Breeding domestic animals has always been a very profitable business, especially if it is carried out by professionals. One of the most profitable businesses in the agricultural business is pig breeding, since you can get 50-200 dollars for a pair of piglets. Raising pigs at home is a rather difficult, but also profitable business. You will learn below how to raise pigs at home.

Farmers mainly breed domestic pig breeds, but foreign ones are also very popular. Let us recall that pork breeds are divided into the following categories: lard-meat (when slaughtered, about 60 percent of fat and 20 percent of meat come out of the carcass; meat-greasy (70 percent of meat and 10-15 percent of fat); bacon (the carcass contains approximately an equal amount of meat and lard).The choice of breed for breeding is entirely your business, however, when choosing, you should take into account all the criteria and whims of representatives of various breeds.

The most popular among tallow-meat breeds are the North Caucasian, Mirgorod and Belarusian Black-and-White. Pigs of the above breeds in most cases have a black and white color. The weight of such pigs can reach 270-300 kilograms. It is worth noting that in a short period of time they gain weight of more than 100 kilograms (150-170 days).

The Landrace and Estonian bacon pig breeds are the most popular representatives of the bacon pig category. Pigs have a white color, long ears, an elongated body and plump hams and loins. The yield of fat from these breeds is low, and the yield of meat is high.

The list of the most popular meat and fat breeds includes: Lithuanian, Siberian Northern and Ukrainian Steppe White. The color of these animals is, accordingly, white, and their sizes are large. Representatives of the above breeds have poorly developed adipose tissue, which allows muscle tissue to gain a greater percentage of weight in the carcass. Breeding pigs of these breeds is especially common in households, because they are suitable for meat and bacon fattening. A sow can produce 10 to 15 piglets per farrow. In just six months of life, piglets gain weight of 100 kilograms, and the weight of an adult boar is more than 350 kilograms.

In recent years, breeding pot-bellied pigs of the Korean and Vietnamese breeds has become very popular. It is very profitable to breed them. The cost of piglets of this breed can range from 80-120 dollars per pair, but a sow can produce from 14 to 20 piglets per farrow, which completely covers all the costs of food and the purchase of piglets for breeding. Pigs of these breeds belong to the bacon category; they are small and compact, and their requirements for nutrition and living conditions are low. The only disadvantage of Korean and Vietnamese pigs is their weak immunity, so they need vaccination.

Today, many are interested in the question: “Is it profitable to raise pigs?” The answer is of course. In just 2-3 years of maintenance you can get more than 1000 percent profit.

Necessary conditions for pigs

Before you get hung up on the idea of ​​breeding pigs, you need to decide on the technology for breeding pigs. It is worth noting that some breeds of pigs are very demanding in terms of climate and feeding conditions and therefore it is necessary to create special conditions for them. Otherwise, their maintenance will only be at a loss.

To have pigs of any breed, you should first build a pigsty and pen. In this case, it is necessary to take into account that each pig must have at least 4 square meters of free space in the pen. If pigs are kept in small closed sheds, then productivity will be very difficult to achieve. At the same time, it is better to place the pigsty a little away from the house, since a not very pleasant smell may come from there. After the pigsty and pen are built, you need to buy or make feeders and drinkers yourself. It is best to cover the floor with boards and lay a layer of dry straw on top so that in bad weather conditions the pigs do not freeze and contract acute respiratory infections. It is better to raise pigs in insulated areas.

Feeding and care

Pigs have a single-chamber stomach, which is why it is difficult for them to digest foods that contain fiber. Because of this, their diet should consist of 80 percent of feed with a high content of minerals and carbohydrates, while there should be less coarse and succulent green feed.

Pigs can also be fed traditional wet feeding, which includes food waste, boiled potatoes, grain and grass. You can also feed them dry food - crushed grain mixtures with the addition of pea flour and various additives. If the second option suits you better, then you should make sure that the pigs always have water. The downside of this feeding method may be constipation and a decrease in live weight gain.

The dry type of feeding requires little labor, since you do not have to cook vegetables for pigs twice a day and carry buckets of mash. To prevent the pigs from being hungry, it is enough to simply crush the grain in advance, add the remaining ingredients and give the pigs the quota.

Representatives of the younger generation grow better on dry feeding, so if pigs are regarded as a profitable investment, and not as a destroyer of kitchen waste, then it is better to buy dry food.

It is worth feeding grains to representatives of different pork breeds in ground form, since this is how they are much better digested and absorbed. Feeding pigs whole grains is not economical. Yes, pigs will eat them, but this will be of little use, since 50-60 percent of the grain will be released undigested along with feces.

As vitamin supplements, a small amount of root vegetables is fed to pigs raw, and as a main feed - boiled and in sufficiently large quantities.

Pigs should not be overfed. At one meal, they should eat a little less than their stomach can accommodate, so that a slight feeling of hunger remains.

When it comes to feeding meat breed pigs, care must be taken to ensure that their feed contains a large amount of protein, which makes up muscle tissue. With enough protein in the pigs' diet, they will quickly gain live weight. Therefore, it is best to feed grain legumes, fish meal, feed yeast, cakes, skim milk, skim milk or meat and bone meal.

How to breed

Breeding pot-bellied and other breeds of pigs is a complex process, so it must be approached responsibly. According to preliminary data, the first signs of heat in pigs may appear as early as 6-7 months of age. Hunting can be determined by the red genitals and mucous membrane. It is worth remembering that it is better not to allow young sows to have access to a boar at such a “young” age. It is best to carry out fertilization at the age of 10-12 months, since the sow is then completely ready for bearing fruit. If a sow loses her life at this age, this can lead to health problems for both the mother and the offspring, as well as the latter’s tendency to gain weight.

You need to prepare for mating in advance and during the week before mating, it is better to feed the sow with succulent feed and concentrates. It is better to choose a sow from healthy, large pigs with a good appetite, since it is such an individual that will be able to bear healthy offspring. A sow that is suitable for fertilization must gain at least 500 grams of live weight per day. If mating takes place in the summer, then the pig must be released into fresh air so that it can eat grass and be nourished with useful substances.

It is better to introduce the uterus to the boar 12 hours after the first signs of heat were noticed in the sow. To make sure that the mating was successful, it is necessary for the boar to cover the uterus 2 times. If, a month after the mating, no signs of heat were noticed in the sow, then we can assume that the mating was a success.

Pregnancy in representatives of various pig breeds can last from 115 to 119 days. In order to know exactly the date of farrowing, it is necessary to keep a calendar, crossing out each day that has passed since mating.

Feeding the uterus at the beginning of pregnancy is practically no different from the daily diet, however, after the first month of pregnancy, the pig must be given a balanced diet that contains a large amount of nutrients needed by the emerging generation. Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that all components of the sow’s diet are fresh, since the queen’s eating rotten or spoiled foods can lead to the embryo dying right in the sow’s body.

It is also worth preparing for farrowing in advance. Pigs are very aware of the approach of farrowing and begin to behave restlessly. If a pig behaves restlessly, cannot find a place for itself and carries bedding in its teeth, building something like a nest in the back corner of the barn, then you know that over the next week a new generation will be born.

It is necessary to clean and disinfect the pigsty in advance, as well as prepare all the necessary equipment that may be required during a difficult birth. Often farrowing takes place at night and it is better for it to be supervised by a qualified veterinarian, but if there is none, then you can give birth yourself, having the slightest idea in this matter.

They are purebred pigs. Breeding them at home is quite profitable and profitable. At the moment, the Russian government is paying great attention to the development of the country's agriculture. Therefore, if you decide to start a business raising these animals, you can also hope for government support.

Organizational matters

Having decided to organize a large farm, a novice entrepreneur will have to register his enterprise and pay taxes to the state. The most suitable method of organization in this case will most likely be an individual entrepreneur. This legal form does not require lengthy and complex registration, accounting, etc. Taxes in this case are usually paid according to a simplified scheme.

However, it is advisable to register a farm as an individual entrepreneur only when the entrepreneur intends to keep at least 100-200 pigs. In this case, you will have to hire workers, purchase a large amount of equipment, inventory, etc. If you do not have too many livestock, registering the farm as an individual entrepreneur, and therefore paying taxes, is unprofitable. Without registration, such an enterprise is considered an ordinary household plot.

Preparatory work

Of course, pig breeding as a small business will only be successful if it is properly organized. First of all, you will have to build a spacious room for the animals themselves, as well as accompanying outbuildings. For individual entrepreneurs, you will need at least 3 buildings - for adult livestock, young animals, as well as for equipment and equipment. In an ordinary household plot, you can get by with a barn with a small utility unit.

What should a barn be like?

In home conditions, which will be successful only if a comfortable room is arranged for them, the animals are unpretentious, but they must still be kept clean and warm. The following points should be taken into account:

• You can build a shed from any materials. However, concrete and reinforced concrete are not very suitable for this purpose. These materials do not retain heat well, therefore, in winter, animals will become hypothermic and get sick.
• The floor of the shed should not be hard. Otherwise, the animals will damage their hooves and get colds. Usually the floor is made of unedged, fairly thick boards.
• The floors of the pigsty must have a slope for urine drainage of at least 5 cm per 2 linear meters. At the very bottom, near the wall, a trench is installed to drain liquid outside the barn. The conditions for breeding pigs in terms of cleanliness must be observed. Otherwise, animals will become infected with infectious diseases.
• Pens for pigs are set up against the opposite wall. There should be about 3 square meters per head. meters of area. Drinkers and wooden or metal feeders are installed in front of the pens, and straw is laid inside them.
• The ceilings in the pigsty should not be higher than 2-2.5 m. Otherwise, the room will be cold in winter.
• A large paddock is set up in front of the barn.

Keeping and breeding pigs: choosing a breed

So, the barn was built, equipment was purchased, feeders were knocked down and installed. What's next? And then you will need to take care of choosing good manufacturers. First of all, you should decide on the breed of the animal. There are simply a huge number of them at the moment.

According to the direction of productivity, domestic pigs are classified into breeds - meat, meat-fat and tallow. The choice in this case depends mainly on the personal preferences of the farmer himself. Most farm owners consider it most profitable to breed pigs with so-called “marble” meat. Selling these quality products is much easier. Such meat with many layers of fat is distinguished by simply wonderful taste; restaurants, canteens and ordinary people willingly purchase it.

Of course, the breed must be adapted to the climatic conditions of the region where the farm will be located. For example, Landrace (meat), Siberian Northern (universal), SM (meat), etc. are very suitable.

Feeding

Pigs, the breeding of which at home involves, among other things, the development of a suitable diet, should receive a large amount of concentrated feed. Feeding grains such as barley, rye and millet promotes rapid weight gain and improved meat quality. It is also considered a very good solution to introduce potatoes, peas, carrots, pumpkins, and beets into the diet of animals. Somewhat less often, pigs are fed corn and buckwheat. Good results in terms of productivity can be achieved by introducing bran into the “menu” - wheat, barley, etc.

The taste of meat deteriorates significantly when feeding pigs oats, oil cake and soybeans. In this case, the lard loses its density and quickly turns yellow during storage, and the meat turns out loose and flabby. Therefore, such feeds are usually given to animals in very small quantities.

How matings are carried out

Breeding pigs as a small business requires constant updating of the livestock. Older and slaughtered animals must be replaced by new ones. Therefore, we will further consider how and when breeding matings are carried out, and how exactly these animals reproduce.

You can start breeding pigs from about 8-10 months of age. In this case, one should take into account the fact that too young queens produce few piglets. So, six-month-old pigs usually give birth to about 8 babies. One-year-olds are already about 10-12.

The success of mating of these animals largely depends on how correctly the estrus period of the future queen was determined. Its signs include swelling and redness of the genitals, the presence of discharge, anxiety and loss of appetite. When the peak of the hunt is reached, the pig falls into a kind of “stupor”. At this moment the boar should be started. The hunting period for pigs lasts from 1 to 3 days with a frequency of 17-24 days.

Pregnancy and offspring

Pregnant domestic pigs should receive only high-quality and fresh feed. In the second half of pregnancy, which lasts about 112-115 days in these animals, a large amount of grains is included in the diet. You cannot give the future uterus water that is too cold.

Farrowing of pigs is accompanied by pushing at intervals of 10 minutes. Each time a new baby is born. Childbirth can last for 1.5-6 hours. Newborn piglets are washed and their mouth and ears are cleared of mucus. Then the babies are wiped dry and their umbilical cord is tied at a distance of 5 cm from the stomach. The end of the canal is cut 1 cm higher and cauterized with iodine.

If a newborn pig does not show signs of life, you can try to correct the situation by blowing air into it through its mouth, as well as lowering its carcass for a minute in warm water. Thus, farrowing of pigs must in any case take place in the presence of the owner or hired worker. The lunge will be much smaller.

Animal slaughter

The ultimate goal of such an event as domestic pig breeding is, of course, to obtain lard and meat. These animals are slaughtered on homestead farms, as well as on small farms, usually in two ways. The first involves one person throwing the pig to the ground and holding it while another stabs it directly in the heart or cuts it. The second technique involves first tying the animal to a stake with a short rope and then stunning it with a sledgehammer or the sole of an axe. Next, a narrow knife is stuck into the heart, just as with the first method.

In any case, the animal must be prepared before slaughter. First of all, the pig should be washed. The day before the procedure, they also stop feeding her. This is necessary so that the animal is more willing to leave the pigsty (a pig can be lured with food). In addition, reducing the amount of feed leads to the release of excess substances from the intestines and stomach, and consequently to an improvement in the quality of meat and lard.

The carcass of a slaughtered animal should be singed to remove bristles. Sometimes another method is used. The carcass is simply covered with a thin layer of straw or pine twigs. Then they are set on fire. In this case, the skin acquires a pleasant shade and smell. The next step is skinning and cutting.

Sales of meat

Pig farmers usually sell dressed carcasses to shops, restaurants or cafes. You can also sell your meat at your local market. If the farm is large enough, a very good solution would be to open your own outlet.

Pigs, which are not particularly troublesome to breed at home, are unpretentious in food, rarely get sick and quickly gain weight. The meat of these animals today is quite expensive, and therefore the business of breeding them - if you approach the matter correctly - can become quite profitable.

One of the very first animals domesticated by man was the pig. Currently, domestic pig farming is profitable. Many people raise a sow at home and get a piglet from it. You can raise them for meat, or you can sell them as piglets. Sold meat or piglets will justify the work of caring for a pig farm. Keeping pigs at home is not very difficult. You just need to calculate your strength and time, whether you have it, since you need to feed two or three times a day and, of course, clean the manure. This is one of the most unpleasant parts of pig farming. Now let's take a closer look at all the keeping of pigs.

A pigsty is a must for keeping pigs at home. Any shed can be turned into a pigsty. Pigs are not picky. The barn must be strong and warm so that they do not freeze in winter. There should also be windows and, of course, light if possible. The floor must be made at an angle so that the slurry flows into a special hole for pumping out. But if you build a large pig farm, you need to equip it with automatic manure removal. If you have a small barn, you will have to take the manure somewhere or throw it with a shovel. Then you will also need a wheelbarrow to remove manure. The wheelbarrow should be light and durable. In a pigsty of 20 square meters you can safely keep 6 pigs weighing up to 150 kilograms. You just need to correctly calculate the place for them, and it is advisable to make a pen for walking.

It is advisable to make feeders from thick iron. To do this you will need a grinder, a welding machine, and iron for manufacturing. But if you have never done this, then it is better to contact a professional welder. The feeder can be secured to the floor as pigs can turn over the food. But the only disadvantage of an attached feeder is that pigs can go to the toilet in the feeder, but you will have to scoop it out.

You need to purchase or make your own grain crusher. The best option is to buy it second hand, since doing it yourself will be expensive. There are many sites on the Internet where you can purchase this device. Many people prefer to feed at home with ready-made ground or mixed feed. It is very convenient, but, of course, expensive. The disadvantage of purchased feed is that you don’t know what it’s made of. It is better to feed your pig farm homemade food at home. It is not difficult to prepare grinding yourself at home, the main thing is high-quality grain for production. The growth and health of the pig depends on how well the feed is prepared.

Standards and conditions for keeping pigs

Also, at home, pigs need temperature conditions, lighting, air humidity and a pen for walking.

The walls should not freeze in winter with a warm impenetrable roof, a hard and level floor covering with ditches for removing slurry and manure, and good lighting. In winter, if the walls are covered with straw or manure, this will not be enough, and from the manure there will be condensation and the walls will become damp. And cold and damp are terrible for animals.

A new pigsty must be built in a ventilated place. Place it below the house, but not in a lowland, otherwise it could be flooded in a flood. The location of windows and doors is preferably to the south. Rubble stone is used for the foundation and laid to a depth of up to seventy centimeters. And the top can be covered with bitumen or roofing felt.

Materials for the construction of a pigsty are used with good heat-retaining properties, such as shell rock, adobe, cinder blocks, and brick. Reinforced concrete material cannot be used for construction. And the inside needs to be plastered and whitewashed.

Manure accumulations must be removed from the premises as they accumulate. You can also make a ventilation pipe with a cap. If there are small piglets in the room, then you need good lighting. Make a place for pigs to walk next to the barn.

Start growing with two or more, they do not like being alone. When there are more of them, they feel calm, eat well and gain weight. The pigs will definitely have a leader.

The temperature in the room and in the farmstead where piglets are raised is from 20 to 24 degrees Celsius, and for sows – 17–19. Air humidity is no more than 75 percent. Where newborn piglets are placed, the temperature should be between 26 and 33 degrees Celsius. If the temperature does not meet the norms, then appetite decreases and they gain weight poorly.

Methods of keeping pigs

In subsidiary farms and large pig farms, a system of keeping pigs without walking is used. With medium and small livestock, free-range housing is used.

One commonly used method is free range. It can be used at any stage of cultivation. For walking, you need to collect a herd of the same age and gender, so that the big ones do not harm the little ones.

A mechanized and specialized system is used in the pig feeding farm. They are omnivores and can be fed plant and animal foods. This process is economical and has minimal workload. Mandatory control of access to food and water. Such walking is preferable in the warm season.

Animal food should be balanced and nutritious and, of course, healthy. Feed for pigs: concentrated - corn, barley, wheat, oats, as well as soybeans, peas and animal origin fish, meat meal, skim milk. And vegetables as food - beets, carrots, potatoes, watermelon, pumpkin. And you can also feed with grass - clover, nettle, quinoa.

You need to feed twice a day, and babies three times a day. They give everything in chopped and ground form; it is advisable to boil the potatoes and vegetables and also mash them into a grinder. Food should be prepared two hours before feeding to avoid spoilage. In winter, it is necessary to add feed chalk, vitamins and minerals, table salt, bone meal, and crushed charcoal to the food.

Procurement of feed for the subsidiary farm begins in June. Brooms made from grass, nettles and roots are dried for the winter. Rowan is harvested after the first frost and stored frozen. They also make hay. In winter, one drop of vitamin D3 is added to the food per piglet. Carrots and Jerusalem artichokes are grown for food. It is highly productive and produces up to seven kilograms per bush. Maral root is dried and helps relieve stress.

The no-walk method is used in private farming during the cold season. They develop a special microclimate to maintain good reproduction. The conditions from birth to weight gain remain the same.

The camp method is also a no-walk housing system. This system is used on breeding and reproductive pig farms. These animals have frequent metabolic disorders in the body, and the level of offspring decreases. For the successful raising of hardy and healthy animals in special pig farms, especially reproductive and breeding farms, the camp system is an integral part of modern technology.

Pregnant sows, before the expected polling date, are transferred to specialized pens that are designed for farrowing and feeding small piglets.

Piglets that are weaned from their mother are kept up to twenty head in one pen, and young animals can be kept in one cage up to thirty head.

Boars up to three heads are kept individually or separately with walks of at least two kilometers.

Deep litter technology

This technology has only recently begun to be used. Thanks to this litter, profitability increases and material resources are reduced. The technology is improving every year, there is the first experience of how to reduce physical work and minimize material costs. This technology has its pros and cons.

For this method, special bacteria are used, which are mixed with straw, sawdust and manure and a reaction occurs. Everything is processed by bacteria and heat is released. The temperature inside the litter can reach up to + 40 degrees Celsius. In a cold and unheated pigsty in winter, the temperature on the deep litter reaches from +5 to +15 degrees. It turns out that an unheated pigsty will be suitable for keeping pigs.

Using deep litter, what to consider

There should be no cracks in the shed to prevent drafts. Be sure to keep an eye on the water as it may freeze. Use feed with fiber, as this process is responsible for heat exchange.

Pros of keeping pigs:

• Reduced heating costs, heat from bacteria.
• The design is easy to use.
• Can be used on a large pig farm or at home.
• There is no need to constantly clean manure, as it is processed by bacteria.
• Good growth of pigs using this technology.
• Mice and rats do not live in the litter due to the high temperature.
• There is no need to purify the air of ammonia.
• Change the litter once every five years. And use it as fertilizer for depleted soil, since humus saturates the soil.
• The air is fresh and the pigs are clean.

A few disadvantages of this bedding

• When changing the litter, it will take a lot of time to clean it.
• Water in sippy cups freezes quickly at sub-zero temperatures.

Cost for deep litter

The technology will be economical. You can get sawdust for free at the sawmill. But you just have to deliver it to your pig farm yourself. You also need to stock up on straw; it costs about 100 to 400 rubles per bale.

Bacteria cost from 200 rubles per 0.5 liquid. Prices depend on the manufacturer. This bottle is enough for 3 cubes of sawdust.

Measures to prevent diseases

During the weaning of piglets from the sow, she stops eating and just lies and becomes stressed. And there are many other situations that lead animals to stress - a new farm, noise, weaning piglets from a sow. Maral root regulates the action of the nervous system. You can add a decoction of the root to food - this is the prevention of all diseases. The decoction is prepared from dry roots and water, ten grams per glass of boiling water, pour everything in and leave for 30 minutes. Add 1 cup per pig to the feed. Give the decoction for 14 days, after a break of 10 days you can continue. They stop giving maral within a week if they cut it for meat.

Valerian can also be used for preventive purposes. You can alternate the root and valerian. The infusion is prepared from dried valerian roots, ten grams per 0.5 liter of boiling water, infuse and add 100 milligrams per head to the feed.

So, now we know how to keep pigs at home, in farmsteads and on deep litter. This does not require a lot of knowledge and education. It takes a lot of strength and desire. And this pig farming business will pay off in just a few years. And only you can decide how to raise animals.

It should be noted that with all methods of keeping, important factors in pork production are compliance with modern rearing technologies, a balanced level of feeding, creation of comfortable conditions for reproduction and growth, as well as sanitary protection and prevention of animal diseases.

Keeping pigs at home video

Some useful videos about keeping pigs at home:

Raising pigs at home allows you to both provide your family with high-quality meat and sell animal carcasses at a good price. Pigs are not demanding in terms of living conditions, are practically omnivorous and are not prone to disease. However, if you want to get high-quality pork from them or breed piglets, you should carefully consider the conditions in which you are going to keep the animals. Without good food and a well-thought-out diet, pigs simply will not be able to demonstrate all their strong qualities. We'll talk about how to choose a suitable breed and raise healthy livestock below.

Before purchasing pigs, you must first determine the purpose for which you are going to raise them. All existing pigs are divided into three “directions”:

• Meat - when slaughtering pigs of this type, you get the largest amount of good meat; the fat layer in such individuals is not pronounced;
• Tallow – pigs of this type are distinguished by a thick layer of fat, which builds up thanks to an appropriate diet;
• Bacon - pigs of this type have meat permeated with layers of the world, which makes it possible to make slices of bacon from it.

We tell you in the table which breeds belong to which direction.

Table 1. Pig breeds by fattening type

Among the positive aspects of raising pigs at home, one can note the rapid development of animals - by six months, many pigs manage to gain a weight of one hundred kilograms. Some individuals are capable of growing up to four hundred kilograms, which makes their breeding very profitable.

Intensive weight gain does not require you to prepare complex dishes. Pigs are unpretentious and are content with both mixed feed and mash, mash and other home-made products.

In order for pig breeding to be successful, the following nuances must be taken into account:

1. You need to prepare in advance for the introduction of pigs. Both a ready-made barn and a pigsty built from scratch will suit them;
2. Pigs will require periodic prophylaxis against various infections;
3. The diet of pigs is developed depending on what type of breed you purchased;
4. Animal feeders and drinking bowls must be disinfected from time to time;
5. If you do not want to breed pigs, wild boars should be castrated in advance.

We will discuss in more detail how to keep pigs at home in subsequent sections.

Benefits of Pig Breeding

Although raising pigs is more difficult than raising chickens or cows, it is definitely worth the effort for the farmer, and here's why:

Breeding Vietnamese pigs

If you are thinking about purchasing Vietnamese pigs, then you should not be afraid of the upcoming difficulties. Caring for Vietnamese pigs is not much different from caring for other breeds of pigs. The diet of the “Vietnamese” includes the same mixed feed or root vegetables, grains and herbs.

Pregnancy in pigs of this breed lasts the traditional three-plus months. The only thing that can be noted is that on average, Vietnamese pigs are more fertile. At one time, a sow can give birth to up to twenty piglets, for which the farmer must be prepared in advance.

Features of breeding Vietnamese pigs include the following:

• Most pig farmers slaughter pigs of this breed already in the fifth month of life, since further maintenance of these animals is unprofitable. Just by this age, pigs reach a weight of 30 - 35 kilograms;

  

  Vietnamese piglets are slaughtered earlier than piglets of other breeds

• Vietnamese pigs digest food better than other breeds. This advantage is associated with the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract of these animals. A large stomach and small intestines allow the “Vietnamese” to digest food faster and extract more nutrients from it. In this regard, fertilizing in winter and summer will not be superfluous. It is recommended to use hay or zucchini as top dressing;
• Vietnamese pigs have excellent immunity. However, despite the fact that health is considered the strong point of these animals, the farmer should not forget about mandatory vitamin supplements, routine preventive maintenance and medical examinations.

  

You can read more about the features on our portal.

In order to raise pigs, it does not require much effort to create a pigsty, especially if you already have a barn. Before moving animals in, make sure that the barn is insulated and has a good leak-proof roof. Also, the premises for pigs should not be overcooled during the winter season, otherwise the animals may begin to die or become sick en masse.

The barn (aka pigsty) should include the following components:

• Pens in which pigs will be kept;
• Special pits that will be used as baths for pigs;
• The ditches that run along the floor facilitate the movement of pig waste products.

If you want your pigs to gain weight faster, they should be given access to the outdoors, which means you will also need an area for walking, shaded by a canopy.

Features of designing a pigsty

If you are planning to build a pigsty from scratch, then the basic requirements for the premises are as follows:

1. The area of ​​the pen in which the animal is located varies from three to six meters, depending on the breed of the animal and its physiological condition. Lactating pigs require the most space. Accordingly, if you plan to build a pigsty yourself, then to obtain its optimal area, you need to multiply the area of ​​the pen by the number of pigs. For example, when breeding a dozen pigs, you will need a pigsty with an area of ​​about 50 m2;

   

2. When walking, one mature animal requires an average of 10 m2 of free space. Therefore, we calculate the total area for walking according to the same scheme as we calculated the area of ​​the pigsty;
3. When planning the pen, pay attention to the fact that the height of the pig should be lower than the walls of the pen. Most pig farmers make pigsties about two meters high. The ceiling itself must be at a height of two and a half meters to ensure ventilation of the room;
4. Like other animals, pigs require natural light, but too much of it can make the animals become overly nervous and agitated. In order not to disturb the pigs, it is enough to have two windows per ten pigs;

   

5. In order for you to be able to move between machines, you should leave a gap of one and a half meters between them;
6. It is recommended to use concrete when making the floor. You can sprinkle hay or straw on top of the concrete;
7. You should select materials for a pigsty based on the fact that pigs are smart and agile animals - they can easily make a dig or simply damage the structures by gnawing them day after day. Therefore, the presence of cinder blocks and foam blocks is only welcome - it will prevent possible escapes of the most active individuals.

   

Feeding pigs

Feeding pigs can be done in two main ways. You either stick to compound feeds, adding premixes periodically, or stick to homemade “meals” such as mashes, boiled root vegetables and food scraps. The advantage of mixed feed is that everything is already thought out for you - all the useful substances, nutrients, and vitamins are already included in the composition. All that is required of the pig breeder is to calculate the amount of feed per pig.

Pigs fed with compound feed quickly gain live weight, which subsequently turns into tasty, high-quality meat. The main disadvantage of compound feeds is their high cost. Not every farmer is able to provide his pig population with high-quality factory feed, as well as healthy premixes.

There is also an alternative option - preparing food for pigs with your own hands, using improvised means. There are two types of this feeding:

Rules for feeding pigs

Despite the fact that pigs can live on almost any diet, there are a number of digestive features of these animals that should be taken into account when preparing a diet:

• Before feeding seeds to pigs, grind them thoroughly. These animals cannot cope with chewing whole grains, so they simply remain undigested and leave the body during the first bowel movement;
• Uncooked potato skins contain solanine, which is harmful to pigs. Therefore, before serving potatoes, they need to be boiled;

  

• Raw root vegetables can be given in small quantities as a source of vitamins. If we are talking about the main diet, then all vegetables should be well boiled;
• When preparing portions, consider the pigs' estimated appetites and do not try to feed them more than they can eat. This rule especially applies to mash, which sours after just an hour. The percentage of food remaining after feeding will have to be thrown away - it will no longer be suitable for the next feeding.

  

Features of feeding pigs

As you might guess, each pig requires an individual approach when calculating the diet. For example, the menu of a pregnant pig will be significantly different from the menu of a young boar. Moreover, the diet of a pregnant pig requires different components at different periods of the female’s pregnancy. Therefore, it is hardly possible to develop a single nutrition plan suitable for each individual.

Nutrition of suckling piglets

For the first five days, piglets feed exclusively on their mother's milk. However, by the end of the first week of life, their teeth begin to erupt, which is a signal for the young animals to gradually switch to another food.

The piglet menu includes the following components:

• Corn and wheat grains (roasted) – promote the development of salivary glands and strengthen teeth;
• Acidophilus curdled milk – prevents various diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Grated carrots (from ten days of age);
• Silage (in small quantities);
• Boiled potatoes (from three weeks of age);
• Pumpkin and other root vegetables.

Also at this age it is already possible to introduce combined food and supplement it with premixes. If you feed piglets with natural products, you should add chalk or charcoal.

Up to one and a half months, piglets continue to consume mother's milk in ever smaller quantities. Closer to the second month, they should be completely transferred to any type of feed - compound feed, wet or dry food. To make it easier to wean piglets from the sow, you should switch the pig to dry feed, eliminating concentrates from the diet - this will lead to a natural decrease in the female’s lactation.

By the beginning of the second month, the piglets are transferred to a pen separate from the mother and transferred to the usual three meals a day.

Gilt nutrition

Particular attention should be paid to feeding growing piglets, since it is during this period that they develop bones and muscles, on which a layer of fat will subsequently build up. Recommendations for feeding gilts are as follows:

The above diet is used until the piglets reach a weight of fifty kilograms.

Feeding pigs during fattening

Pig fattening is carried out in one of the selected areas:

• Fattening for meat;
• Fattening for bacon;
• Fattening for lard.

With the meat option of fattening, the main emphasis is on protein-enriched ingredients. When fattening pigs to produce bacon, the emphasis is on legumes, corn, rye, and meat and bone meal. To obtain high-quality lard, you should purchase feed with a high carbohydrate content - this will allow pigs to quickly increase their fat layer.

When fattening pigs, you must remember about the components that negatively affect the quality of the resulting product:

Nutrition of pregnant pigs

In the first three months of pregnancy, it is recommended to reduce the amount of food consumed by pigs to two and a half feed units. Otherwise, the female’s diet in the initial stages of pregnancy differs little from the classic diet. Juicy young grass, silage, boiled potatoes, meat and bone and grass meal, vegetables - all this will give the sow strength and will not allow her to gain excess weight, which negatively affects the course of pregnancy.

To avoid calcium deficiency, limestone should be given to the sow periodically. It is advisable to avoid large amounts of concentrated feed, since concentrates interfere with lactation.

After three months, the sow is transferred to feed in the form of thick porridges, which, as birth approaches, should be diluted with water in increasing quantities. This consistency has a laxative effect, which is necessary for the female to cleanse the body before giving birth. In the second half of pregnancy, the sow is transferred to four meals a day.

A few days before the birth of piglets, the amount of food consumed by pigs is reduced by 40% in order to relieve the burden on digestion and slightly reduce the amount of milk produced.

Pig breeding

Puberty occurs in pigs when they reach six months of age. However, this period may vary for different breeds. Despite the fact that formally a six-month-old pig is capable of bearing offspring, it is undesirable to use it for such purposes at such an early age.

Do not rush sows into giving birth to piglets - a fragile body may not be able to cope with childbirth

The fact is that in six-month-old pigs the body is still developing, and the mammary glands have not yet had time to fully form. Young sows often give birth to weak and sickly offspring with a high mortality rate. Moreover, the pig itself may suffer during the birth process.

Therefore, in order not to face losses, it is advisable to wait until the pig is one year old. At this age, a sow is capable of producing up to fourteen viable piglets in one farrow, and sometimes more.

How to recognize sexual heat

Since it is simply pointless to let boars near the sow, it is necessary to take into account the biological readiness of the female’s body. Otherwise, she will react aggressively to the male’s attempts or simply run away from him.

You can identify sexual heat in a female by the following signs:

• The genital loop increases in size and becomes more saturated due to engorgement with blood;
• The pig's behavior changes. She becomes restless, makes loud noises, may show aggression towards other animals, and try to get out of the pigsty;
• Lost appetite.

All of the above symptoms indicate that the sow has entered estrus, which on average lasts for two to three days in females. If the pig was not fertilized during the period of estrus, these symptoms are repeated after the next twenty days. In mature sows, estrus resumes in the first days after the end of lactation and weaning of the young.

Video - Sexual heat in Vietnamese pigs

Ovulation

The ovulation period has an even shorter duration compared to estrus and takes only one and a half days, during which the farmer must have time to find a suitable candidate for mating. To understand that the sow is ready for fertilization, you should approach her from behind and gently press on the rump. If the animal stops, you can start mating.

Determining pregnancy is quite easy. If two and a half weeks after mating the pig begins to show signs of heat again, then the procedure should be repeated. If the pig becomes calm and phlegmatic, then this is a sign that fertilization was successful.

Pregnancy and childbirth

Pregnancy in pigs takes three and a half to four months. We have already discussed feeding pregnant queens in the previous section, so we will not pay attention to this. We only note that during pregnancy, the quality of food supplied to the sow must be carefully monitored. Any rotten root crop can cause the death of embryos.

Changes in the pig’s appearance indicate that farrowing is approaching:

• the sides of the animal are significantly lowered;
• the genital loop becomes full and swollen;
• the mammary glands increase in size and swell;
• the pig itself becomes restless.

Regardless of the breed, pigs have offspring twice a year.

Farrow

During farrowing, the presence of the farmer is mandatory, since no one has canceled unforeseen circumstances during the birth process. Young and inexperienced pigs, who often get scared and nervous at this moment, especially need helpers. A pig can cope with pushing in either an hour or several hours - this depends both on its age and physiological characteristics.

As the piglets emerge, wipe them with dry hay and remove mucus from their mouths. If a piglet is born in the amniotic sac, immediately rupture the membrane and remove the newborn, otherwise the animal will suffocate.

The first feeding is carried out immediately after the birth of the young. In the first days of life, all piglets, without exception, should be fed milk, since mother's milk contains a number of antibodies that strengthen the fragile immunity of piglets. If the sow has problems with lactation, take care of preparing an artificial mixture, the recipes for which you can find below.

There is nothing complicated about this innovative method at all. The emphasis in it is not on a huge increase in the weight of the animal and a special type of nutrition, but on reducing costs in pig farming. Due to this, profitability almost doubles. No need to heat the hangar even at an outside temperature of -25 degrees, the ability to get away from hot water in winter - this and much more increases the efficiency of your business by almost 3 times and makes your geese much more profitable.

All you need is a hangar with a transparent roof and a few large rolls of straw. Some farmers use its substitute - sawdust, which helps achieve the best results. Thanks to this system, the farmer receives a large number of benefits. Let's take a closer look at them.

1. Costs for heating the room are reduced in severe frosts and are completely absent at -25 “overboard”. The straw heats up on its own when the layer is thick and with the help of the moisture present in it. Due to this, the temperature at a height of 80 centimeters from the straw will never fall below -5 degrees, even if it is -45C outside. And the material itself will maintain +10-15 0 C; if necessary, pigs will burrow into it. It is recommended to make a layer of straw at least 100 centimeters so that it retains heat better and animals can burrow into it if necessary. With the correct use of underlayment material, you can save up to 95% on heating costs, even in a closed-roofed room. The main thing is to change the bedding material more often.
2. The immunity of animals increases. Raising pigs at home on straw is very beneficial in terms of the health of your “pets”. Due to the fact that there are no fences in the barn, the pigs move around a lot and are constantly active. The immunity of such animals is much higher. Diseases almost never affect them, and with timely replacement of straw, the animals will always be healthy and clean . Important: you need to keep the room dry, since wet straw is a place where pathogenic and fungal diseases accumulate. If you are not going to care for the pigs often and change the straw often, then you should not use the Canadian method - you will only make things worse.
3. Low construction costs. You will not need to build complex metal structures, concrete fences, or install multi-tiered gratings (scrapers) on the bottom. All you need to do is prepare the right mixture of straw and sawdust and pour it directly onto the floor, no matter what kind of covering it is. The mixture lies perfectly on concrete, ground, boards - there is no difference, since even if the pig gets to cold concrete, its temperature will not be lower than +10 degrees under the straw. It is worth considering that the animal will constantly rake up more bedding for itself, so there is nothing to worry about.
4. Fast construction. In just a few hours you can completely equip a room in your country house. It will be enough to take 1 shed, preferably completely sealed, add a certain amount of straw into it and everything is ready - you can use the room for raising piglets.

Important: the sow must be separated from the young, since small pigs will literally get lost in the straw. They can be crushed by their larger counterparts. It is advisable to keep all animals according to age categories, that is, not to mix large boars or pigs with two-month-old “fry” in the same room. If everything is done correctly, then raising piglets at home will not only be simple and enjoyable, but also extremely profitable!

Making the right bedding

Before raising a piglet for meat, you need to provide it with comfortable conditions for gaining weight. If you want the profitability of growing “piglets” to be as high as possible, and the animals never get sick or freeze even in the harshest winters, then you need to make high-quality bedding for them. Let's look at step-by-step instructions for making it.

Step 1 Lay the base on concrete.

Clay, peat, sand, and finely ground sawdust are suitable as a base. Peat is best, since it insulates the cold from the ground or concrete and at the same time warms up the material laid on top. It absorbs moisture normally. This base will be enough for 12-14 days of use, then you will need to lay a new layer. The only drawback is the relative high cost of such material, so it is beneficial to use it only with a high density of individuals, at least 15 pieces per 25 m2 in winter.

Step 2 We make “insulation”.

The easiest option is to lay barley straw and forget about the problem. But, since we are not looking for easy ways and want to kill two birds with one stone (insulate and speed up weight gain in pigs), we will need to start making the right insulation. Take 4 parts of barley straw, add 2 parts of pea chaff, 1 part of herbs (best of all - lupine or sudanese). Pigs will not only bask in this warm carpet, but also eat it. Thanks to pea stems, they quickly gain weight, improve appetite, and herbs increase the animal’s immunity and the secretion of enzymes.

Step 3 Laying out the “carpet”.

It is best to put forbs at the very bottom, since the stems will perform a drainage function. Next, we pour in pea chaff, which the pigs will eat after they get to it. The very last layer is barley straw. It is not recommended to use straw from other cereal plants, including wheat - the effect will be much worse. After a few days, the pigs will mix everything upside down, so alternating layers will be effective for the first 2-3 days. The height of the litter should be about 80 centimeters so that the animal can make a large den for itself and hide.

Raising piglets for meat will be even more effective if you heat the floor a little during the coldest season. The fact is that they can simply stay in a room even at subzero temperatures, but they spend a lot of energy on heating. Consequently, all digested food is used to release energy, and is not converted into muscle mass and fat. Over the winter, you will get a weight gain of no more than with the layer of grass, peat and straw described above, you will need a heated floor with a consumption of 0.2 kW per 20 square meters. All the heat will be trapped in the bedding, and the pigs will burrow into it when it is cold.

“Changing linen” and how to rationally use old bedding

The litter should be changed every 12-18 days, depending on the density of the pigs. You can determine when it is necessary to change bed linen by its appearance. If it has “squatted” and become about 20-30 centimeters thick, it means it’s time to prepare a new portion of material. Another sign that a new layer needs to be laid is moisture. If the barley straw becomes wet, start transporting it outside the pig farm.