Pig breeding as a business - what needs to be taken into account to achieve high profitability? Breeding pigs in a private farmstead.

The demand for pork is consistently high, so many people want to try breeding these artiodactyls to obtain not only fresh meat, but also income.

Is it profitable to keep pigs, where to start breeding, how to care for them and what is generally needed for this? We will help you deal with these and many other questions.

Where to start breeding pigs? Of course, with the search for a suitable room in which to create conditions. You need to approach this matter especially responsibly if you plan to raise pigs for sale in the future.

Room planning

The walls of the pigsty, in which it is planned to raise pigs for meat or sale by live weight, must be made of non-moisture-intensive and heat-insulating materials that will keep warm in winter.

The best building materials

• tree;
• brick;
• porous gas blocks;
• cinder blocks;
• rubble stone.

The inside walls can be plastered and whitewashed or covered with boards. The pigsty must maintain suitable microclimatic conditions for keeping pigs. The attic must be insulated, and the floors can be poured with concrete or assembled from boards. The outer walls need manholes measuring 70x70 cm, through which animals can enter the outdoor walking area.

Conditions of detention

The most difficult thing is to raise young pigs, which need more comfortable conditions. Purchased piglets should be left in a quarantine room for a week to identify sick piglets in the early stages of development.

Young animals should be grown at an ambient temperature of 18-22 degrees and humidity above 70-80%.

Piglets must be kept in warm rooms without dampness or drafts so that they can grow stronger.

The pig area should be kept clean and the animals should be allowed to exercise outside. Change the water as often as possible and clean the feeders after each feeding. The pigsty requires disinfection every month.

Pig barn lighting

Proper technology for raising pigs involves ensuring sufficient natural light in the room. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on the development of individuals. During the winter months, when daylight hours are short, artificial lighting is required.

A lactating female requires lighting for 18 hours a day at a light level of about 15 lux, and fattening individuals require lighting of 5-6 lux for 12 hours.

Room ventilation

In the pigsty, you need to install a ventilation system that will remove recycled air from the room, and in return bring fresh air from the street inside.

The main thing is not to forget that drafts are dangerous for piglets and young animals, so ventilation should not be too powerful. Optimal conditions for raising pigs are created with a supply and exhaust unit with adjustable performance.

Which breed is better

To do this, you need not only to study and comply with the conditions for breeding pigs, but also to buy suitable animals. All domestic pigs are divided into three categories, depending on the meat:

1. Bacon. Their meat has the most layers of fat, but there is no layer of lard.
2. Grease-meat. They have high quality lard, but also have meat.
3. Meat-fat. They produce mainly meat.

In Russia, about three dozen breeds of different categories are in demand, and among themselves they differ in terms of cultivation, meat quality and weight. When determining the breed of pigs in your backyard, be guided not by their characteristics, but by market demand in the region:

1. Large white. This breed was brought from England, but our selectors made a significant contribution to the current appearance of the animals. Proper breeding of white pigs allows individuals to gain 100 kg of weight in 7 months, and the weight of adult boars reaches 350 kg and females up to 250 kg. The breed is classified as meat-greasy.
2. In the bacon category, the most popular breed in the Russian Federation is considered to be the Landrace. Animals gain a hundred kilograms in about six months, and the maximum weight is 300 kg for males and 220 for females.
3. It is difficult to single out the most popular breed among tallow-meat breeds, since there are many of them. Among them is a large black one. Pigs gain a hundredweight in 6-7 months, reaching a maximum weight of 310 kg for boars and 215 kg for sows.

If you are interested in raising pigs for dietary meat, pay attention to the Pietrain breed. Such pork contains less fat, and the animals themselves do not require any special care.

What to feed pigs

What to feed pigs for rapid growth - this is a question asked by all beginners. If pig farming is a business for you, it is better not to skimp on feed. A balanced diet is the main factor influencing the weight gain of individuals, and the taste of the meat also depends on the quality of the feed.

There are three categories of food in total, but we recommend using the first and second, or combining them.

It is not recommended to fatten with feed of the third category, otherwise the meat will lose its taste. You can add it to the diet in rare cases, and 2-3 months before slaughter, exclude it altogether. The food differs in composition from each other:

1. Category I feed is wheat, barley, rye, beans, peas, carrots and beets.
2. Category II includes alfalfa, clover and other grasses.
3. Category III feed consists of potatoes, corn, wheat bran, beet molasses, buckwheat, etc.

More green feed helps build meat, while root vegetables, corn and barley increase fat. Thus, everyone decides for themselves what is best to feed the pigs.

How and when to feed

From 1.5-2 months the piglet is ready for intensive fattening. During the first 6-8 months, each of them should gain 100-120 kg. About 400 kg of feed will be spent on each individual for this. The peculiarities of pig breeding require feeding piglets five times a day for up to 3-4 months, after which they switch to four meals a day. The main thing is to clean the feeders from any leftover food after feeding.

Pigs are considered omnivores, but the quality of the feed used will affect the meat, so we do not recommend feeding them table scraps.

You should include in your diet vegetables and fruits, a variety of grains and root vegetables. Additionally, you need to buy feed containing valuable microelements.

Piglets up to 4-5 months are fed boiled root vegetables with the addition of ground wheat and herbs (legume tops, nettles). Whey is mixed into the food, and the recommended additives are 10 g of salt per day and a spoonful of iron sulfate (2.5 g dissolved in 1 liter of water).

From the eighth month, animals gain fat, so it is recommended to add more legumes, fatty waste and zucchini to the diet, and the daily dose of salt is increased to 40 g.

Large-scale breeding of pigs per tribe will increase income if you grow your own food, but on small pig farms it is more profitable to buy ready-made food.

Features of keeping pigs in winter

Caring for and breeding pigs in winter has certain features that you should be aware of. To keep animals from freezing and getting sick, the premises need to be insulated and heated. It is recommended to give them warm water, and the feeding method also differs. Due to the lack of seasonal greens, more food waste, animal feed and bran should be added to the diet, also not forgetting about salt.

Beginning farm owners often wonder what to feed pigs to help them grow better?

Pig breeding

Now let's find out, are there pigs for sale? It all depends on the seriousness of your approach. If you learn how to properly breed animals, it will turn into a fairly profitable business. Physiological maturity in females occurs at 8-9 months, and at 11-14 months the first offspring is possible. For it to be good, you need a sow weighing more than 100 kg and having at least 12 formed teats.

In one farrow, the female brings up to 14 piglets (depending on the breed), and each of them is your profit. Whether this business is profitable will depend on the demand and average prices for the breed in a particular region.

To prepare the sow for pregnancy, enrich the diet with dairy waste, lush green grass and mixed feed. Use hay instead of greens in winter. When a pig becomes restless, refuses to feed and grunts characteristically, this indicates the occurrence of sexual heat.

After 10-12 hours, you need to organize mating with the boar or carry out artificial insemination, and after the same time period, repeat the procedure. After 17 days you need to observe the female. If the symptoms of heat recur, the sow is not fertilized, and the process must be repeated (it is better to choose another boar). we told you, but this is not the most difficult thing in their reproduction.

How to care for newborn piglets

Newly born piglets require special attention. What is needed here is not ordinary pig care, but more careful and attentive care. The lactating female also needs additional attention. After farrowing, you need to give her a liter of water, and after another six hours, fully satisfy her fluid needs.

On the first day, the female should be given a liquid mixture of wheat bran or oatmeal, and after a week, root vegetables should be introduced into the diet - they will ensure a flow of milk. The pig will have to be given food after farrowing three times during the day at equal intervals.

As for the piglets, each of them after farrowing needs to be wiped, the snouts, ears and mouth washed, the umbilical cord cut treated and burned with iodine.

Reproduction of pigs is serious business. An important role is played by the mandatory establishment of contact between the piglets and the mother during the first 45 minutes (each of them must be brought to the nipples). If this is not done, the female will not accept them.

Calculation of the profitability of pig breeding

Now let's find out whether it is profitable to keep pigs for sale and how much does it cost to raise a pig? To calculate profitability, let’s take a small pig farm of 50 heads.

Each piglet costs about $40, so the total cost is $2,000. Each individual will require 100 kg of feed and 180 kg of grain annually, that is, you will spend 170-200 dollars per month on food. The profitability of raising pigs partly depends on the quality of the feed, so don’t save too much.

In about six months, pigs will gain almost 100 kg. With 50 heads, you can leave 3-4 for breeding, and sell the rest for meat. From them you will get a profit of about 10-15 thousand dollars.

At first glance, pigs as a business seem to be a very profitable business, but take into account the costs of salaries for working personnel, utility bills, purchase of equipment and feed, and as a result, from one pig you will be left with a net profit of 750-800 rubles per month.

Considering all this, decide for yourself whether it is profitable or not.

Kira Stoletova

Raising pigs for meat is a good investment. Pork is a product in demand on the market. It is part of smoked lard and sausage, it is used in the preparation of first and second courses, therefore, raising pigs at home as a business is very profitable.

You can fatten piglets for meat at home using either homemade mash or professional feed of various classes.

A pig breeding business needs to be planned thoroughly; for this you need to take a responsible approach to choosing a breed, look at photos and videos about pigs, and study the description.

Pig breeding as a business can be started without having a large start-up capital. First, it is enough to get a few individuals for testing. As soon as it becomes clear that you like the business, you can expand the farm and set up production.

Pros of raising pigs for meat

The pig business at home has its advantages:

1. Short gestation period. Pregnancy in a sow lasts about 3 months. Piglets also do not feed on milk for a long time. Their infancy period lasts 1-2 months.
2. Pigs are fertile animals. A sow gives birth to up to 10 babies at a time. A pig gives birth up to 2-3 times per year, which means that the owner is provided with 20-30 piglets per year. This is a remarkable indicator when comparing pigs with goats, sheep, and cows.
3. Pigs gain weight quickly. If you feed them correctly, a piglet weighs about 100 kg at six months.
4. There is very little waste from pigs after slaughter. Finished meat accounts for up to 73% of the pig's live weight. Other types of large and small livestock cannot boast such a small percentage of waste.

From the above it is clear that from a pig you can get offspring that, in adulthood, will produce more than 3,000 kg per year of pure meat product. Now you should go to the market and find out the prices of meat. This will be the annual income from one individual.

Where to start growing

To open his own pig farm, the owner needs permission from the authorities. Also, the future owner will need start-up capital, capital that will allow him to buy and keep animals until a stable income from the business is established.

The cost items for a novice pig farmer are as follows:

1. Registration of a pig farm.
2. Purchase of feed.
3. Rent or purchase of land and premises, if they are not available.
4. Purchase of special equipment.
5. Purchasing animals for breeding.

The most common form of ownership in this case is private enterprise. However, if the farm's population is less than 100 animals, it does not need to be registered. It is more profitable to register this business as a household plot. The advantage of this activity is that a small pig farm is a family business that does not require hiring employees.

To waste less effort, it is better to conclude an agreement with a service station. This organization is engaged in the supply of fodder and sale of meat products.

Before purchasing livestock, you need to draw up a business plan that takes into account the amount of initial capital, expected income, and sales markets. It is also worth considering whether the owner will sell the meat and lard in its original form or whether it will be processed into sausages and other products right on the farm. In the second case, you need to estimate the possibilities of purchasing equipment.

The volume of production will determine how it is more profitable to register a business: as an individual entrepreneur or a household plot. To do this, it is best to consult with a competent lawyer or first study the relevant legislative framework yourself.

Organization of a pig farm

One of the main questions that faces the owner of a pig herd is where to keep the animals? Of course, you can rent some old building of a suitable format in the neighborhood, renovate it or rebuild it, but this requires capital investment, payment of rent, and competent legal assistance. This is the reason why many people choose to build a farm on their own land. This will require financial investments on a larger scale, but such a structure will belong entirely to the farmer. You can also immediately build it for yourself, taking into account all the systems and planning the necessary premises.

Pigs are undemanding animals, but this does not mean that the building should be equipped somehow. If concrete or concrete structures are used in the construction of walls, they must be insulated, otherwise the animals will freeze and suffer from colds. The barn should not be colder than 12°C, it should be light, tidy, and drafts should be avoided. If you immediately install water supply and sewerage, cleaning the premises will not be difficult, and timely cleaning is the key to a healthy livestock.

Pigs, despite popular belief, do not like dirt, therefore, so that cleaning and other aspects of care do not take a lot of effort, you need to install at least primitive automation.

Every month the pigsty needs to be treated; the room is ventilated several times a week. This allows you to destroy microorganisms that cause disease. The pigsty must also provide room for mothers with children, only then will business with any piglets at home be profitable. It should be warm, clean, the air should be fresh.

Choosing a pig breed

Before purchasing livestock, the owner must decide on the choice of breed. All are suitable for commercial cultivation, but each has its own characteristics that make it more profitable under certain conditions.

Pig breeds

Pigs are raised depending on the purpose. So, there is a division of all breeds into three types:

1. Tallow - Large Black and Berkshire.
2. Tallow-meat - Large white and Duroc.
3. Bacon - Landrace and Tamworth.

The breed must be able to take root in the climate characteristic of the area. It is worth asking experienced breeders in the owner's region which breeds they prefer and why.

Piglets should be purchased for feeding at 2 months of age. By this age, they are already quite independent and do not need breast milk.

If the owner plans the menu correctly and selects good quality food, the piglets will gain weight quickly and without problems. A healthy piglet at 2 months should weigh 15-16 kg. If the weight is much less, it is not easy to raise the animal. If you plan to keep the purchased piglets for breeding, you need to carefully monitor the degree of their relationship. Pigs, even if they are distantly related, will not give a full-fledged offspring. It is best to purchase pigs for breeding from different farms. You should not save on buying animals.

Inexpensive individuals often do not meet breed standards and are not suitable for breeding. Also, piglets bought cheaply often have a hidden defect or are infected with a disease. You shouldn’t even think about breeding such animals.

For breeding you need a boar and several females. If all these conditions are met when purchasing animals for breeding, the owner will soon receive healthy, fertile offspring, which means his business will flourish.

Fattening pigs

Pigs are bred to produce various meat products, which means that the owner is primarily interested in his charges gaining weight faster. Animals must be fed in compliance with all required standards; it is recommended to select a balanced diet. If the animals’ nutrition is not properly organized, does not correspond to age, and is not varied, the meat products will not achieve the set goal. Fattening any piglets for meat at home must be correct; the diet must be prepared by a competent specialist.

Purchasing feed and properly fattening pigs for meat at home is an area of ​​activity in pig breeding where even small savings can do more harm than good. Fattening any pigs for meat at home should occur gradually, since the livestock will not gain weight at a rapid pace, and the pet’s body, weakened by improper nutrition, is susceptible to disease.

Sometimes savings lead to the death of livestock. Also, the taste of meat directly depends on the diet. So, when purchasing food for pigs and making sure that pigs and profitable business become interconnected concepts, you should be guided by the proverb “the miser pays twice.”

Sales of meat products

Selling pig meat and products made from it usually does not cause problems. These products are popular with customers. The only condition: they all must be of good quality, then even the simplest business plan is doomed to success. The tastier the products, the greater demand they are in the market.

How to sell pork more profitably depends on its quantity. If the farm is small, then it is better to buy a place at the nearest market or resort to the help of an intermediary, for example, a specialized store. You can also enter into an agreement with a small cafe or restaurant that willingly purchases quality meat for the kitchen.

If the farm is large, you should think about opening your own store. Meat can be sold whole carcasses if the buyer is an intermediary. It is also permissible to sell it in cut form if the owner is engaged in this. Under certain conditions, pigs can also be sold live to the factory. Usually piglets do well, but some prefer to buy adult animals - boars and sows. If there is a surplus of adults in a pig farm, do not immediately reject this option. In addition, live sale does not require documents from the sanitary authority, certificates of meat quality, labor for slaughtering animals and processing carcasses.

If a farmer plans to produce pork products, he needs to take care of the premises and equipment. The simplest thing is to build a smokehouse. Smoked lard and meat go on sale well after something simple, are more expensive, are more waste-free than raw meat, and are stored longer.

It is not only adults who are slaughtered. The meat of suckling pigs (from 3-4 weeks from birth to 5-6 weeks) is highly valued among gourmets for its juiciness and tenderness. The main thing is to raise the livestock so that all the animals are healthy, and the meat and products from it are of high quality, then they will sell well.

Investments and return on business

Pig farming as a business at home should be carried out in several stages. A piglet turns into an adult in about six months. If you feed pigs for meat correctly, at this age the animal can already be slaughtered: the profit received covers all expenses, this is a direct way to succeed. As a result, pig farming as a business has a net income of about 30% if the market situation is favorable.

From 100 kg of live weight, approximately 73 kg remains as a result of slaughter and subsequent processing. The more the pig weighs, the more income the owner will receive from its sale. Taking into account all the factors: leaving pigs for breeding, building a barn, purchasing livestock, feed, etc., the farm will pay for itself in 2 years. According to economic indicators, a two-year payback and 30% income characterize pig farming and pig rearing as a profitable business and as one of the profitable industries in agriculture.

Pig farming as a business should be built gradually. Before you start purchasing equipment and animals, you need to calculate whether the business and breeding of pigs in general is profitable for the climate zone and region of residence, and whether there are similar profitable farms nearby. It wouldn’t hurt to ask more experienced colleagues for advice on the pig business. Particular attention should be paid to the following points:

1. Write at least a short business plan that takes into account all expenses, including those that may arise unexpectedly.
2. The choice of breed that is raised at home, depending on the purpose of cultivation and climate.
3. Purchase of fodder for feeding animals.
4. Installation on a small automation farm.
5. Studying the vital functions of animals and planning care activities in accordance with this.

Pig farming at home is a profitable branch of agriculture, but this does not mean that the farmer should invest all his money in it without doing anything else. For a pig business, it is better to initially allocate small funds, and then, as you make a profit, develop this type of your farm. It is worth remembering that pig farming requires not only money from a beginning farmer, but also time, which he will spend on caring for the animals.

At a minimum, the farmer must know how to properly fatten a pig for meat and what diet to provide. Careless care, as well as ill-considered organization of life, can lead to the death of livestock, and the meat industry will not make a profit. If you follow simple rules for caring for and raising animals and take into account their diet, pig farming at home is a profitable business that even beginning and inexperienced farmers can develop.

In the case when you are just deciding what kind of business to start, it is best to choose the area of ​​activity that is considered the most profitable from year to year.

In the national economy this is pig farming. Its profitability averages twenty-five percent. At the same time, it is worth taking into account the interest of Russian governing bodies in the development of agriculture.

Such a venture is a good idea for a novice businessman. Initially, the invested capital will bring a high constant income. However, the success of any pig farm will be possible with a well-thought-out and drawn up business plan.

Sales of products

The business plan of a pig farm must reflect the ways of marketing the products produced. Only after thinking through the sales channels should you start investing your funds in the development of the business. The capital will begin to generate its first profit only after three generations of pigs have been sold.

Selling adults is not difficult. Problems arise only with the sale of young animals. The most optimal solution, which should be reflected in the business plan of a pig farm, is the sale of livestock through small private farms.

Room

Before you organize your own business, you will need to find the necessary premises for a pigsty. It is not easy to build such a building. In this regard, it is more profitable to rent or simply buy ready-made premises that remain after the closure of farms.

Be that as it may, before starting work in the pigsty, disinfection will be required. In the room where animals will be kept, it is important to organize proper heat exchange. This indicator will depend on many factors. Heat exchange processes are influenced by the age category and gender of the pigs, the layout of the premises, as well as the available energy resources.

The business plan of a pig farm may include the installation of devices in which direct combustion of fuel will be carried out. This will significantly reduce costs. In addition, to create the best climatic conditions in the pigsty, you will need to organize a ventilation system. If possible, it is advisable to purchase equipment for manure removal. This is also important for creating favorable conditions for keeping animals.

Slotted floors

The business plan for a pig farm must contain a description of the arrangement of the premises in which it is planned to keep the animals. It should be taken into account that energy saving indicators will largely depend on the quality and type of floors that serve as part of the heating system in the room.

Their future reproduction depends on the conditions in which piglets are kept. That is why it is recommended to install slatted floors for growing. This will facilitate the work of staff, effectively remove manure and save a significant amount of energy.

Slotted floors help reduce the number of colds and intestinal diseases in animals. Consequently, less capital investment will be required for the purchase of veterinary drugs.

Slotted floors can be concrete, plastic or cast iron. They make keeping pigs much easier and are used throughout the entire rearing process. This equipment should provide good conditions for animals, which will allow the enterprise to receive economic benefits from its work.

Water supply

Equipment for a pig farm must include drinking bowls for animals in its list. They must be installed next to the feeders. Then the pigs will be able to regulate the consistency of the feed they consume.

Installed drinkers can be of two types. They are produced in nipple and cup sizes. At the same time, according to the type of material, drinkers are made of PVC, stainless steel or brass. For each group of fattening pigs, piglets and sows, this equipment has its own differences. Drinkers have their own nipple dimensions and connection diameter.

Ventilation and manure removal systems

Roof diffuse ventilation can be used. With this scheme, the inflow and outflow of air is carried out through the roof. To create comfortable conditions for animals, ventilation through supply and exhaust shafts will also be effective.

A necessary equipment for a pig farm will be a manure removal system. Its self-alloying type eliminates the need for additional flushing with water and eliminates drafts in the room. This is important when raising piglets. The main advantages of the self-alloying system are low investment, quick installation, reliability and durability.

Such equipment is a network of sewer pipes with manure storage tanks installed above them. The operating principle of this system is quite simple. The manure flows through the drain hole into the sewer pipes and is removed from the premises through them into special containers.

Feed delivery systems

The pig farm equipment must include a system for feeding the animals. It includes various accessories. Thus, with the help of this equipment, dry feed is distributed and liquid feeding of pigs is carried out.
One of the elements of this system is a plate-type device with a built-in nipple. It is installed in the center of the room. The design of such a feeder allows for dosed or constant supply of feed.

The operating principle of this equipment is very simple. From a thick-walled galvanized bunker, which is located outside the pig farm, the feed flows through a conveyor into a special separating device located indoors. After this, it is transported to the feeders. For dosing, an opening device with divisions is installed.

A special approach is required when feeding sows with piglets. No special equipment is required to organize their nutrition. It is enough to arrange the simplest feeders, into which food should be supplied at certain intervals.

Staff

A business plan for pig breeding must contain requirements that will be presented when staffing. To care for animals, you will need to select specially trained people.

Moreover, their number will directly depend on the equipping of the pig farm with mechanized equipment. The staff must include a livestock specialist and a veterinarian. An enterprise cannot manage without a manager and an accountant.

Purchase of pigs

It is necessary to approach the purchase of animals with special responsibility. As a rule, pig farming as a small business begins with raising three hundred to three hundred and fifty heads. Before purchasing animals, you should first study all the nuances of this issue.

Initially, the livestock is recommended to consist of one hundred and fifty sows, ten boars, and the remainder should include pigs for sale and fattening. It should be remembered that the purchase of individuals of different sexes cannot be made from one supplier. Only in this case there will be no problems with related pairs producing weak offspring.

Recently, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig has become very popular among producers. A profitable business with this breed has already appealed to many entrepreneurs. What are the advantages? The pot-bellied Vietnamese pig grows to the weight required for slaughter in just four months. Grass is used as feed. This pig is ready to breed at the age of six months. It is also beneficial that the animal is extremely unpretentious in care.

Purchase of feed

Pigs are omnivorous animals. That is why you should purchase different types of feed to grow them. The daily diet should include components of both plant and animal origin. This will have a beneficial effect on the entire process of raising pigs.

Proteins are of great importance in nutrition. However, it should not be in excess in animal feed, as this can cause disease. However, lack of protein also negatively affects livestock productivity. Carbohydrates are also important for animals. Their main role in the body is to maintain body temperature and produce fat.

Various types of feed are purchased for fattening and raising pigs. Their list includes the following:

Concentrated (bran, grain of corn, barley, rice, as well as grain feed);
- green (mass of alfalfa, clover and peas, as well as nettles and tops of garden crops);
- juicy (beets, potatoes and carrots);
- rude;
- animal origin;
- additional.

A starting business with a livestock of three hundred to three hundred and fifty pigs will require about thirty-five tons of grain and three hundred kilograms of various additives annually. Much attention needs to be paid to the quality of the purchased feed. The weight and health of the pigs will depend on this. Particular attention should be paid to feeding sows and small piglets. Experienced farmers advise purchasing feed for such animals not from factories, but from pig breeders who have positively proven their products.

Financial indicators

Calculating the income portion of a pig farm business plan is quite difficult. It depends not only on the number of pigs, but also on the installed equipment. One of the conditions for profitability is qualified personnel.

A mini-pig farm, according to experts, pays for itself in three to four years. This is facilitated by the stable demand for meat, which makes it possible to set a high price. Production is accompanied by the possibility of selling by-products - skins, bones, fat and lard. The success of the business also depends on the growth rate of pigs, which allows them to be sold in the shortest possible time.

Increasingly recently, questions have been raised about whether it is profitable to engage in pig farming at home, as well as how to start pig farming from scratch. It is known that pig farming for beginners at home will be successful only for those owners who familiarize themselves and apply the basic rules of pig farming at home, understand what the technology of pork production is, what is the secret of effective husbandry and other issues.

Pigs are the most precocious among large domestic animals that are raised at home for meat. At eight months, or even earlier, they reach a live weight of 110-120 kg or more. Along with this, they are characterized by multiple births. Their fertility limits are very high - up to 33 piglets per farrowing! On average, if the technology and approach to breeding are followed, I get two farrows per year from one queen, and 12 piglets or more per farrow.

Pigs are the most precocious among large domestic animals that are raised at home for meat.

The pig is omnivorous, that is, it can consume all kinds of feed at low cost per 1 kg of growth.

The very principle of breeding, the technology of producing and fattening pigs at home does not require any special skills and knowledge, as well as huge financial costs. But the price of pork has been growing steadily lately. Today this is more relevant than ever for a large number of people.

The advantages of these pets are clearly visible and that is why homestead pig farming is so quickly gaining popularity among the population.

Video about building a business from scratch

For novice pig farmers, it will be easier to imagine solving this issue in the following sequence:

Decide what tasks you set for yourself. Will you be involved in fattening pigs, producing offspring and selling young animals, or do you need a complete production technology? It depends on what kind of premises, feed, etc. you need.

You should understand what each of the listed cycles is and what its features are. Let's briefly look at each of them.

• Fattening pigs

The most simple and popular stage in pig farming. Its technology is simple - just buy a pig, place it in normal conditions and feed it well. If you have the required amount of inexpensive feed, fattening is very profitable and interesting. Especially if it is possible to raise pigs at home using kitchen waste or some kind of agricultural production (for example, cakes, melons, etc.).

The most profitable technology is to fatten animals in batches to produce meat at home several times a year. For example, the first batch: start of fattening - late February or early March, slaughter for meat - August-September; second batch: start of fattening - May-June, slaughter - December, etc. The number of goals in a game depends directly only on your capabilities and goals. Raising only one piglet per year is unprofitable, because one piglet alone will require almost as much time and effort as several piglets. And it has been noticed that piglets grow faster in a group, because... There is healthy competition for food, which improves their appetite.

You can also put a sow into fattening after weaning her piglets, if her further maintenance is not required.

Both pigs and boars are used for fattening. Boars grow faster, but the meat of pigs is more tender and tasty.

• Obtaining offspring and selling young animals

The benefit of this production is that it does not require a large amount of feed, as in fattening. After all, it is enough to maintain several fertile queens that will bear offspring and feed piglets with their milk until they are sold. Based on the market value of piglets, it becomes obvious that keeping queens is a very profitable undertaking. But you should not start breeding without sufficient knowledge, experience and patience. After all, a small pig requires a lot of attention and good living conditions, and a pregnant sow should be treated very carefully and attentively.

For breeding, it is better to buy a pig and a boar in the spring

For breeding, it is better to buy a pig and a boar in the spring. In winter, the pig is mated with a boar or artificially inseminated, and in April-May it will bear offspring, and the boar is then castrated and put into fattening. But it is better to keep one boar for several sows. It can be used for up to three years, provided that good offspring are obtained from it.

The complete technology of pork production implies that the farm is engaged in obtaining young animals, then raising them, dividing them into fattening and breeding young animals, and so on in a circle.

Can be recommended to experienced farmers or large-scale farms. Simple knowledge and materials will not be enough here; you will have to hire additional personnel and purchase some mechanisms and devices.

Based on your goals, place of residence, climatic conditions, as well as financial capabilities, prepare premises for animals. You can either build new premises or successfully adapt existing ones. It is enough just to reconstruct, clean and disinfect the premises. In this case, you should follow a few basic rules. The room should be warm, dry, light, fresh and safe - this is the correct production technology. To do this, when constructing or re-equipping premises for keeping pigs, make: 1) windproof and frost-proof walls; 2) insulated and waterproof roof; 3) not a cold floor, which is easy to clean, handle and does not injure the limbs of animals; 4) sufficient illumination; 5) ventilation and liquid drain.

The walls can be made of wood (planks if you live in a warm climate, or logs if you live in a cold climate), or brick, stone, concrete or adobe. A more budget-friendly option is often used - infill plank walls. In any of the listed cases, the choice is yours; the main thing is to reliably protect them from destruction, both by natural factors and by the animals themselves, so that the maintenance is comfortable.

The roof, if there is no ceiling in the room, needs to be insulated. For this, you can also use any available and varied materials (from reeds and straw to modern materials). Today, the use of polycarbonate as a roof for livestock buildings has become popular in many areas. Such a roof perfectly protects from precipitation, lets in the sun's rays, which makes it easier to illuminate the room, and copes quite well with the task of retaining heat. The optimal height of the premises is two meters, the minimum is 175 cm.

Video about how to keep pigs at home

Floors are best made of poured cement on a gravel bed. This will preserve their integrity for a long time. Wooden beds are installed in pig resting areas to prevent hypothermia if the floors are not equipped with special heating. It is good to cover the floors near the feeders with sheets of metal to increase their service life, which is important for private farms.

The internal structure of the pigsty is approximately this. The household premises are divided into several separate pens, the optimal size of which is 2.5 m X 2.7 m. Pig farming at home differs from industrial production in that the size of the uterine cage may be slightly smaller, but not less than 5.5 m 2, otherwise during farrowing, the uterus may simply choke the newborn piglets due to cramped conditions. The height of the partitions in the pen should be at least 1.2 m, the size of the wooden flooring should be 1 m x 2.5, the remaining area is intended for the installation of feeders and space for animal toilets. This cage is suitable for housing one queen with sucklings or one boar, 2-3 pregnant or single sows, about five gilts or ten weaned piglets. Video

Familiarize yourself with the feeding rules, find out what the technology of production and preparation of feed is, as well as its storage. Try to buy inexpensive and good food. Do not forget to saturate the feed with vitamins and mineral supplements to prevent a huge number of unpleasant diseases associated with improper metabolism. This group of diseases causes great damage in the process of pork production for many, especially beginner, farms.

How to choose the right pig?

It is better to purchase for your home piglets of the breed that is bred in your area and is most adapted to local conditions and feed.

Video about how to choose a pig

Pay attention to what the animal looks like. It’s good if he has a wide chest, a wide and level back, no interceptions in the shoulder blades, round and fleshy hams, a long body, straight limbs, and a non-saggy belly. The width of the shoulder blades should not be greater than the width of the back, the head is of medium length, drooping ears of medium length or long (depending on the breed). The skin should be even, smooth with a pinkish tint and slight stubble.

• Check your piglet's bite. To do this, take it with one hand and press it to yourself, and with the fingers of the other hand, gently spread your lips. The rows of upper and lower teeth should match and close together. Otherwise, it's a marriage.
• Examine the baby's genitals. The size and uniformity of development of the testicles are checked in boars, and the nipples in pigs. In addition, the pig should not have the end of the genital slit bent upward - this may be a sign of hermaphroditism.
• Watch your baby eat and listen to his squeals. It’s good if he grabs food with his mouth full and has a loud voice, but if he sucks and his voice is muffled, don’t buy him, he’s probably sick.
• Do not buy thin or overweight babies (they may have been fed sweet milk before sale, after which they will be reluctant to eat other foods in your home). Approximate weight standards can be found in the reference book.
• Ask the owner about how often and what he fed the animals at home.

Effective pig farming at home is an achievable goal, you just have to listen to our advice and put in a little effort.

2018-01-25 Igor Novitsky

The high profitability of pork meat and large annual production volumes will make it possible to profitably sell products on the market, with minimal costs in agro-industrial enterprises, which means that this is a very promising and profitable sector of the economy, which is profitable to develop in our country!

The difficult economic circumstances in which the Russian Federation finds itself at the moment have made many types of business activities unprofitable or have significantly reduced the attractiveness of investment in them. However, at any time, the agricultural sector always remains interesting for a competent investor, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Even in the most severe economic crisis, people will not stop eating, and therefore the demand for food remains stable, only its structure changes. Today, the agricultural sector demonstrates the best performance in the Russian economy, leaving the once super-profitable oil and gas business far behind.

Pig breeding as a business

According to analytical data, pig breeding is one of the most profitable industries in Russian livestock farming, providing on average about 20% of net profit. For comparison, in poultry farming the profitability level is about 17%, and in cattle breeding (the industry most favored by the state) - only 8%.

Such attractive indicators are explained by the fact that, on the one hand, the production cycle in pig farming is quite short (piglets become marketable by 6 months), and on the other hand, pigs are the most unpretentious farm animals in terms of feed. Additional positive factors can also be considered the high fertility of sows and the low susceptibility of these animals to various diseases.

One sow gives birth to an average of about 12-15 piglets at a time, and in some cases more. For comparison, a cow rarely gives birth to more than one calf at a time; sheep and goats give birth to 1-2 babies at a time. In this case, the gestation period for pigs is a little more than 3 months, plus another 1-2 months are needed to feed the offspring. After this, the piglets can be taken away from their mother. In practice, one sow can give birth to up to 30 piglets in a year, which is simply not comparable to the capabilities of cows and sheep and explains why breeding pigs and piglets is such a profitable activity.

The weight of newborn piglets is about 1.5 kg, but after 7-8 days their body weight doubles. With intensive feeding, after six months the little piglet turns into a well-fed one hundred kilogram pig, which is quite ready for sale. After some simple calculations, it becomes clear that one sow ultimately produces about three tons of meat per year. This is 4 times more than the most productive breed of cows can produce. It should not be forgotten that pigs on average require a third less feed than other farm animals bred for meat.

Finally, pigs have high meat yield per animal. Waste that cannot be sold (or sold at a cheap price) accounts for only about 15-20% of the live weight of a pig, while for cattle this figure is within 40%.

Pigs are deservedly considered one of the most unpretentious farm animals. In private village farmsteads they are kept in dirty stables and sheds, where cleaning is not done for months. Even in such conditions, pigs feel quite good, for which they received the reputation of dirty animals. However, if you put their breeding on a commercial basis, then you should still create more civilized conditions for the pigs. This should be done not for humanistic reasons, but for the sake of increasing animal productivity. For example, pigs can live peacefully in a fairly cold room, but then their energy will go not into increasing mass, but into self-warming the animal.

The correct technique for breeding pigs involves keeping them in a room where the following conditions are met:

• air temperature not lower than +11°C, preferably even higher; for small piglets it is absolutely necessary to +18-20°С degrees;
• good ventilation;
• It is recommended to disinfect the walls and ceiling using lime whitewash, which should be renewed regularly;
• It is highly advisable to make floors from wood, with a slight slope;
• Windows are definitely needed so that the room is illuminated with natural light and can be freely ventilated if necessary.

When building a pigsty, it is important to pay maximum attention to the arrangement of the floors. The simplest option is a concrete screed, on top of which a wooden floor made of knocked down boards is laid at a slight slope (to allow waste to drain).

In order for pigs to be comfortable and gain weight faster, the area of ​​the pigsty should be correctly calculated. According to expert estimates, one fattening pig requires 3, or preferably 4, square meters. A sow, which must be kept in a separate cage, needs 5 square meters. It is highly desirable to provide areas for walking young animals. Also, do not forget about the need to allocate passages between pens, technical and utility rooms.

Pig farm equipment

Although the costs of purchasing feed, heating and lighting pigsties amount to a fairly significant amount, the cost of paying farm personnel will also be very significant. Mechanization and automation of production processes will significantly reduce the current costs of breeding and keeping animals, but will radically increase the start-up investment.

The biggest labor costs in raising and caring for pigs involve feeding the animals and removing waste. There are many models of drinkers and feed supply systems on the market. Since dry food dispensers will cost significantly less than liquid food dispensing systems, it is recommended to start with dry food. In addition, it is much easier to certify a farm with a dry food distribution system, since the sanitary and epidemiological service is extremely wary of liquid food.

In addition to food, animals need quite a lot of water. This issue can be solved using a system of pipes (these days, plastic ones are mostly used), drinking bowls, pumps, filters and a medicator (a device that adds vaccines to water).

Finally, the waste collection process should be automated and mechanized as much as possible. Depending on the configuration and design of the room, a variety of devices can be used: mechanical (scraper conveyors, rope-scraper installations, bulldozers) and hydraulic (gravity flow or forced flushing of the chute).

If you use all modern capabilities for automating production processes, then a large farm with several hundred heads can be serviced by only 3-5 staff.

Diet and feed

Pig breeding as a business involves a conscious desire for maximum animal productivity. And this can only be achieved if the animals receive a balanced diet of feed. It depends on it how quickly the pigs gain the optimal weight for slaughter, and the cost of meat depends on the speed. The influence of feed on the taste characteristics of the finished product is also great.

The optimal composition of feed, allowing to achieve maximum indicators of early maturity of animals and meat quality, includes grain of wheat, barley and rye, as well as peas, beans, beets and carrots. It is allowed to add whey and herbs (clover, alfalfa, etc.) to the feed. But the presence of potatoes, corn, buckwheat, beet molasses and wheat bran in the diet of pigs negatively affects the rate of weight gain of animals and the quality of meat.

Pig experts distinguish between two feeding systems that are used for breeding purebred pigs. One of them is focused on maximizing meat production, and the second is focused on lard. In Russia, it is the first type of fattening that is most widespread in the livestock business. According to this system, pigs are fed from 3 to 7 months of age, after which this type of feeding becomes irrelevant due to the physiological characteristics of pigs, in which, upon reaching a weight of 110 kg, the growth of muscle mass stops and the growth of the fat layer begins. The meat feeding system is based on succulent and green feed, while fat growth increases with the dominance of root crops, corn and barley in the diet.

Profitability of pig farming business

To calculate the profitability of production, it is necessary to take into account both initial costs and operating costs, as well as all types of products obtained (not only meat and lard, but also manure, which also costs money). Starting investments may include the following items:

• land acquisition;
• construction of pigsties;
• purchase of equipment;
• purchase of starting stock (it is preferable to use the best breeds of pigs for breeding).

Current costs include: