Raising different breeds of pigs for meat
Raising pigs for meat is a good investment of money. Pork is a product in demand on the market. It is part of smoked bacon, sausages, it is used in the preparation of first and second courses, therefore, raising pigs at home as a business is very profitable.
Raising pigs for meat
It is possible to fatten piglets for meat at home using both self-prepared mash and professional feed of various classes.
A pig breeding business needs to be planned thoroughly, for this you need to take a responsible approach to the choice of breed, see photos and videos about pigs, and study the description.
Pig breeding as a business can be started without a lot of start-up capital. First, it is enough to have a few specimens for a sample. As soon as it becomes clear that the business is to your liking, you can expand the economy and establish production.
Pros of raising pigs for meat
Pig business at home has its advantages:
- Short gestation period. A sow's pregnancy lasts about 3 months. Piglets also do not feed on milk for a long time. Their period of infancy lasts 1-2 months.
- Pigs are fertile animals. The sow gives birth to up to 10 babies at a time. In a year, a pig gives offspring up to 2-3 times, which means that 20-30 piglets per year are provided to the owner. This is a remarkable indicator when comparing pigs with goats, sheep, cows.
- Pigs gain weight quickly. If you feed them correctly, a piglet weighs about 100 kg in six months.
- There is very little waste from the pigs after slaughter. Ready-made meat makes up 73% of the weight of the live pig. Other types of large and small livestock cannot boast of such a small percentage of waste.
The positive side of raising pigs
From the above, it can be seen that from a pig you can get offspring, which in adulthood will give more than 3,000 kg per year of pure meat product. Now it's worth going to the market and finding 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 to buy and keep animals until a stable income from the business is established.
Cost items for a novice pig breeder are as follows:
- Registration of a pig farm.
- Purchase of feed.
- Rent or purchase of a land plot and premises, if they are not available.
- Purchase of special equipment.
- Purchase of animals for breeding.
The most common form of ownership in this case is private enterprise. However, if the farm population is less than 100 individuals, it can be omitted. It is more profitable to arrange this business as a personal farm. The advantage of this activity is that a small pig farm is a family business that does not require hiring employees.
Novice Pig Breeder Expenses
To spend less effort, it is better to conclude an agreement with the service station. This organization is engaged in the supply of fodder and the sale of meat products.
Before purchasing livestock, you need to draw up a business plan that takes into account the amount of initial capital, estimated income, sales markets. It is also worth considering whether the owner will sell the meat and lard in their original form, or they 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.
It will depend on the volume of production how it is more profitable to arrange a business: as an individual entrepreneur or a private farm. To do this, it is best to consult with a competent lawyer or first study the relevant legislative framework yourself.
Pig farm organization
One of the main questions that arises before the owner of a pig herd is where to keep the animals? Of course, you can rent an old building of a suitable format in the neighborhood, renovate it or rebuild it, but this requires capital investments, rent payments, and competent legal assistance. This is the reason why many people choose to build a farm on their land. This will require a larger financial investment, but such a structure will be fully owned by 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 structure 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. It should not be colder than 12 ° C in the stable, it should be light, cleaned, and drafts should be avoided. If you immediately carry out water supply and sewerage, cleaning the premises will be easy, and timely cleaning is the key to a healthy livestock.
Pig farm
Pigs, despite popular belief, do not like dirt, therefore, so that cleaning and other moments of care do not take a lot of effort, you need to mount at least primitive automation.
Every month in the pigsty it is necessary to carry out processing, several times a week the room is ventilated. This eliminates disease-causing microorganisms. A room for mothers with children should also be provided in the pigsty, only then the business of any piglets at home will bring benefits. It must be warm, clean, and the air must be fresh.
Pig breed selection
Before purchasing a livestock, the owner must decide on the choice of the breed. All are suitable for commercial cultivation, but each has its own characteristics that make it more beneficial under certain conditions.
Pig breeds
Pigs are raised, depending on the purpose. So, there is a division of all breeds into three types:
- Greasy - Big Black and Berkshire.
- Greasy meat - Big white and Duroc.
- Bacon - Landrace and Tamworth.
The breed must be able to take root in the local climate. It is worth asking experienced breeders in the owner's region which breeds they prefer and why.
Piglets should be purchased for rearing at 2 months of age. By this age, they are already quite independent and do not need breast milk.
Piglet care
If the owner draws up the menu correctly and selects good quality feed, then 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, raising the animal is not easy. If you plan to leave the purchased pigs to the tribe, you need to carefully monitor the degree of their relationship. Pigs, even in distant relatives, will not give a full-fledged offspring. It is best to purchase pigs for the breed in different farms. You shouldn't skimp on buying animals.
Inexpensive individuals often do not meet breed standards and are not suitable for the tribe.Also, piglets bought cheaply often have a hidden defect or are infected with a disease. You should not even think about breeding such animals.
Breeding requires a boar and several females. If all these conditions are observed when purchasing animals for divorce, then soon the owner will receive healthy, fertile offspring, which means that his business will flourish.
Fattening pigs
Pigs are bred to obtain various products from meat, which means that the owner is primarily interested in his wards gaining weight faster. It is necessary to feed animals, observing all the established standards, it is recommended to select a balanced diet. If the nutrition of animals is improperly organized, does not correspond to age, is not diverse, the meat product will not achieve the set goal. Fattening of any piglets for meat at home must be correct, the diet must be entrusted to be compiled by a competent specialist.
Pig feeding
Buying feed and properly feeding pigs for meat at home is an area of activity in pig breeding, where even small savings can do more harm than good. The fattening of any pigs for meat at home should take place gradually, since the livestock will not gain weight at a rapid pace, and the pets' organism, weakened by improper nutrition, is susceptible to disease.
Sometimes the savings lead to the death of the livestock. Also, the taste of meat directly depends on the diet. So, when buying food for pigs and making pigs and a profitable business become interrelated concepts, it is worth following the adage "a cheapskate pays twice."
Sale of meat products
The sale of pig meat and products from it is usually not a problem. These products are popular with buyers. The only condition: they must all be of good quality, then even the simplest business plan is doomed to success. The tastier the products, the more 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 in the nearest market or resort to the help of an intermediary, for example, a specialized store. You can also conclude a contract with a small cafe or restaurant, which willingly purchase quality meat for the kitchen.
If the farm is large, you should think about opening your own store. Meat can be sold in whole carcasses if an intermediary acts as the buyer. It is permissible to implement it in a cut form, if the owner is engaged in this. In certain conditions, pigs can be sold live to the plant. Piglets usually do well, but some prefer to buy already grown animals - boars and sows. If the pig farm has a surplus of adults, this option should not be rejected outright. In addition, live sales do not require documents from the sanitation station, certificates of meat quality, labor for slaughtering animals and processing carcasses.
Meat products
If the farmer is planning to make pork products, the premises and equipment must be taken care of. The simplest thing is to build a smokehouse. Smoked bacon and meat are good for sale after something simple, they are more expensive, they are more waste-free than raw meat, they are stored longer.
Not only adults go to slaughter. 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 go well.
Investment and return on business
Pig breeding as a home business should be carried out in several stages. A piglet turns into an adult in a period of about six months. If you feed pigs for meat correctly, at this age the animal can already be slaughtered: the profit received covers all costs, this is a direct way to succeed.As a result, the pig industry as a business has a net income of about 30%, if the market situation is favorable for this.
From 100 kg of live weight, as a result of slaughter and subsequent processing, approximately 73 kg remains. The more a pig weighs, the more income the owner will receive as a result of its sale. Taking into account all the factors: leaving the pigs for the breeding, building a barn, buying livestock, feed, etc., the farm will pay for itself in 2 years. In terms of economic indicators, a two-year payback and 30% income characterize pig breeding and raising pigs as a profitable business and as one of the profitable sectors in agriculture.
Recommendations for beginners
Pig farming as a business should be built gradually. Before proceeding with the purchase of equipment and animals, you need to calculate whether the business and the breeding of pigs in general are profitable for the climatic zone and the region of residence, whether there are similar profitable farms nearby. It will not be superfluous to ask for advice on business in pigs from more experienced colleagues. Particular attention should be paid to the following points:
- Write at least a short business plan that takes into account all expenses, including those that may arise unexpectedly.
- The choice of a breed that is grown at home, depending on the purpose of the cultivation and the climate.
- Purchase of fodder for animal feeding.
- Installation on a small automation farm.
- Studying the vital activity of animals and planning care measures in accordance with this.
Pig breeding 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 allocate initially small funds, and then, as profit is made, to develop this type of your farm. It is worth remembering that pig breeding requires not only money from a novice farmer, but also time that he will spend on caring for animals.
At a minimum, the farmer should know how to properly feed a pig for meat, 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 the simple rules for the care and raising of animals, take into account their diet, pig breeding at home is a profitable business that even novice and inexperienced farmers can develop.