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COMMERCIAL PIG FARMING
Modern and well established scientific principles, practices and skills should be used to obtain maximum economic benefits from pig farming. Some of the major norms and recommended practices are given hereunder:
I. Housing management:
Construct shed on dry and properly raised ground.
Avoid water-logging, marshy and heavy rainfall areas.
The side walls of the sheds should be 4-5 ft. high and remaining height should be fitted with GI pipes or wooden poles.
The walls should be plastered to make them damp proof.
The roof should be atleast 8-10 ft. high.
The pig stys should be well ventilated.
The floor should be pucca/hard, even, non-slippery, impervious, well sloped (3 cm per metre) and properly drained to remain dry and clean.
A feed trough space of 6-12 inches per pig should be provided.
The corners of feed troughs, drains and walls should be rounded for easy cleaning.
Provide adequate open space for each animal i.e. double the covered area
Provide proper shade and cool drinking water in summer.
Dispose of dung and urine properly.
Individual pens for boars/lactating sows should be constructed.
The dry sows/fatteners can be housed in group pens.
Give adequate space for the animals. (The housing space requirement of pigs in various categories/age groups is given in Annexure VII).
II. Selection of breeding stock:
Immediately after release of the loan, purchase the stock from a reliable breeder or from nearest livestock market.
For commercial pig farming upgraded / cross bred or exotic stock in good health should be selected.
While selecting a gilt or sow primary aim should be to secure a female that will produce large survivable litter and which can attain marketable weight at an age of six months or less. This can be done with the help of pedigree records/Veterinarian / Bank's technical officer.
Purchase animals which are ready to be bred.
Identify the newly purchased animal by giving suitable identification mark (ear notching or tattooing).
Vaccinate the newly purchased animals against diseases.
Keep the newly purchased animal under observations for a period of about two weeks and then mix with the other animals.
Purchase a minimum economical unit as suggested.
Purchase animals in two batches at the interval of three months.
Follow judicious culling and replacement of animals in a herd.
Cull the old animals after 10-12 farrowings.
III. Feeding management:
Feed the animals with best feeds.
Give adequate concentrates in the ration.
Provide adequate vitamins and minerals.
Provide adequate clean water.
Give adequate exercise to the animals.
The feeding of the piglets is more critical and high quality and more fortified diets are needed for feeding them.
Feeding of the sows during pregnancy is utmost important for increased litter size.
The feed requirements of lactating sow varies with the size of the litter, weight, size and age of sow.
Commercial pig farming should aim at the exploitation of nonconventional feed resources viz., waste from Kitchen/hotel/ cold storage/warehouses, in replacing the balanced rations to minimise the cost of production.
The feeding regime adopted should take care of all the nutrient requirements of various categories of pigs. .
You can get a loan from any bank.
Regards
Ashwini
