaning, quality of staff all impact pig’s growth rate. For example, a difference of 0.5 kg birthweight is equivalent to a weaning weight of 1 kg and 10kg at finisher weight. Birth weight is important because it is an area that is within the farmer’s control. Birthweight is not determined by genetics but rather by how well your staff manage and treat the gilt or sow at the very early stage of the reproductive cycle.
Feed
Ingredients and quality
Many African pig farms can only afford to provide pigs with industrial waste or by-products such as palm kernel cake, corn bran, wheat bran and some maize and soya meal. This is not because African farmers are cruel and mean to their pigs but rather because they cannot harvest enough grain to feed both the human population and the pig population.
Research has shown that many of these common feedstuffs used in Africa contain natural toxins or indigestible nutrient forms that actually impair pig performance and reduce voluntary feed intake, thus negatively affecting feed:conversion ratios. These toxins include phytate, trypsin inhibitors, saponins, tannins, and glucosinolates. Trypsin inhibitors are present in soybeans that have not been properly heat processed, and are also present in alfalfa, rye and barley.
Other factors affecting feed and ingredient quality in Africa include the lack of appropriate feed ingredients which is aggravated by persistent incidences of drought or floods. The production and the quality of feedstuffs is often low and seasonal. This situation is further exacerbated by poor harvesting, processing and storage of the feed ingredients, lack of laboratory facilities for chemical analysis of ingredients, lack of trained feed technologists, frequent interruptions in power supply to grind and compound feed ingredients, and lack of spare parts for maintenance of equipment for harvesting and processing, which are generally imported from other countries.
Many African pig farms can only afford to provide pigs with industrial waste or by-products such as palm kernel cake, corn bran, wheat bran and some maize and soya meal
Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are leftover toxic chemical products produced by organisms of fungal origin. Fungi include moulds, mildews, rusts, yeasts and mushrooms. As an organism, they lack chlorophyll, leaves, true stems and roots. They reproduce by growing spores on dead organic matter or parasites.
Mould is the coating or discolouration caused by various fungi that develop in a damp atmosphere on the surface of stored food - this is prevalent where humidity is very high during the rainy season especially in forested areas. The mould fungus may be harmless or even dead but it can still leave mycotoxin (poisonous) residues behind, commonly in stored and mixed feed, and especially in mouldy grain.
Even when the grain is eventually processed, while it may destroy the moulds, it still leaves mycotoxin residues behind. Mycotoxins only need to be present in very small quantities in the feed to cause problems in pigs, such as infertility, anoestrus, prolapse, false pregnancies and embryo mortality. Poor growth and vomiting are also common clinical signs of mycotoxin poisoning. Mycotoxins can also pass through sow’s milk and remain behind in any slaughtered carcase.
Mycotoxins are an important issue and many pig farms are suffering problems in the herd that emanate from using mycotoxin infected grains and feed ingredients. There is also a lack of awareness in farming communities that mycotoxins are a major cause of productivity decline and sickness in the herd.
While the mycotoxin problem is present on every continent, it is more pronounced in African farms because of the following reasons:
1. the high heat and humidity in Africa provides a perfect environment for fungal growth.
2. Maize and groundnut are a cheaper alternative to soya meal and fishmeal but also provide optimal conditions for fungi.
3. There is also increased use of by-products such as brewery waste, rice and corn and wheat bran as an alternative feed ingredient to reduce feed costs. This factory waste often have a high degree of mycotoxin contamination.
4. Increased mixture of crops grown under different climatic conditions eg, savannah in the north and humid southwest which, when mixed together, can result in a wide spectrum of mycotoxin presence, made more acute in their effects on the pig, poor harvesting method and substandard storage facilities which crack the protective grain pericarp before any drying process takes place and allows surface moulds to gain entry. Poor storage of moist grain (grain with more than 13 percent moisture) – this is common in West Africa, especially where grains are harvested during the rainy season and are not allowed to dry properly and finally, keeping feed that is in a bag on a bare floor or on the wall instead of silo is very common in Africa and this can increase moulding of feed. Such feed should have been stored on the farm on a rack and away from the wall.
Frequency of feeding
For the high-performing exotic pigs to achieve 100kg in 5 months, they need to be fed ad libitum. Ad lib is the feeding management through which pigs are offered as much food as they want. That is, they always have feed in their feeding trough at their disposal 24/7 thus allowing pigs to grow faster as there is less competition for feed.
However, in most African farms, pigs are ration fed with very limited amounts of feed, normally lower than the amount that they can eat (the feed is not available 24 hours a day). While this lowers the cost of food for farmers, it also slows growth rate.

Mubby4luv:
Good evening house.. I'm a newbie in the house though I ve been into fish farming for sometime now. Funny enough I came across this page just last week and as of today, I ve read through ALL the pages. Vast knowledge! kudus guys.

Please I ve some questions.

1. After spawning a female, how long before she can be used again?

2. Are there special tactics to turn a fully grown table size fish to a broodstock or one should just keep feeding till it ages and you notice an orange dot in the eggs?

3. After a successful Hatch, do you need any antibiotics or vitamins for the fries or you just keep feeding them and observing the regular water management?

4. What is the sequence of feed size fries should be feed prior to age/weeks.

5. When is the appropriate time (weeks) to move them outside the hatchery/vat.

Thank you, awaiting your responses.

1.The female can be reused at about 3 months
2.yes ,after they have reached table size u change their diet and nutrition to a more protenous diet
3.it is optional some just feed ,siphon and clean the vat while and sort while others add medication to thier feed to boost their growth and immune
4.you start from 0.2 or 0.3 to 0.5 to 0.8 to 1.5
5.The vat and hatchery doubles as your nursery,you will only need to sort affectively according to sizes because they start canibalizing from 3rd day of hatching kn owing that catfish is highly cannibalistic. you need to go for few practical sessions or just watch the procedure fom start to finish. i have some e-books that i can send to u if u drop ur whatsapp

Offorcs:
Sir I intend going into commercial pig farming but I don't have the knowledge at all. What is your advice for me? What do I do first? How can I get the knowledge that I need to raise at least 10 sows for breeding for a start? Can I get them here on nairaland?

you will need to buy and invest in knowledge. if ready contact me

manuelreports:
They should stop troubling people, Coronavirus is not for blacks. How many blacks have died from the sickness. Our lack of indepth research dexterity have made up copy what ever black man does whether it suits us or not.

for your information it has killed more blacks proportionally in new york

what is the fate of our single mothers now?the way people are sounding here it is just like they have committed an heinous crime by the mistake.is there no way of dealing with them including their baggage. this is a lesson to our single ladies to avoid premarital sex so that the mistake of baby mama wount come up and men turning them to them to lepers.

This are is also a lesson for us to learn concern concerning our attitude to people that come here to seek for help.if u can help park well and let people who want to help do their thing.don't turn to an antagonistic demon sent from the pit of hell.only raise alarm if u are sure and have concrete evidence to back up your claim that u have tendered.don't let us have innocent blood hanging on our neck without knowing