Pig farmimg in kenya

Pig Farming in Kenya is one of the
most profitable agricultural ventures.
Pigs are not very demanding to keep
unlike poultry.

The three ingredients
to a successful pig farming operation
are getting the right breed, giving
the right feed and Proper care.

wessex pig

Pig farming can be practiced as an
independent venture or as apart of
mixed farming operations. You can
keep pigs alongside dairy cattle and
feed the pigs the same food.

The good thing about pigs is that they
can also feed on food remains that
can be collected from hotels and
restaurants. Moreover, Pig farming
requires small portions of land.

Information.

Some of the pig breeds found in
Kenya are; Large White (Yorkshire),
Middle White, Berkshire, Wessex
Saddle black and Landrace.

You can visit Farmers Choice pig unit
and you will get very useful
information on pig rearing and market
information. You can even acquire
your parent stock and even feeds
from them.

male pig

Market.

In as far as the market is concerned;
demand is higher than supply however
you should be weary of middle men who
might want to exploit you by offering
low purchasing prices.

The market hits the peak at the
same time as the tourism peak i.e.
(June to August) and (December to
January). The demand for pork during
this season is very high and farmers
target this period.

female pig

When tourism is off peak, the market
suffers from low pig prices.
Products present in the market
include; bacon, ham, pies, rolls,
sausages, pork cuts, tallow & lard. Pig
manure is used on farms as fertilizer.

Additionally, Farmers choice – the
biggest player in the industry can
guarantee you ready market if you
meet their standards.

Challenges.

Getting commercial pig feed has been
to be a challenge to upcoming farmers.
However you can be creative in what
you feed the pigs.

For some, the challenge could be
cultural and religious perceptions about
pigs and the notion that pigs are
unclean animals.

Feeds.

Pigs feed on both grains and meat.
They can also be fed with cooked
table scraps and vegetables. they also
benefit from having a diet with
protein from soybeans or cooked meat.

The type of Pig feed is determined by
age of the pigs.
Feeding them on minerals including
cotton seed cake, fish meal, sunflower
etc increases the rate of growth.

Housing.

As far as housing is concerned, it
depends on the number you intend to
keep. A 10X12 ft house can fit a
mother and her children, three to
four mothers alone, or 8-10 growing
piglets.

pig housing

The floor should be cemented and
slanting so that no water or urine
collects inside the house. this makes
cleaning easier. It also helps in pest
control. One course of stone is will do.

The walls can be off-cuts and iron
sheets can be used for roofing. You
don’t have to use expensive materials
to construct the house.

The house requires proper drainage
and insulation. Pigs are sensitive to
temperature changes especially the
piglets and they need proper care.

The floor should be
Good, housing is crucial because it
determines the survival rate of piglets
as much 85 %. It also plays a role in
making the pigs gain a market weight
in the shortest possible time.

Pig Management Tips.

The quality of the original stock will
determine the profitability of a pig
project. The ideal breeding stock
should be of a good growth rate, to
facilitate efficient feed conversion for
the offspring and disease resistance.

You can find such stock at Farmer’s
Choice pig units.
In case pig farming in Kenya is a
business venture that you are
interested in, I have provided below
links to sites which are very detailed
on what you should do.

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