Pig breeding as a business: breeding pigs, growing at home. How to start and grow a pig farming business: step by step guide and plan
The demand for pork is consistently high, so many people want to try to breed these artiodactyls to get not only fresh meat, but also income.
Is it profitable to keep pigs, where to start breeding, how to care for them, and what is generally needed for this? With these and many other questions, we will help you figure it out.
How to start breeding pigs? Of course, from the search for a suitable room in which you need to create conditions. You need to approach this matter especially responsibly if you plan to breed pigs for sale in the future.
Room planning
The walls of the pigsty, in which it is planned to raise pigs for meat or sell live weight, should be made of non-moisture and heat-insulating materials that will keep warm in winter.
The best building materials
- tree;
- brick;
- porous gas blocks;
- cinder blocks;
- rubble stone.
Inside the walls can be plastered and whitewashed or sheathed with boards. The pigsty must maintain suitable microclimatic conditions for keeping pigs. The attic must be insulated, and the floors can be poured with concrete or assembled from boards. In the outer walls, manholes with dimensions of 70x70 cm are needed, through which animals can enter the outdoor area for walking.
Conditions of detention
The most difficult thing is the rearing of young pigs, which need more comfortable conditions. Purchased piglets should be left in a quarantine room for a week to identify sick individuals in the early stages of development.
Young animals need to be grown at an ambient temperature in the range of 18-22 degrees and humidity in the range above 70-80%.
Piglets need to be kept in warm rooms without dampness and drafts so that they can get stronger.
The pig house must be kept clean and the animals must be allowed to walk outside. Change the water as often as possible, and clean the feeders after each feeding. The pigsty requires disinfection every month.
Pigsty lighting
The correct technology for raising pigs involves providing sufficient natural light in the room. Sunlight favorably affects the development of individuals. During the winter months, when daylight hours are shortened, artificial lighting is required.
Nursing females require 18 hours of light per day at around 15 lux, and fatteners require 5-6 lux for 12 hours.
Room ventilation
In the pigsty, you need to equip a ventilation system that will remove recycled air from the room, and in return drive fresh air from the street inside.
The main thing is not to forget that drafts are dangerous for piglets and young animals, so ventilation should not be too powerful. Optimal conditions for growing pigs are created with a supply and exhaust unit with adjustable performance.
Which breed is better
For it is necessary not only to study and comply with the conditions for breeding pigs, but also to buy suitable livestock. All domestic pigs are divided into three categories, depending on the meat:
- Bacon. Their meat has the most layers of fat, but there is no layer of fat.
- Tallow meat. They have premium lard, but also eat meat.
- Meat-sebaceous. They mainly produce meat.
In Russia, about three dozen breeds of different categories are in demand, and among themselves they differ in terms of cultivation, meat quality and weight. When determining the breed of pigs in the farmstead, be guided not by features, but by market demand in the region:
- Large white. This breed was brought from England, but our breeders have made a significant contribution to the current appearance of animals. Proper breeding of white pigs allows individuals to gain 100 kg of weight in 7 months, and the weight of adult boars reaches 350 kg and females up to 250 kg. The breed is classified as meat-fat.
- In the bacon category, the most popular breed in the Russian Federation is considered to be a breed called Landrace. Animals gain a hundred kilograms in about six months, and the maximum weight is 300 kg for males and 220 for females.
- It is difficult to single out the most popular breed among lard-meat breeds, since there are many of them. Among them is a large black one. Pigs gain a centner in 6-7 months, reaching a maximum weight of 310 kg for boars and 215 kg for sows.
If you are interested in raising pigs for the purpose of obtaining dietary meat, pay attention to the Pietrain breed. Such pork contains less fat, and the animals themselves do not require any special care.
What to feed pigs
What to feed pigs for rapid growth - this question is asked by all beginners. If pig farming is a business for you, it’s better not to save on feed. A balanced diet is the main factor influencing the weight gain of individuals, and the taste of meat also depends on the quality of the feed.
There are three categories of food in total, but we recommend using the first and second, or a combination of them.
It is not recommended to feed with feed of the third category, otherwise the meat will lose its taste. You can add it to the diet in rare cases, and 2-3 months before slaughter, exclude it altogether. Between themselves, the feed differ in composition:
- Category I feeds are wheat, barley, rye, beans, peas, carrots and beets.
- Category II includes alfalfa, clover and other grasses.
- Category III feed consists of potatoes, corn, wheat bran, beet molasses, buckwheat, etc.
More green fodder contributes to the build-up of meat, and root crops, corn and barley increase the layer of fat. Thus, everyone decides for himself what is better to feed the pigs.
How and when to feed
From 1.5-2 months the piglet is ready for intensive fattening. During the first 6-8 months, each of them should gain 100-120 kg. About 400 kg of feed will be spent on each individual for this. Features of breeding pigs require five meals a day for up to 3-4 months, after which they switch to four meals a day. The main thing after feeding is to clean the feeders from food debris.
Pigs are considered omnivores, but the quality of the feed used will affect the meat, so we do not recommend feeding them leftovers from the table.
The diet should include vegetables with fruits, a variety of grains and root crops. Additionally, you need to buy feed containing valuable trace elements.
Piglets up to 4-5 months are fed boiled root crops with the addition of milled wheat and herbs (legume tops, nettles). Milk whey is mixed into the feed, and 10 g of salt per day and a spoonful of iron sulfate (2.5 g dissolved in 1 liter of water) are recommended from additives.
From the eighth month, animals gain fat, so it is recommended to add more legumes, fatty waste and zucchini to the diet, and increase the daily dose of salt to 40 g.
Large-scale breeding of pigs per tribe will increase income if you grow feed yourself, and on small pig farms it is more profitable to buy ready-made food.
Features of keeping pigs in winter
The care and breeding of pigs in winter has certain features that you should be aware of. To prevent animals from freezing and not getting sick, the premises need to be insulated and heated. It is recommended to drink them with warm water, and the method of feeding is also different. Due to the lack of seasonal greens, more food waste, compound feed and bran should be added to the diet, also not forgetting about salt.
Often, novice farm owners are interested in what to feed pigs to grow better?
Pig breeding
Now let's find out, pigs for sale? It all depends on the seriousness of your approach. If you learn how to properly breed animals, it will turn into a fairly profitable business. Physiological maturity in females occurs at 8-9 months, and at 11-14 the first offspring is possible. For it to be good, you need a sow weighing more than 100 kg, with at least 12 formed teats.
For one farrowing, the female brings up to 14 piglets (depending on the breed), and each of them is your profit. Whether this is a profitable business will depend on the demand and average prices for the breed being bred in a particular region.
To prepare the sow for pregnancy, enrich the diet with milk waste, juicy green grass and compound feed. Use hay instead of greens in winter. When the pig becomes restless, refuses to feed and grunts characteristically, this indicates the onset of estrus.
After 10-12 hours, you need to organize a mating with a boar or carry out artificial insemination, and repeat the procedure after the same time period. After 17 days, you need to watch the female. If estrus symptoms recur, the sow is not fertilized, and the process must be repeated (it is better to choose another boar). we told, but this is not the most difficult thing in their reproduction.
How to care for born piglets
Piglets born into the world require special attention. What is needed here is not the usual care of pigs, but more reverent and attentive. Additional attention is needed for a nursing female. After farrowing, you need to give her a liter of water, and after another six hours, fully satisfy her need for liquid.
On the first day, the female should be given a liquid mixture of wheat bran or oatmeal, and after a week, introduce root crops into the diet - they will ensure the flow of milk. After farrowing, the pig will have to be fed three times a day at regular intervals.
As for piglets, each of them after farrowing should be wiped, washed with patches, ears and mouth, treated with a cut of the umbilical cord and burned with iodine.
Breeding pigs is serious business. An important role is played by the mandatory establishment of contact between the piglets and the mother during the first 45 minutes (you need to bring each of them to the nipples). If this is not done, the female will not accept them.
Calculation of the profitability of breeding pigs
Now let's find out if it is profitable to keep pigs for sale and how much does it cost to raise a pig? To calculate the profitability, let's take a small pig farm of 50 heads.
Each pig costs about $40, which means a total of $2,000 is required. Each individual will need 100 kg of compound feed and 180 kg of grain annually, that is, you will spend $ 170-200 per month on feed. In part, the profitability of raising pigs depends on the quality of the feed, so do not save much.
In about six months, pigs will gain almost 100 kg each. From 50 heads for breeding, you can leave 3-4, and sell the rest for meat. From them you will receive a profit of about 10-15 thousand dollars.
At first glance, pigs as a business seem to be a very profitable business, but consider the cost of wages for working personnel, utility bills, the purchase of equipment and feed, and as a result, one pig will have a net profit of 750-800 rubles per month.
Considering all this, decide for yourself whether it is profitable or not.
Raising pigs at home as a business can provide year-round profits due to a short fattening period, high profitability and low costs. Basically, piglets are bred by residents of rural areas, living in their own house with a personal plot and existing outbuildings.
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Why is pig farming profitable?
The attractiveness of pig breeding is due to the following factors:
- Small initial investment. If an entrepreneur has his own backyard, then in order to organize a mini-farm, all that remains is to purchase piglets, feed and other little things. The profitability of the business is also ensured by a small working capital.
- High demand for pork. The popularity of this product is due to its affordable price, high taste characteristics and benefits. Pork contains vitamins of group B (1,2,3,4,5,9,12), A, D and E, amino acids, useful substances (sulfur, iodine, magnesium, calcium, etc.). There are hundreds of recipes for preparing piglet meat, which are used to produce goodies both at enterprises and at home. The growth in demand for domestic meat from meat processing industries is also due to the current pork sanctions on products from Europe.
- High offspring. A sow can produce 10-14 piglets in one farrow, and their number reaches 20-30 per year. Depending on the breed, the price of two-month-old piglets ranges from 5,000 to 12,000 rubles. The profitability of the business of keeping sows for the sale of offspring is also high, as in raising livestock for meat.
- Short fattening period due to fast growth. By six months, a healthy piglet weighs about 100 kilograms, and by the year it is already 250-300 kilograms.
- Ease of implementation. Since the weight of a fattened piglet is relatively small (about one centner), it will be quite simple to dispose of the meat. One part of the pork remains in the family (for their own consumption), and the rest is sold among acquaintances, relatives, friends and neighbors.
- Productive assimilation of feed. If in a chicken it is about 20 percent, then in piglets it is over 30 percent.
- High parameter of the final yield of meat. From one pig, you can get up to 85 percent of meat (for comparison: from a bull, the meat yield is 65-70 percent).
- A simple and understandable technology for growing animals. For fattening pigs, you do not need to receive a special education, it is enough to find thematic articles and videos on the Internet, which remains to be carefully studied. All materials can be downloaded for free online. You can also buy books on pig breeding in specialty stores or chat with neighbors who already have piglets.
What breed of pigs to choose for breeding?
To date, farmers in Russia successfully breed about 30 types of piglets.
All breeds of pigs are divided into three groups:
- Bacon. Their meat contains fatty layers (there is no thick layer of fat).
- Salo-meat. From such pigs you can get excellent fat and good meat.
- Meat-greasy. These breeds of piglets allow you to count on the maximum yield of meat.
Description of the most popular breeds of pigs for breeding in Russia:
| Breed | Characteristic |
| Large white | The vast majority of farmers prefer to grow piglets of this breed (about 85 percent of the total livestock). Breed features:
|
| Landrace | In the bacon class, this breed is the most popular. Breed features:
|
| Large black | Breed features:
|
| vietnamese bellied | Breed features:
|
The videos talk about whether it is worth breeding Vietnamese pigs and what kind of income the farmer expects. Filmed by the channel: "To the village!".
Pig breed selection criteria:
- growing time;
- rates of growth;
- fertility;
- dietary value;
- taste qualities of meat;
- yield of meat and fat;
- features of demand in the local market;
- climate resistance;
- immunity.
Photo gallery
Pig with piglets of breed "Large White" Pig with piglets of breed "Landrace" Large black breed Vietnamese bellied pig with piglets
What is needed to set up a farm?
In order to figure out how to start your own pig farming business, you should consider the following points:
- business format (fattening pigs for slaughter, raising piglets for sale, or both);
- breed/breeds of pigs for rearing;
- material possibilities and sources of financing;
- the area of the existing farmstead or a place for building a new one, from scratch;
- the number of workers;
- estimated sales volumes;
- features of demand in the local meat market;
- number of pigs to breed, etc.
After each item from the listed list has been thought out, it is necessary to start arranging / building a barn for animals. The pig farm is equipped in accordance with the standards inherent in the selected breed of piglets. For the production of quality meat, pigs must be provided with good and balanced feed. The farmer will need constant monitoring of the health and well-being of piglets.
To implement the business idea of a pig farm at home, investments will be needed, most of which will be directed to the purchase of animals and the arrangement of a pigsty. If there is a ready-made roomy pigsty, then the farmer will need minimal cash injections. It is recommended that beginners and experienced entrepreneurs first draw up and calculate a business project for organizing a household, and only then proceed with its implementation.
Documentation
The pig business has the following features of organizing at home:
- If the farmer has large production capacities, then he should register the farm as an individual entrepreneur (one owner) or a peasant farm (several founders). This is done in order to legally conduct business, facilitate the process of marketing a large volume of products, gain access to state support, etc. Documents are submitted to the tax office at the place of residence of the founder.
- If the farmer keeps a small number of piglets for fattening and sells the products on his own (through relatives and friends), then the situation changes. In this case, he should not formalize entrepreneurial activity, the farm will operate in the format of a personal subsidiary plot. There is no need to pay taxes, submit reports to supervisory authorities, etc. However, the systematic sale of products on agricultural markets can be interpreted by tax inspectors as a business. In order to avoid problems, it is still recommended to register the farm as an individual entrepreneur or peasant farm.
- A legally registered agrarian business has the right to pay taxes according to one of the following systems: general system; USN; ESHN.
- The main codes for OKVED: 01.46.11 "Raising pigs for meat", 01.46.12 "Cultivation of breeding stock of pigs".
- A farmer who has registered his entrepreneurial activity must conduct a veterinary check of the meat sold.
In order to register a peasant farm, the following documents must be prepared:
- applications for the creation of a peasant farm;
- a copy of the founder's passport;
- a receipt confirming the fact of payment of the state fee.
Premises and territory
Premises required for breeding pigs:
- pigsty - this is the main room in which the livestock of piglets is kept (young animals, sows, adult livestock are placed separately);
- utility rooms for storing inventory, feed, bedding (straw), etc.;
- room for carcass cutting;
- meat storage room (equipped with refrigerators);
- a room for the preparation of meat semi-finished products (minced meat, meatballs, sausage, dumplings, etc.).
Requirements for the premises for keeping piglets and its placement:
- moderate humidity;
- lack of drafts;
- cleanliness of the premises;
- ease of cleaning;
- good insulation, which will provide piglets with warmth in the cold season;
- the ability to maintain a temperature of more than 11 degrees Celsius for grown pigs and from 18 degrees for young animals and sows;
- the optimal height of the pigsty is in the range of 2-2.5 meters;
- space (one pig should have an area of at least three to four square meters, and a sow - from six square meters);
- it is allowed to use various materials for the construction of a pigsty (most often wood or brick is used);
- it is desirable to make the floor of wood, not concrete / reinforced concrete (in winter, such a surface will be cold, which will lead to animal diseases);
- the floor should have a slope for urine drainage, where a chute is installed to drain fluid from the room;
- the presence of windows, ventilation, lighting, sewerage or a cesspool;
- the roof must not leak;
- next to the pigsty there should be a place for walking animals and organizing a bathing pit;
- it is desirable that the room is located at a distance from residential buildings;
- good entrance.
Pigs
The number of pigs in Russia:
- at the beginning of 2017, the number of pigs in farms of all categories was 22,033.3 thousand heads;
- there is an increase in the number of pigs in five years - 27.7 percent, and in ten years - 36.1 percent;
- 83.4 percent of pigs belong to agricultural organizations, 14.6 percent - to households, 2 percent - to peasant farms;
- the leader in the number of pigs in Russia is the Belgorod region - 4,137.4 thousand heads at the beginning of 2017 (18.8 percent);
- the second place in terms of the number of pigs in Russia is occupied by the Kursk region - 1,480.9 thousand heads (6.7 percent);
- the third place in terms of the number of pigs in Russia is occupied by the Tambov region - 990.8 thousand heads (4.5 percent);
- in 2016, 3,388.4 thousand tons of pork (slaughter weight) or 4,346.1 thousand tons (live weight) were produced.
Photo gallery
The number of pigs in Russia for the period from 2013 to 2016 Pork production in Russia in slaughter weight for the period from 1990 to 2016 The structure of the pig population in Russia as of January 1, 2017 The number of pigs in Russia for the period from 1990 to 2016
Equipment and inventory
Equipping a home farm for 10 heads (including one sow):
| Name | Estimated prices in rubles |
| Grain crusher | 3 500 |
| Sow farrowing pen | 11 000 |
| Pigs | 80 000 |
| drinkers | 20 000 |
| feeders | 20 000 |
| Piglet toys | 200 |
| Infrared lamp for heating pigs and piglets | 3 000 |
| Lighting | 3 000 |
| Air shaft | 4 000 |
| Equipment for the slaughterhouse | 10 000 |
| Equipment and inventory for cutting carcasses | 10 000 |
| Refrigerators | 40 000 |
| Cart | 2 000 |
| Scales | 4 000 |
| Utility room equipment | 20 000 |
| Other equipment and inventory | 9 800 |
| Total | 240 000 |
Photo gallery
Grain crusher - 3,500 rubles Machine for farrowing sows - 11,000 rubles Boar machines - 9,000 rubles Toys for piglets - 100 rubles Ventilation shaft for a pig farm - 4,000 rubles Infra-red lamp for heating pigs and piglets - 500 rubles
Feed for pigs
The efficiency of a pig farm depends on the right approach to the choice of animal feed.
To feed a baby at the age of one to two months, you will need:
- dairy products;
- cereals based on milk (or its substitutes);
- special premixes for piglets (contain vitamins and antibiotics for healthy growth of babies).
For feeding a baby at the age of three to four months, they are introduced into the diet:
- potatoes, boiled and mashed;
- root vegetables, boiled and mashed;
- cooked vegetables in puree form (for example, pumpkin and zucchini);
- fruits;
- raw carrots, grated;
- grass, pre-finely chopped and brewed with boiling water.
Growing piglets should consume a large amount of concentrated feed. It is necessary to put mineral and vitamin supplements (for example, salt and iron sulfate) in animal food.
For rapid weight gain, pigs should be given grains, including:
- millet;
- rye;
- barley;
- bran (wheat or barley)
- peas;
- corn;
- buckwheat.
The number of meals and its volume
| Age | Number of feedings | Daily feed intake, kg |
| Up to four months | 5 times a day | 2-4 |
| Five to seven months | 4 times a day | 5-6 |
| Eight months and older | 3 times a day | 7-8 |
In addition to food, each piglet should receive about six to eight liters of good quality fresh water per day.
Staff
To organize a mini-farm at home, a few people are enough.
Typically, entrepreneurs cope on their own with the following functions:
- care of piglets;
- their feeding;
- pigsty cleaning;
- slaughter;
- cutting carcasses, etc.
A pig business at home often involves self-preparation of feed, such as:
- vegetables;
- fruits;
- roots;
- grass, etc.
Traditionally, in Russia there is a “family contract”, both adults and growing children help in caring for animals.
For the implementation of veterinary control, a professional specialist from outside should be invited. The entrepreneur himself can take care of the tax reporting, or he has the right to contact a specialized company engaged in accounting support for the company.
Large pig farms employ the following workers:
- pig breeders - mainly engaged in feeding, watering pigs, controlling farrowing;
- handymen - they clean the barn, take care of the livestock;
- livestock specialist - control the conditions for keeping pigs, their fattening, growth rates;
- veterinarian - performs examination of animals, their treatment, controls farrowing, checks meat, etc.;
- accountant;
- manager.
Features of breeding pigs
The specifics of the pig business:
- several sources of income: pig meat, lard, bacon, skins, offal, young animals, as well as semi-finished meat products;
- it is better to breed purebred piglets purchased from trusted breeders;
- it is recommended to purchase young animals from different farmers, this will prevent the degeneration of the breed;
- pigs should be walked both in summer and in winter (this tempers their health);
- for maximum income, pigs should be fed with quality products in excess;
- for own production of young animals, it is not necessary to have your own boar, it can be rented from a neighboring farm;
- average profitability in the industry - 25-30 percent;
- in order not to lose piglets, it is important to observe the hygienic conditions for their maintenance;
- it is important to castrate the growing boars in time, otherwise the meat will be spoiled;
- the room for keeping pets must be clean and treated with disinfectants;
- periodic preventive measures against animal diseases/avitaminosis are required.
How mating is carried out
Most breeds of pigs are ready for mating at the age of eight to ten months. However, young sows produce fewer piglets (for example, a pig at six months produces eight piglets, and twelve piglets per year). The success of mating depends on the correct determination of the period of hunting in the future queen.
Signs of determining the readiness of the sow for mating:
- redness and swelling of the genitals;
- the presence of expiration;
- restless behavior;
- loss of appetite;
- falling into a kind of "stupor".
The duration of the hunting period in queens is 1-3 days, its frequency is 17-24 days.
Pregnancy and childbirth
In order for a pregnant pig to bring healthy offspring, the farmer must provide it with high-quality feed and decent living conditions. In a sow, pregnancy lasts approximately 114 days. In the second half of the term, the feed for the female should be especially nutritious, they are saturated with a large amount of grain. The temperature in the room where the pig is kept should not fall below 18 degrees Celsius. Also, you can not give the animal cold water.
Features of farrowing pigs:
- childbirth in pigs is accompanied by attempts that occur approximately every ten minutes;
- during farrowing, each contraction is accompanied by the birth of a new cub;
- duration of childbirth - from 1.5 to 6 hours;
- newborns need to wash the patch and clean the mouth and ears from mucus;
- after the piglets are wiped dry, they bandage the umbilical cord (about five centimeters from the abdomen);
- the end of the canal is cut and cauterized with iodine;
- if the piglet is not breathing, then you can try to blow air through his mouth or / and lower his body for a minute in warm water;
It is important that farrowing takes place in the presence of a person who knows how to behave and what to do during the birth of a pig. In this case, the number of surviving piglets will be greater, as they will be provided with qualified timely assistance.
How and where to sell meat from a pig farm?
Sales channels for pig products:
| farm scale | Sales channels |
| Household (up to 10 heads) | Direct sales to relatives, neighbors, acquaintances, friends, visitors to agricultural markets. |
| Mini-farm (from 10 to 100 animals) |
|
| Large farm (more than a hundred heads) |
|
To increase sales will help:
- advertisements in local newspapers;
- announcements on regional bulletin boards on the Internet;
- own information site;
- groups in popular social networks;
- advertising on thematic sites / forums, etc.
Financial plan for the development of a pig farm
A business plan is an important document for starting your own home business, it defines the key points that will allow you to profitably raise pigs.
The financial planning of a pig farm is based on the following inputs:
| Index | Meaning |
| Number of purchased piglets at the age of two months | 9 pieces |
| Number of sows purchased | 1 piece |
| Expected offspring per year | 24 pigs |
| Maximum farm capacity | Simultaneously rearing no more than 15 pigs for slaughter |
| Pig breed | Large white |
| Products for sale | Meat in assortment, lard, offal, skins, piglets (young animals) |
| Own breeding of young animals | Supposed |
| Business Format | Small peasant farm, the farm opens from scratch |
| Farm site | Russian Federation, Central Federal District, a village with a population of about 2 thousand people (distance from the regional center - 50 kilometers). |
| Premises with adjacent territory | The building for keeping pigs will be converted from an old farmstead, previously used for keeping cattle. The total area is 80 square meters, there is a hayloft. Requires cosmetic repairs, disinfection, redevelopment of the premises. The area of the adjacent land is 30 acres. It is necessary to organize a corral for grazing pigs, part of which will be equipped with a canopy. |
| Own forage harvesting | It is assumed (vegetables, fruits, root vegetables, grass, legumes, etc.) |
| Form of ownership of the premises and land | Owned |
| Driveways | Good |
| Sales channels | Own consumption, sale to friends and visitors of the agricultural market, cooperation with grocery stores, cafes and canteens. |
| State | Family row - three people |
How much money do you need to open a pig farm?
Investments in opening a home farm for breeding piglets:
| Expenditures | Approximate prices, rub. |
| Registration of a peasant farm | 10 000 |
| Layout of the premises, construction works, repairs, disinfection measures | 30 000 |
| Purchase of pig farm equipment | 240 000 |
| Purchase of piglets and sows | 50 000 |
| Piglets vaccination | 5 000 |
| Purchase of feed, straw and other consumables | 15 000 |
| other expenses | 5 000 |
| Total | 355 000 |
Main sources of start-up capital:
- own funds;
- loans from relatives and friends;
- attraction of partners with capital;
- Bank loan;
- subsidy from the labor exchange;
- grant from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Recurring costs
Estimated costs of maintaining a home pig farm:
Income
The following information will help you determine how much you can earn on pigs at home:
A rural pig breeding business will have the following performance indicators:
Calendar plan
Implementation schedule of the marbled beef farm project:
| Stages | 1 month | 2 month | 3 month | 4 month | 5 -8 month | 9-12 month |
| The choice of breed of pigs for growing and business format | + | |||||
| Business project calculation | + | |||||
| Preparation of documents for the registration of KFH and its registration | + | + | ||||
| Carrying out preparatory work with the premises (re-planning, construction, repair, laying of communications, disinfection, etc.) | + | + | ||||
| Negotiations with potential partners on the sale of products | + | + | + | + | + | |
| Finding piglet breeders | + | |||||
| Purchase, delivery, assembly and installation of pigsty equipment and utility rooms | + | + | ||||
| Purchase, delivery of piglets and sows | + | |||||
| Purchase, delivery of feed and other raw materials and materials | + | |||||
| sow mating | + | |||||
| Getting the first offspring | + | |||||
| Getting the first profit from the sale of meat and other products | + |
Risks and payback
Home piglet rearing has the following risks:
- Veterinary/zootechnical. An untimely detected disease, vaccination done / not done, improper conditions for fattening and keeping piglets, can lead to their death and losses. The farmer must buy strong and healthy animals from trusted breeders who guarantee the quality of the young animals sold.
- An increase in prices for feed, seeds, straw, etc. Despite the increase in feed prices, the entrepreneur should not save on the quality of nutrition for piglets. In this case, it is better to take care of the development of your own forage production (vegetables, fruits, legumes, etc.).
- Difficulties with the sale of products. If an entrepreneur takes care of establishing distribution channels in advance, then he will cope with the sale of a small volume of meat products without any problems. Pork does not belong to the category of expensive meat and is in great demand among the population. Therefore, the main problems with the sale of pork will most likely be associated with poor marketing organization.
- Economic crises. A decrease in the purchasing power of the target audience may lead to a slight reduction in demand. In such a situation, sales can be increased by slightly reducing the price.
The profitability of the piglet breeding business allows us to talk about its high profitability, which makes it possible to recoup the initial investment in 18-20 months.
Video
The video tells how to open a profitable and profitable livestock business at home. Filmed by the channel: "Peasant".
According to statistics, more than 2 million tons of pork are eaten in the Russian Federation per year. Our farmers do not provide the required amount: the country imports about 30% of pork meat. This means that there is a strong demand for pork meat. The pig breeding business is not the most common. And in vain: a few dozen pigs can provide a farmer with an income that is approximately equal to a salary in a million-plus city. Below we give a real story with just such a result.
My name is Nikolay, I am 41 years old. I live in the village of Popovka, in the south of the former Ukraine (now the Luhansk People's Republic).
I have a private house with a plot of land for 16 acres. And I am engaged in cattle breeding: in my household there is everything from a chicken to a cow. But today I will tell you about the most profitable part of the business: raising pigs for meat.
Pig breeding as a business: a farmer's personal experience in terms of expenses, income and net profit. Real story, advice, business plan.
General business features (+ video about growing technology)
Pig meat is one of the most purchased products: the demand for it has always been everywhere. And if there is demand, why not increase supply?
Some of the highlights of this business include:
- takes a lot of time, and you will have no days off or holidays: you will need to work 365 days a year;
- does not forgive negligence (if you think that pigs are unpretentious animals that need to be looked after to a minimum, then this is far from the case);
- labor-intensive: pigs eat and shit a LOT, and in fact most of the time and effort will be spent on feeding and cleaning;
- the business itself is profitable only if you keep several animals (and the more, the more benefits, from 1-2-5 pigs you will not receive income that is enough to live on).
I will discuss all the features of keeping, breeding and selling below.
What regions are suitable for?
Pigs are raised in many countries around the world. If we talk about Russia, then I think that this type of activity is well suited for mid-latitudes. In principle, a pig can be raised in a northern climate, but it will take a lot of energy to heat the room. Therefore, it is not as profitable to keep such animals in the subsidiary farm as in warmer conditions.
For any living being, it is important to observe the temperature regimes in winter and summer, maintaining the correct humidity in the premises. And you also need an equipped place where you will grow them. That is, at home on the balcony, you can’t grow a pig.
The ideal is a separate site located near a large city (ideally 5-20 kilometers). If we are talking about keeping several pigs, then this requires either a larger plot, or remoteness from neighbors: after all, the stench from these animals is very strong. If your neighbors do not raise pigs, or do not farm at all, then conflicts may arise for this reason.
Why are pigs raised?
Pigs are raised for slaughter, in order to obtain meat, fat. You can sell them both fresh and process, freeze, and produce some of them (for example, sausage). The meat and fat of pigs is in great demand in our country.
The profit in this business is directly proportional to the weight of an already adult individual: the more the weight of the pig, the more money you will be paid for it.
Business Advantages and Disadvantages
The benefits of pig farming include:
- there is always a demand for pork meat (unless you live in a village far from large cities, and your neighbors also have pigs);
- if there is a smokehouse, then the business is practically waste-free;
- does not require special education;
- pigs grow quickly and gain weight well;
- when compared with other animals, pigs are the most prolific (they bring offspring 2-3 times a year, 6-7 piglets survive for one farrowing, that is, from 12 to 21 piglets from one sow per year);
- you can sell pigs both in live weight and slaughter yourself, or make products from meat and lard (smoke, make sausage);
- profitable occupation: a year from one pig you can get approximately 2500-3000 kg of pure pork meat at a wholesale price.
Real experience and business plan for breeding pigs: a farmer shares. How to start a business from scratch at home, organization from documentation, breed selection to the process of growing and selling. How much pig farming can bring and when it becomes profitable. And who should do it, and why not.
The disadvantages of pig breeding are the following factors:
- diseases of pigs, pestilence (moreover, if an epidemic begins in the region, then the demand for pork falls, and animals can simply be destroyed, without really understanding where the healthy individual is and where the sick one is);
- an unpleasant smell (even if you keep the pigsties in perfect cleanliness, you still can’t get rid of the stench);
- a laborious task (preparing feed and cleaning pigsties are the main tasks that will take a lot of time);
- the need for constant monitoring (a pig needs care not 5 days a week for 8 hours a day: you will have to work every day, without holidays and weekends).
Keep in mind that you should only start such a business after serious deliberation. If you do not have a site, and the technology is unfamiliar to you, then you will have to spend a lot of money and make a lot of effort to start. This is not a field of activity that one begins to engage in at random.
Business organization
This type of activity may seem simple, requiring no skills. In fact, you just need to raise an animal: feed it and clean it.
But this is a very difficult task. It takes a lot of effort and time to raise a pig. You need to be prepared for unplanned expenses and waste of time. And no one ruled out risks, such as the death of livestock during epidemics. Below we will consider the process of organization in stages.
Paperwork
By law, there are two options for processing documentation:
- The first option is suitable for small volumes of pig production. This is LHP. In fact, LHP (the right of citizens to maintain a personal subsidiary farm). This requires only state registration of rights to a land plot. Suitable if you plan to keep a dozen animals.
- The second option is more serious: IP registration. Suitable for larger farms, for cooperation with large distributors. To do this, you will have to obtain several permits and go through many instances.
My farm is framed as LHP. Since the volumes of my small business are growing, I am thinking about registering an IP, but so far I have not reached that point.
Selection, search and purchase of individuals for breeding
To breed pigs, you need to decide on the breed that you will grow.
I will not go deep into the subtleties about the breeds of pigs. This information is best studied separately in detail, and as carefully as possible. You need to study not only general information about breeds, but also carefully read about the breed you have chosen.
Briefly about 2 meat breeds.
I will say briefly that when choosing a breed of pigs, it should be borne in mind that they are divided into:
- bacon;
- sebaceous;
- universal (meat-sebaceous).
In total, there are more than 100 different breeds of pigs in the world. In our country, the most famous are the following:
- Large white - refers to the universal breed. These pigs are the most common for rearing. They are not whimsical in food, and quickly get used to any kind of food. The females are fertile.
- Landrace - belongs to the bacon category. Pigs of this breed need a balanced diet. In winter, they need a warmer pigsty (otherwise they will grow hair instead of gaining weight). The advantage is that bacon species, when sold for meat, are more expensive than universal or greasy pigs. One kilogram of such a breed in live weight costs about 115 rubles, and a universal, or tallow breed costs an average of 95-105 rubles per kilogram of live weight.
- Duroc - refers to meat and greasy. They have a brown-orange coat color, gain weight well. But they get sick more often than other species, and the fertility of these pigs is less.
- Mirgorodskaya - refers to the greasy look. They are gaining weight well, unpretentious in feed. The color is light with dark spots.
Of course, there are many more breeds of pigs found in our latitudes (Vietnamese, fold-bellied and others), but exactly those species that I dealt with personally are described here.
Let's talk about where to start choosing the breed you are going to breed.
Pig farming as a business: a real farmer's experience. Where to start: from paperwork to breed selection, cultivation and sale. Is it beneficial?
I started breeding Large White pigs. She was the most unpretentious in feed, has a more or less stable immunity, and is not too demanding on the conditions of detention.
With the breed was determined for a very long time. In the beginning, I read a lot of literature, watched videos, searched for all possible information. Communicated with those who already kept and keeps pigs. I learned about the features of care, nutrition, maintenance, about what kind of growth give different individuals. In the end, it was decided in favor of this breed.
A large white pig reaches its maximum growth in 7-8 months. The weight of an adult individual reaches from 200 to 270 kg, and a boar can weigh up to 350 kg.
Sexual maturity occurs at 6 months (if you take animals for breeding, this is important).
Pregnancy lasts for 115 days. Farrowing can occur 2-3 times per year, while the sow gives birth to about 8 piglets at a time. True, not all of them survive: usually 1-2 piglets die from the offspring. If the sow gives birth for the first time, then there is a high probability that she will crush the piglet.
I immediately decided that I would buy at least 10 piglets.
For profit, this amount is the most optimal. I left 6 sows for breeding, 1 boar and 3 pigs I decided to feed for slaughter for sale after 7 months.
I bought piglets in different places, from several farmers. All piglets were 2 months old: it is at this age that they stop drinking milk and receive complementary foods.
In our region, one pig costs about 3,000 rubles. Piglets weighed from 14 to 16 kg: this is the average indicator of a healthy individual for this age.
Briefly about the large white breed (video)
Necessary real estate (+ video review of the pigsty)
A novice farmer needs to decide on the place where the pigs are kept.
When buying a plot, several sheds were already built on its territory. After a little repair work, I adapted them for pigsties.
Pig breeding as a business at home. Where to start: personal experience of a farmer, business plan, calculation of costs and net profit. The diagram shows a plan of a pigsty for 2 heads.
When I repaired pigsties, I immediately took into account the following factors:
- Paddock for summer content.
- Winter barn, heated.
- Separate paddock with barn (for piglets).
- Separate water line (for drinkers).
- Separate water line for piglets (for cleaning).
- Windows in the barn for ventilation.
- Conducting electricity (for lighting and heating).
- Separate barn for food storage.
It turned out that two pigsties stand opposite each other, and I blocked the space between them with a chain-link mesh: I got a good paddock for walking pigs.
Necessary equipment
From the equipment I needed:
- Drinkers. They should always have water in them and should be washed once a day.
- Feeders. Feeders should be spacious and clean, after feeding the feeders should be cleaned.
- Hand tools: shovels, rakes, pitchforks, buckets.
- Crusher for grain (needed for the preparation of feed).
- Stove for heating.
- Light bulbs for heating small pigs.
- Big scales.
The most important process: feeding
Pigs need to be fed 3 times a day. If you do this more often and give more food, then the animal will get fat. On average, up to 8-10 kg of feed is needed per day. To understand exactly how much to pour it for 1 time, you need to try it in practice. Pay attention to how much she eats - pour exactly as much next time.
When choosing a fattening method, it must be remembered that nutrition must be balanced. According to the time of year and opportunities, vegetables, grass, cereals should be present in the diet. You can also add vitamins.
I feed my pigs with crushed grain, which I steam with boiling water. I take wheat as a basis, add oats, barley, peas, corn to it. I also buy pumpkins and zucchini for animals.
Alternatively, animals can also be given ready-made feed: it is easier and saves time, but it will cost more.
On average, 1 bag (40 kg) of good compound feed, which is used specifically for fattening, will cost about 600-800 rubles.
Staff
I have two workers on the farm who work 6 days a week from 8 am to 5 pm. I pay them 10 thousand rubles a month.
A city dweller may think that this is negligible, especially for 6 working days and hard physical labor. But in most villages this is the norm: there is no other work.
Their duties include cleaning pigsties, feeding animals. They also need to constantly monitor the cleanliness of feeders and drinkers. Although they say that pigs love dirt, but I was convinced that this is not so. Pigs start to get sick from dirt.
It is also necessary to control the temperature in the premises. In winter it should not be colder than +12 degrees.
As for the veterinarian: he comes to me. The doctor examines the animals once a week.
And if I don’t like something, then I call it additionally. Pigs are given from 5 vaccinations during fattening, the rest is already on the recommendation of a specialist. They also need to be wormed, castrated. All these questions should be dealt with by a veterinarian.
Before getting animals in large numbers, it is recommended to immediately look for a veterinarian in your village (although in villages usually everyone knows each other anyway), and chat with him. Find out if there are any animal diseases now, how much regular care and periodic examinations will cost.
Sales of products (+ video on the correct and profitable cutting)
I sell pigs in live weight: for myself, I initially decided that I did not want to slaughter them on my territory.
For slaughtering pigs, you also need to hire a person who can properly slaughter it, cut it into half carcasses, smile, wash it with Karcher. And this is an additional expense and hassle. But half carcasses are sold more expensive than live weight. I'm not ready for this yet.
I already have regular customers who sell pork meat in the market. They come to me, we weigh the pig, I get money. Here is such a simple scheme. In terms of money, I lose, but I save myself from additional trouble. It is possible that on large volumes (when you have a farm for dozens of pigs) it is more profitable to slaughter animals yourself: then the difference in money will be more noticeable, due to the large number.
Separately, I want to say about sexually mature boars. Their meat when slaughtered has a specific flavor. To avoid this, the boar must be castrated at least 6 months before slaughter.
Calculation of expenses and income
Pig breeding business: the main items of my expenses
- repair and arrangement of pigsties;
- purchase of piglets;
- payment for communications;
- wages for workers and veterinarians;
- food costs;
- vaccination costs;
- purchase of inventory.
Now about income: how much can you earn from raising pigs
Since I grow a universal breed of pigs and sell it in live weight, the price on the market for 1 kg is about 105 rubles. For one pig weighing 200 kg, I get about 20,500 rubles.
I sell about 50 pigs a year. Net profit (minus all expenses and salaries) from sales is 30%. If I give an approximate calculation, then in money I get:
20500 x 50 -70% = 307,500 rubles per year. If you break this amount by months, you get a little more than 25 thousand net profit.
Approximately the same is received by the average citizen in any city with a population of over a million.
When you plan any business, you always need to calculate the costs and forecast and estimate possible income.
How much does it cost to raise 1 piglet? (video)
Is this business profitable, and is it worth doing it?
Pig farming is a rather specific business. There is profit here only if you keep 10 or more pigs.
If you take fewer pigs, then the game will not be worth the candle: at best, you will go to 0.
It is worth doing in two cases:
- You live in a village not far from the city (the larger the population, the better), you have your own house and plot. In this case, pigs can be taken as an additional source of income (for poultry, garden, other livestock). If you have another farm, then it is unlikely that you will be able to recruit a large number of pigs (unless you have a large plot and have free hands). In this case, pig breeding will become one of the additional sources of income for you. And if you want, then you will already have practical experience in order to develop this particular direction.
- You want to invest a large amount in pig farming.
Let's consider the second option in a little more detail. The idea is profitable and promising, but only with large investments. If you want to act as an investor, that is, only invest, and not work with pigs yourself, then you can’t get by with a few dozen animals. Ideally, for profit, rent a hundred or more pigs a year. To do this, first of all, you will need a site with equipped premises, and staff for permanent work.
As an investment, this pig farming idea is good for those with spare capital. It is not very reasonable to give the last money for such an occupation: the profit will go far from the first month (and not from the second, and not from the third) of the farm.
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