21/11/2025
HOW TO START PIG FARMING IN 2026?
Advantages of pig farming.
1. Pigs convert inedible feeds, forages,certain grain byproducts obtained from mills, meat byproducts, damaged feeds, and garbage into valuable, nutritious meat. Most of these feeds are either not edible or not very palatable to human beings.
2. Pigs grow fast and have prolific breeders, farrowing 10–12 piglets at a time. A sow is capable of producing two litters per year under optimal management conditions.
3. The return on pig rearing is high. With a small investment in building piggery structure and equipment, proper feeding, and a sound disease control programme, the farmer can profitably utilise his time and labour in this subsidiary occupation. The faeces of pigs are used as manure to maintain soil fertility.
Steps for starting the pig farming business
1. Buy your pigs. It is important that you prepare the purebred stock from an acknowledged breeder that has quality purebred stock, which is greatly helpful for your advertising and marketing later with instant credibility.
2. Housing and bonding. For the first 4–6 weeks, it is better to keep new pigs away from predators by placing them in a stall or safe quarters, which will also help you keep a close eye on your pigs to observe their performance. Wood shavings would be the best choice for pig bedding, and the living environment for pigs should be all-natural and chemical-free. At the end of the 4-6 weeks, your pigs should be ready to be moved to their new home for the next 3 months before being ready to market, and the boar can be separated from the gilts to prevent any premature breeding.
3. Fencing and an outdoor shelter. It is a good time to start fencing during the first 4-6 weeks, and pigs can be fenced in many different ways. There are three most popular types of fencing for pigs.
-Perimeter fencing with hot wire is the cheapest way to go, especially for large areas.
-Hog-wire roll fencing with metal T posts and wood posts for bracing corners and long spans is a little more expensive.
-Hog panels with metal T posts for support are the most expensive way to go, but they are also the easiest to install and virtually maintenance-free.
For outdoor shelter, it is always better to use the natural environment for shade and protection. A wooden area is good to choose from, but if you have no wooden area, you have to build or purchase one.
4. Pig watering and feeding schedule Be sure you have an adequate and constant supply of fresh water, because pigs need a lot of fresh, clean water. It is a good start to get your pigs off to a good start with 18–20% pig feed. It is best to put the young pigs on a free-choice diet but not feed them more than 20% protein because it can cause scours, which is dangerous for baby pigs.
5. Worming schedule. You can give your pigs ivermectin every 6 months to kill eternal worms and external parasites, or you can use some organic worming products.
6. Breeding. Your pigs should be reaching 200–250 lbs after about 6 months, and they are now ready for breeding.
7. Pig gestation and farrowing. The piggestation period will last 114 days. It will be important that you log the breeding days so that you will have some idea of when the new piglets will arrive. Your sows will need to be separated from the other pigs into their own separate living areas and put on an 18% 12 lbs to 15 lbs diet, approximately one month before giving birth.
8. Raising piglets. The newborn piglets have to be given a good nursery, and after 8–10 weeks, the piglets should be separated from the sow to wean before being raised to market weight.
If you read this long post, that means you are serious about starting a pig farm business. I have a detailed guide or manual that can help you. Contact me on WhatsApp at 078-3122-675 to buy a pig farming manual in PDF (R 290) or hardcopy (R 370) with free delivery nationwide.
The book has all the information that you need about pig farming starting from:
• How to construct your own pig house,
• Decide the pig breed to focus on,
• How to choose location for your piggery farm,
• How to set up a piggery,
• How to make money in piggery,
• How to procure equipment for your piggery farm,
• Buying from a trusted suppliers,
• How to choose workers for your piggery,
• Which feed to buy and how to feed the pigs properly,
• How to maintain a proper piggery health management program.
• How to market and sell your pigs or pork.
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