Although demand for pork in many areas is high, the rising cost of production discourages many small farmers from attempting to raise swine on a small scale. The use of commercial feeds is one of the main reasons for high production costs. Purchased feeds can constitute 60-80% of total expenses. Once an animal is sold, the amount of return received, after paying the feed bill, is often too low to purchase another animal and sustain the cycle of production. Therefore, for farmers with little capital to invest, an alternative mode of production must be advocated. This alternative includes the utilization of low-cost materials and feeds available within the farm. Of particular importance is the potential to reduce feed costs.

piggery

BREEDS AND BREEDING:

Upgraded cross-breed animals are recommended.

FEEDS AND FEEDING:

1. Low-cost Feeds

Commercial feeds, while complete and usually available, are costly, thus driving up the cost of production for a swine project. However, a variety of non-conventional or traditional foodstuffs can be utilized to provide low-cost feeds to swine.

Below is a list of common on-farm resources which can be used as carbohydrate and protein sources and several ration formulas (with Crude Protein percentage) using some of the following feedstuffs:

Carbohydrate SourcesProtein Sources (% Crude Protein)
Coconut oil meal (sepal)3Brewer’s spent grain (15.4)2
Rice middlings1 or 4Copra meal (19.42)2
Rice bran2Cowpea (33.89)4
Banana trunks3Fish meal (53.44)2
Sweet potato (leaves, vine end tuber)2Jackbean (25.75)4
Cassava ([eaves end tuber)2Pigeon pea (20.46)4
Taro (leaves, stem and tuber)1 or 2Mung bean (22.66)4
Kangkong1Peanut oil meal (43.65)2
Ulasiman2African snail (45.91)1
Banana (peers end rice fruit)2Soybean meal (soya) (43.70)2
Banana (raw fruit)1Rice bean (tapilan) (17.42)2
Papaya (green)1Velvet bean (24.02)4
Papaya (ripe)2Hyacinth bean (3.6)1
Muskmelon2Leucaena leaves (17.52)2
Jackfruit1  
Pineapple2  
Elephant yam (pongapong)1  
Yam bean (singkamas)2  
Ubi peelings1  
Leafy vegetables1 or 2  
Water lily1  

1 — Needs cooking.
2 — Can be given fresh or as is.
3 — Should be mixed with rice bran or commercial feeds.
4 — Needs soaking.

LOW-COST SWINE RATIONS

Ration 1Parts by Wt.
Rice bran60 kg
Yellow corn10
Coconut (bagasse)10
Leucaena leaf meal5
Rice middlings5
 ———
 100 kg
Crude Protein12.881%
Ration 2Parts by Wt.
Rice bran80 kg
Gabi tuber/Cassava20
Japanese/Golden Snail10
Ground yellow corn10
Leucaena leaf meal10
 ———
 100 kg
Crude Protein14.91%
Ration 3Parts by Wt.
Rice bran80 kg
Leucaena leaf meal15
Rice middlings5
 ———–
 100 kg
Crude Protein14.9175%
Ration 4Parts by Wt.
Rice bran60 kg
Swamp cabbage leaves30
Yellow corn5
Coconut bagasse5
 ———
 100 kg
Crude Protein9.965%
Ration 5Parts by Wt.
Rice bran60 kg
Banana trunks (chopped finely)30
Leucaena leaf meal10
 ———-
 100 kg
Crude Protein10.591%
Ration 6Parts by Wt.
Dry camote57 kg
Rice bran30
Copra meal4
Fish meal5
Soybean oil meal5
 ———-
 100 kg
Crude Protein10.6%
Ration 7Parts by Wt.
Cassava or sweet potato25 kg
Rice bran50
Copra meal25
 ———–
 1 00 kg
Crude Protein11.45%

2. Proper Feeding

a. Leftover food scraps from the house should be cooked to kill germs and remove toxin present in the foodstuff.
b. Unconsumed feeds in the troughs should be discarded before giving new feed to the animals.

3. How to Prepare Feeds for Swine

a. Chop all ingredients into small pieces.
b. Boil hard ingredients first (i.e., pongapong, green papaya, water lily, etc.).
c. When soft, add other ingredients (i.e., kangkong, leftover food, etc.).
d. Cook until done.
e. Cool.
f. Add a pinch of salt before feeding to the animals. These cooked feeds should be mixed – with rice bran when fed to the animals.

4. Alternative Feeding Management for a Fattener

a. During the first 2 months, feed piglets with commercial feeds (if the necessary ingredients to make a homemade, nutritious feeds are not available) to promote and boost growth.
b. In the second month, gradually substitute commercial starter ration with grower ration and begin slowly incorporating cooked supplemental feeds into the diet.
c. In the third month, one quarter of the ration can be replaced with supplemental, low-cost feeds previously listed.
d. At the fattening stage (4-6 months), one-half or more of the ration can be supplemental, lowcost feeds.

HEALTH MANAGEMENT:

1. Animals should be purchased from a reliable source in order to insure their hearth. Newly acquired animals should be isolated and observed for at least 2 weeks to determine their health status before introducing them into the pen area with other animals.

2. A regular schedule of vaccination should be followed to protect animals against swine diseases common in the area (i.e., hog cholera, etc.).

3. Animals should be regularly dewormed as needed or as local conditions dictate.

4. Improved sanitation ensures improved animal health:

a. Maintain clean pens.
b. Animals should be regularly bathed, especially during hot weather.
c. Excreta should be properly disposed, preferably composted in a pit or pile.

Source: nzdl.org

2 thoughts on “Backyard Piggery Project”
  1. Great! I've learned a lot esp. on swine feeding sources, this relates in my existing fodder banks as source of grass feed to our Organic Happy Pig Farm by freshly chopping it and mix with bran.

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