How to raise piglets for meat at home?

Keeping piglets at home is a very profitable business, but quite troublesome. First of all, a correct balanced diet should be developed for the animals. There are several technologies for feeding pigs, which must be known for those who want to achieve good results in this matter.

What you need to know

Fattening of piglets for meat at home is made with the obligatory observance of the following recommendations:

  • The stomach of pigs, in contrast to cattle, is single-chambered. Therefore, the basis of their diet should be not coarse, but concentrated feed. Since there is not so much protein in cereals, animals must be fed with oilcakes, special yeast, legumes, skim milk, skim milk and fish meal.
  • The size of the portion prepared is determined by how much the raised pigs can eat at one time. The mash remaining in the troughs must be thrown out without waiting for it to sour.
  • Concentrated feeds for these animals are usually given in crushed form. Whole grains of wheat, barley, oats, etc. are very poorly assimilated by them.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

How to choose a piglet for fattening

When buying, first of all, you should pay attention to the development, breed and health of the animal. Good pig:

  • has a wide back, long body and strong legs,
  • during the run does not choke and does not wheeze,
  • does not suck, but eats the offered food with appetite.

How to choose a piglet for fattening, therefore, is not a particularly difficult question. Next, we will consider the actual methods of raising these animals in relation to the diet.

Types of feeding technologies

So, the basis of the diet of these farm animals is grain feed and vegetables. There are only two types of pigs fattening: meat and to fatty conditions. In this article, we will take a closer look at the features of the first technology. She, in turn, is subdivided into two more varieties: actually meat and bacon. Both of these methods can be used to feed all breeds bred in our country.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Features of the preparation of the diet at different periods of the life of pigs

The "menu" of pigs largely depends on their age. In this regard, only two growing periods are distinguished:

  • Lactic. Depending on the age at which the pig was purchased, this period can last from three to four months. At this time, the animal is fed very often (5-6 times a day) and little by little. Until four weeks of age, the basis of the piglet's diet is cow's milk. At the end of this period, the animal is transferred to the removed one. Cereals are usually given in mixed form. Also in the diet of little pigs include boiled potatoes and carrots.
  • The actual fattening.This period begins after the animals reach a weight of about 20 kg (as a rule, this is about 2.5-3 months of age).

Pig fattening

This technology is used most often in our country. When using it, you can grow pigs with very tasty tender and juicy meat, with a layer of bacon on the ridge of 2.5-4 cm, which is in high demand among the population. Piglets start feeding at home using this technology when they reach a weight of 25 kg (at the age of about 3 months). Finish - by 6-8 months. By this time, the weight of pigs reaches about 90-120 kg.

Features of the method

Fattening piglets for meat at home using this technology is divided into two main periods. Before reaching a weight of 70 kg in pigs, there is an intensive growth of muscle mass. At this time, the lion's share of the diet of animals - in addition to grains and potatoes - should be food rich in protein. This can be, for example, peas, green mass of legumes, reverse, fishmeal, etc. After reaching a weight of 70 kg, the amount of crushed grain and juicy feed is increased in the pigs ration. In both of these periods, animals must be given 10-35 g of salt per head per day and 5-25 g of chalk.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Pig fattening

This method is a kind of meat technology. Its difference is, first of all, that with its use it is possible to grow animals with very high quality bacon meat, which has always been subject to increased requirements. Using this method, you can get pigs weighing 80-105 kg. It is mainly applied only to animals of special early maturing bacon breeds. Like the conventional meat method, this technology is divided into two main periods. Up to 5.5 months, pigs are fed so that the live weight gain is about 400 g per day. Next, I develop the menu in such a way that this figure increases to about 600 g.

The ration of bacon-fed piglets consists of such feeds as barley, vetch, peas and other legumes, millet, as well as various animal additives. Particular attention is paid to the compilation of the menu in the second period. At this time, such deteriorating properties of feed meat as fish waste, oilcakes, soybeans, etc., are completely excluded from the pigs' diet.

Simplified diagram

Fattening piglets for meat at home using the technologies described above allows you to end up with a very high-quality product. However, their maintenance costs, in the case of the development of some special diet, is quite expensive. Therefore, very often the owners of household plots feed pigs according to a simplified scheme, choosing one of its two options: dry or wet. In this case, you can also get a fairly high quality meat.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

When choosing a wet feeding technology, the pigs ration consists mainly of mash. They are prepared from boiled potatoes, vegetables, food waste and herbs. Also, the pigs are given crushed grain. At the same time, pea flour, vitamin and mineral supplements, cake are mixed with it.

Dry feeding is technologically simpler than wet feeding. Indeed, in this case, you do not have to cook vegetables and carry heavy buckets of mash. In addition, it is fast fattening of piglets and very efficient. However, dry technology has some disadvantages compared to wet technology. Pigs raised in this manner, for example, are more likely to be constipated. Since they receive food only in dry form, it is necessary to ensure that the animals always have fresh water in their drinkers. When using this method, pigs are mainly fed with cereal mixtures. Cultivation using this technology is, of course, more expensive than using the wet method.

Supplements

It is possible to reduce the costs of keeping pigs by using special mixtures. Fattening of piglets on dietary supplements, among other things, improves the quality of meat. Basically, such preparations are a mixture of various vitamins, as well as macro- and microelements.The amino acids contained in them significantly increase the digestibility of the feed.

Frequency of food troughs

So now you know how to raise fattening piglets for quality meat. Next, let's see how many times a day it costs to fill animal troughs with food. Suckling pigs, as mentioned above, are given food 5-6 times a day. Juvenile pigs under 4 months of age are filled with troughs three times a day. Later, in the event that the amount of cereals in the diet of young animals reaches 1.5 kg per head, they switch to two meals a day. With the predominance of mash in the menu, three meals a day are retained.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Maintaining the appetite of pigs

In order for the animals to eat better and, accordingly, gain weight faster, feed should be prepared. Usually, such additional measures are taken when fattening pigs. But in some situations, these techniques can be useful when raising animals for meat. Before feeding, for example, cereals, they are subjected to a malting procedure. It consists in pre-soaking concentrated feed with hot water (85-90 degrees) for about 4 hours. In this case, about 1.5-2 liters of liquid are taken per kilogram of grain.

In the event that the pigs do not eat the mash, the leftovers can be poured with pre-prepared oat milk. The pigs like this improved feed much more than usual.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

To prepare such milk, one kilogram of oatmeal is poured with boiled cooled water and mixed. The chatterbox should stand in a warm room for about three hours.

Determination of weight

In order to determine the weight gain of a pig over a particular period of time, of course, the easiest way is to weigh the animal. However, unfortunately, it is not always possible to carry out this procedure at home. Therefore, private traders in private farms most often determine the weight gain approximately - using measurements of the chest girth and body length. In both cases, use a measuring tape. When measuring the girth of the chest, it is placed along a vertical line passing along the rear angles of the shoulder blades. Finding the length of the torso is also easy. To do this, the tape is pulled from the middle of the back of the head along the upper line of the neck, back and sacrum to the root of the tail.how to raise piglets for meat at home

Fattening piglets for meat at home using any of the technologies described above allows you to achieve good results in live weight gain and excellent quality of the final product. With these methods, large pigs can be raised as quickly as possible.

Raising pigs for meat is a good investment of money. Pork is a product in demand on the market. It is part of smoked bacon, sausages, it is used in the preparation of first and second courses, therefore, raising pigs at home as a business is very profitable.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Raising pigs for meat

It is possible to fatten piglets for meat at home both with your own mash mash and professional feed of various classes.

A pig breeding business needs to be planned thoroughly, for this you need to take a responsible approach to the choice of breed, see photos and videos about pigs, and study the description.

Pig breeding as a business can be started without a lot of start-up capital. First, it is enough to have a few specimens for a sample. As soon as it becomes clear that the business is to your liking, you can expand the economy and establish production.

Pros of raising pigs for meat

Pig business at home has its advantages:

  1. Short gestation period. A sow's pregnancy lasts about 3 months. Piglets also do not feed on milk for a long time. Their period of infancy lasts 1-2 months.
  2. Pigs are fertile animals. The sow gives birth to up to 10 babies at a time. A pig gives offspring up to 2-3 times a year, which means that 20-30 piglets per year are provided to the owner.This is a remarkable indicator when comparing pigs with goats, sheep, and cows.
  3. Pigs gain weight quickly. If you feed them correctly, a piglet weighs about 100 kg in six months.
  4. There is very little waste from the pigs after slaughter. Ready-made meat makes up 73% of the weight of the live pig. Other types of large and small livestock cannot boast of such a small percentage of waste.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

The positive side of raising pigs

From the above, it can be seen that from a pig you can get offspring, which in adulthood will give more than 3,000 kg per year of pure meat product. Now it's worth going to the market and finding out the prices of meat. This will be the annual income from one individual.

Where to start growing

To open his own pig farm, the owner needs permission from the authorities. Also, the future owner will need start-up capital to buy and keep animals until a stable income from the business is established.

Cost items for a novice pig breeder are as follows:

  1. Registration of a pig farm.
  2. Purchase of feed.
  3. Rent or purchase of a land plot and premises, if they are not available.
  4. Purchase of special equipment.
  5. Purchase of animals for breeding.

The most common form of ownership in this case is private enterprise. However, if the farm population is less than 100 individuals, it can be omitted. It is more profitable to arrange this business as a personal farm. The advantage of this activity is that a small pig farm is a family business that does not require hiring employees.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Novice Pig Breeder Expenses

To spend less effort, it is better to conclude an agreement with the service station. This organization is engaged in the supply of fodder and the sale of meat products.

Before purchasing livestock, you need to draw up a business plan that takes into account the amount of initial capital, estimated income, sales markets. It is also worth considering whether the owner will sell the meat and lard in their original form, or they will be processed into sausages and other products right on the farm. In the second case, you need to estimate the possibilities of purchasing equipment.

It will depend on the volume of production how it is more profitable to arrange a business: as an individual entrepreneur or a private farm. To do this, it is best to consult with a competent lawyer or first study the relevant legislative framework yourself.

Pig farm organization

One of the main questions that arises before the owner of a pig herd is where to keep the animals? Of course, you can rent an old building of a suitable format in the neighborhood, renovate it or rebuild it, but this requires capital investments, rent payments, and competent legal assistance. This is the reason why many people choose to build a farm on their land. This will require a larger financial investment, but such a structure will be fully owned by the farmer. You can also immediately build it for yourself, taking into account all the systems and planning the necessary premises.

Pigs are undemanding animals, but this does not mean that the structure should be equipped somehow. If concrete or concrete structures are used in the construction of walls, they must be insulated, otherwise the animals will freeze and suffer from colds. It should not be colder than 12 ° C in the stable, it should be light, cleaned, and drafts should be avoided. If you immediately carry out water supply and sewerage, cleaning the premises will not be difficult, and timely cleaning is the key to a healthy livestock.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Pig farm

Pigs, despite popular belief, do not like dirt, therefore, so that cleaning and other moments of care do not take a lot of effort, you need to mount at least primitive automation.

Every month in the pigsty it is necessary to carry out processing, several times a week the room is ventilated. This eliminates disease-causing microorganisms. A room for mothers with children should also be provided in the pigsty, only then the business of any piglets at home will bring benefits.It must be warm, clean, and the air must be fresh.

Pig breed selection

Before purchasing a livestock, the owner must decide on the choice of the breed. All are suitable for commercial cultivation, but each has its own characteristics that make it more beneficial under certain conditions.

Pig breeds

Pigs are raised, depending on the purpose. So, there is a division of all breeds into three types:

  1. Greasy - Big Black and Berkshire.
  2. Greasy meat - Big white and Duroc.
  3. Bacon - Landrace and Tamworth.

The breed must be able to take root in the local climate. It is worth asking experienced breeders in the owner's region which breeds they prefer and why.

Piglets should be purchased for rearing at 2 months of age. By this age, they are already quite independent and do not need breast milk.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Piglet care

If the owner draws up the menu correctly and selects good quality feed, then the piglets will gain weight quickly and without problems. A healthy piglet at 2 months should weigh 15-16 kg. If the weight is much less, raising the animal is not easy. If you plan to leave the purchased pigs to the tribe, you need to carefully monitor the degree of their relationship. Pigs, even in distant relatives, will not give a full-fledged offspring. It is best to purchase pigs for the breed in different farms. You shouldn't skimp on buying animals.

Inexpensive individuals often do not meet breed standards and are not suitable for the tribe. Also, cheaply bought piglets often have a hidden defect or are infected with a disease. You should not even think about breeding such animals.

Breeding requires a boar and several females. If all these conditions are observed when purchasing animals for divorce, then soon the owner will receive healthy, fertile offspring, which means that his business will flourish.

Fattening pigs

Pigs are bred to obtain various products from meat, which means that the owner is primarily interested in his wards gaining weight faster. It is necessary to feed animals, observing all the established standards, it is recommended to select a balanced diet. If the nutrition of animals is improperly organized, does not correspond to age, is not varied, the meat products will not achieve the set goal. Fattening of any piglets for meat at home must be correct, the diet must be entrusted to be compiled by a competent specialist.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Pig feeding

Buying feed and properly feeding pigs for meat at home is an area of ​​activity in pig breeding, where even small savings can do more harm than good. The fattening of any pigs for meat at home should occur gradually, since the livestock will not gain weight rapidly, and the pets' organism, weakened by improper nutrition, is susceptible to disease.

Sometimes the savings lead to the death of the livestock. Also, the taste of meat directly depends on the diet. So, when buying food for pigs and making pigs and a profitable business become interrelated concepts, it is worth following the adage "a cheapskate pays twice."

Sale of meat products

The sale of pig meat and products from it is usually not a problem. These products are popular with buyers. The only condition: they must all be of good quality, then even the simplest business plan is doomed to success. The tastier the products, the more demand they are in the market.

How profitable it is to sell pork depends on its quantity. If the farm is small, then it is better to buy a place in the nearest market or resort to the help of an intermediary, for example, a specialized store. You can also conclude a contract with a small cafe or restaurant, which willingly purchase quality meat for the kitchen.

If the farm is large, you should think about opening your own store. Meat can be sold in whole carcasses if an intermediary acts as the buyer.It is permissible to implement it in a cut form, if the owner is engaged in this. In certain conditions, pigs can also be sold live to the plant. Piglets usually do well, but some prefer to buy already grown animals - boars and sows. If there is a surplus of adults in the pig farm, this option should not be rejected outright. In addition, live sales do not require documents from the sanitation station, certificates of meat quality, labor for slaughtering animals and processing carcasses.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Meat products

If the farmer is planning to make pork products, the premises and equipment must be taken care of. The simplest thing is to build a smokehouse. Smoked bacon and meat are good for sale after something simple, they are more expensive, they are more waste-free than raw meat, they are stored longer.

Not only adults go to slaughter. The meat of suckling pigs (from 3-4 weeks from birth to 5-6 weeks) is highly valued among gourmets for its juiciness and tenderness. The main thing is to raise the livestock so that all the animals are healthy, and the meat and products from it are of high quality, then they will go well.

Investment and return on business

Pig breeding as a home business should be carried out in several stages. A piglet turns into an adult in a period of about six months. If you feed pigs for meat correctly, at this age the animal can already be slaughtered: the profit received covers all costs, this is a direct way to succeed. As a result, the pig industry as a business has a net income of about 30% if the market situation is favorable for this.

From 100 kg of live weight, as a result of slaughter and subsequent processing, approximately 73 kg remains. The more a pig weighs, the more income the owner will receive as a result of its sale. Taking into account all the factors: leaving the pigs for the breeding, building a barn, buying livestock, feed, etc., the farm will pay for itself in 2 years. In terms of economic indicators, a two-year payback and 30% income characterize pig breeding and raising pigs as a profitable business and as one of the profitable sectors in agriculture.

Recommendations for beginners

Pig farming as a business should be built gradually. Before proceeding with the purchase of equipment and animals, you need to calculate whether the business and the breeding of pigs in general are profitable for the climatic zone and the region of residence, whether there are similar profitable farms nearby. It will not be superfluous to ask for advice on business in pigs from more experienced colleagues. Particular attention should be paid to the following points:

  1. Write at least a short business plan that takes into account all expenses, including those that may arise unexpectedly.
  2. The choice of a breed that is grown at home, depending on the purpose of cultivation and the climate.
  3. Purchase of fodder for animal feeding.
  4. Installation on a small automation farm.
  5. Studying the vital activity of animals and planning care measures in accordance with this.

Pig breeding at home is a profitable branch of agriculture, but this does not mean that the farmer should invest all his money in it, without doing anything else. For a pig business, it is better to allocate initially small funds, and then, as profit is made, to develop this type of your farm. It is worth remembering that pig breeding requires not only money from a novice farmer, but also time that he will spend on caring for animals.

Raising pigs for meat as a business idea

Report for 5 months of raising white pigs

PIG BREEDING OR MINI PIG FARM AS A BUSINESS IDEA. BUSINESS IDEAS

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Pigs as a business idea 2 Pigsty

How to make money on a pig. Pig breeding. Growing technology.

At a minimum, the farmer should know how to properly feed a pig for meat, what diet to provide. Careless care, as well as ill-considered organization of life, can lead to the death of livestock, and the meat industry will not make a profit.If you follow the simple rules for the care and raising of animals, take into account their diet, pig breeding at home is a profitable business that even novice and inexperienced farmers can develop.

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how to raise piglets for meat at home

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Pig farming is considered one of the most lucrative businesses in any country. It does not require any special costs, it quickly pays for the investment. The main thing is to provide the pigs with proper care and proper feeding so that they grow quickly. In this article, we will look at which pig feeding is the most effective and how best to organize it.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

The pig breeding business will be profitable if the pig fattening process is right.

The fact that labor costs and financial investments pay off quickly can be judged by the following facts:

  • one sow is capable of producing up to 15 small piglets;
  • you need to feed the pigs within one year;
  • You can even organize production at home if you have a separate house.

There are several technologies that allow you to quickly and efficiently feed piglets for meat at home. As a result, well-fed carcasses with high quality meat grow. The profit earned depends on how effective the pig feeding method you choose.

General rules

These rules are simple and suitable for all types of feeding. Let's list them:

  • the food that you will give to your wards must be fresh - you should not feed them with yesterday's leftovers;
  • before feeding grain, vegetables and other plant foods, it is advisable to grind it so that the pig's body assimilates it better;
  • it is undesirable to give hot - you should first cool it;
  • compensate for the lack of proteins and amino acids in vegetables by adding barley and soy, fishmeal and other foods that contain calcium to food;
  • salt in the food of pigs must be present - up to 40 grams. It helps the stomachs to digest food better.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Before giving grain to pigs, it must be crushed.

Technology

Depending on what result you want to achieve, that is, whether you want to raise pigs for meat, bacon or lard, there are also corresponding types of fattening. Let's give them a short description.

  1. Meat. By the age of seven months, the piglets will gain weight of 100 or more kilos. Their meat by this period will become very tasty, it will contain little fat in itself. The edible portion of the carcass will be about 75%. If a grown piglet weighs about 130 kilos, the edible part will already increase to 85% of the mass.
  2. Bacon. This is considered to be meat evenly saturated with fat. To get this result, you will need to select a special breed of pigs and adhere to a special diet in their feeding. Piglets for fattening choose an oblong shape, with a wide sternum and back, with pronounced legs. Best suited for this purpose:
  • Estonian white breed;
  • Lithuanian white breed;
  • landrace.

By the age of three months, piglets of these breeds are already able to increase their weight by 25 kilos. You can breed them at home, but the breeder will require not only professional knowledge of how to feed pigs correctly, but also attention, as well as significant financial investments at the initial stage.

  1. Quality fat. It is this option that is most in demand in households. Good bacon can be obtained from very fatty meat, for which piglets are selected from a special meat-feeding breed. In order to achieve the desired effect, the breeder will have to control the fat content of the meat and the thickness of the bacon all the time. The latter should not exceed 10 centimeters. If you correctly observe the required norms in the nutritional diet of animals, then the total live weight should result in:
  • 50% bacon;
  • 40% meat.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Depending on the desired end product, it is necessary to select different breeds of pigs for feeding.

Principles of beef feeding

Breeding young pigs for meat begins from three months. You need to choose those pigs that have already gained from 100 to 120 kilos by this time. Any breed of pig is used, but further results will depend on what exactly you will feed the pig, what type of feeding you prefer. The types of pigs feeding for meat are as follows.

  1. Low intensity. In this case, the piglets will gradually gain weight. It will take a long enough time for the pig to reach a weight of 100 kilos. This method is used if cheap and affordable feed is supposed to be used. This pig fattening at home is suitable for those owners who raise pigs for their own needs, in small quantities.
  2. Intensive. In this case, feeding is carried out in a very short time. This technique is considered the most effective both in terms of timing and profitability. It is required to select piglets that have already gained weight of 30 or more kilos by the age of three months. Further, for four months, feeding is carried out according to a special scheme.

If you correctly follow the technology of intensive meat feeding, then:

  • piglets' weight gain per day will be 600 - 650 g;
  • by the end, their average weight will reach 120 kilos.

The carcass of the pig turns out to be very impressive, and at the same time the meat will be soft, juicy and tender, since the pig does not have time to grow old. In the region of the seventh cervical vertebra, a thin layer of fat will form in each fed individual.

For intensive beef feeding, pigs are chosen of a pure breed, such are obtained by crossing pigs specially bred for intensive productivity. For example, piglets from a cross between a Large White sow and a Landrace are considered good.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

The daily weight gain of a pig is about 600 grams until its weight reaches 120 or more kilograms.

To make intensive beef feeding as productive as possible, you need to create certain comfortable conditions for the pigs. They include:

  • a suitable room in which the piglets would feel at ease;
  • professionally selected food.

The period of growing pigs for meat is conventionally divided into two periods.

Preparation period

This is the longest stage and lasts until the piglets are six months old. Usually at this time, each fattened piglet gains half a kilo per day. It is better if this period occurs in the spring or summer, in this case the question of what to feed will not be so acute. For feeding, green food is suitable, which in the diet of young pigs should be about 30%. Fresh herbs, melons, and root vegetables will do, your pets will look for and find suitable food for themselves.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

At the age of 6 months, it is necessary to diversify the diet of pigs with root crops.

If the preparatory period fell on the winter, then you have to feed it with grass flour, the same root crops and combined silage. During this period, you need to go on a diet, which contains 115 g of protein for each individual, which will allow you to raise the weight to the maximum. The diet should also contain more vitamins, especially A, D and B group, as well as minerals and amino acids such as methionine, lysine and tryptophan.

Final period

It is quite short, only a month and a half. During this period, the weight of gilts per day increases by 750 g, for which the nutrient concentrate is increased by almost 90%, using different feedings. Most often they add to it:

  • potatoes, and in such a way that for piglets the fattening consisted of two parts - first they are given potatoes, then concentrated feed;
  • beets, legumes and green grass;
  • food waste.

At the final stage, there should be 100 grams of protein for each fattened carcass. It is very important during this period to completely exclude from the diet those products that can negatively affect the taste of the resulting meat. These include:

  • fish;
  • bran;
  • millet flour;
  • soy (remember that it even interferes with normal weight gain).

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Bran, fish, millet flour and soy can negatively affect the taste of meat.

Gilts are fed at the final stage twice a day, water must be present at all times. It is undesirable to disturb them. To make this period as effective as possible:

  • the room where pigs are kept is darkened from bright light;
  • pigs should be taken out for a walk less often, reducing this time to a minimum.

Here is a table of effective fattening of pigs for meat

Live weight Increase per day Daily requirement for one individual Consumption of feed units per 1 kg of growth
feed units digestible protein, g salt, g calcium, g phosphorus, g carotene, mg
20-30 300-400 1,4 — 1,7 175 — 215 14 10 8 5 4,2
30-40 1,5 — 1,7 180 — 225 15 12 9 7 4,5
40-50 400-500 2,0 — 2,3 220 — 265 20 14 10 8 4,6
50-60 2,1 — 2,4 240 — 275 22 15 11 10 4,8
60-70 500-600 2,6 — 3,0 260 – 330 25 16 12 12 5,0
70-80 600-700 3,2 — 3,7 320 – 390 32 17 13 15 5,2
80-90 3,3 — 3,8 330 – 410 18 14 5,4
90-100 700-800 3,9 — 4,4 355 — 415 35 20 16 5,5
100-120 4,0 — 4,5 360 — 420 22 18 5,6

Bacon Feeding Principles

This pig fattening technology is good for getting smoked products. Growing requires a piglet, whose age is already 2.5 months, and by this time has gained 25 kilos. Boars by this time must be neutered.

Then a complete feeding ration is drawn up for the piglets, which includes:

  • 3 kilos of green food;
  • one and a half kilos of concentrate;
  • 2 kilos of root crops;
  • 20 grams of salt;
  • special additives.

It is also recommended to add barley to the diet of fattening pigs - it helps to neutralize those products that can reduce the taste of meat.

You need to feed the pigs twice a day. Like fattening pigs for meat, bacon fattening also consists of two stages.

  1. Elementary. During this period, you should adhere to the rate of gain in live weight of 450 grams per day.
  2. Final. It takes three months, and at this time the average daily gain rises to 500 - 600 grams. You should also completely exclude those types of products that can impair the taste of meat or interfere with normal weight gain.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Raising pigs for bacon requires animal walking.

Bacon feeding of pigs involves the obligatory taking of animals for a walk. Exceptions should not be made, even in winter.

The necessity of walking is explained by an improvement in the appetite of animals, while the food is absorbed better and the mass grows. When fattening for bacon, it is necessary that all individuals first of all form muscle tissue, there should be a lot of it, but fat deposits, on the contrary, are not enough. If you follow all of the above rules, juicy meat is formed, evenly penetrated by fat layers. It is usually used to cook all kinds of smoked foods such as ham, loin or brisket.

Fattening Vietnamese piglets

This breed is bred specifically to produce bacon pork. There are no special differences when feeding Vietnamese piglets from other breeds, the rules are simple:

  • feed satisfyingly, but not overfeed;
  • walk daily.

Approximate composition of compound feed:

  • barley 40%;
  • wheat 30%;
  • oats 10%;
  • peas 10%;
  • corn 10% (no longer needed, because corn contributes to obesity).

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Vietnamese pigs need to be fed hearty, but in no case overfeed.

Principles of fattening (for lard)

With the effective organization of fattening pigs to fat norms, the formed carcass can reach 200 kilograms. Of this mass, meat will make up only 40% of the weight, the rest is fat. In order to feed a pig for high-quality lard, the selected pig should already weigh 100 kilos. Nutrition for these piglets varies from time to time.

  1. At the initial stage, it is permissible to use concentrated feed, which includes corn and wheat.
  2. At the final stage, it is already recommended to use concentrates consisting of barley and millet. These components are needed in order for the lard to be of better quality.

If fattening pigs are kept in the summer, experts suggest feeding the pigs, adhering to the following diet:

  • 4 kilos of green food;
  • 3.5 kilos of pumpkin;
  • 3 kilos of concentrates;
  • 50 grams of salt.

The weight raised in this way makes the animals inactive, their shape becomes more rounded.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

Lard will be of high quality if concentrates from barley and millet are used at the final stage of feeding.

Here is a table of effective fattening of pigs

Live weight, kg Increase per day, g Daily requirement for one individual
feed units digestible protein, g salt, g calcium, g phosphorus, g
110 — 120 700 — 800 4,1 – 4,6 310 — 375 40 16 14
110 — 130 4,2 – 4,8 330 – 390 43 17 15
130 — 140 4,3 – 5,0 310 – 370 50 19 17
140 — 150 600 — 700 4,4 – 5,1 300 – 360 55 21 18
150 — 160 4,5 – 5,5 270 — 330 65 22 19

Use of growth stimulants

Even if you are using a balanced concentrated feed, it is still worth using additional growth stimulants that make the process of raising pigs more efficient. Specially used for the growth of pigs:

  • antibiotics;
  • mineral preparations;
  • vitamin formulations;
  • tissue preparations.

They are given not only to raise a full-fledged mumps, very often they help treat sick animals, and sometimes even save their lives. Biologically active substances help piglets gain weight faster, improving their:

  • metabolism;
  • digestive processes.

As a result, the amount of feed that has to be spent in order for the pigs to grow quickly is also reduced. However, they still need to be used in moderation, observing the required standards.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

To increase the efficiency of feeding, it is recommended to use growth stimulants.

Growth stimulants also have anti-inflammatory effects, allowing the animal's body to better fight germs. It is recommended to give them to piglets in case of illness.

Different stimulants are used to achieve different goals:

  • it is recommended to feed pigs with vitamins and amino acids so that their nutritional properties increase, the meat becomes denser;
  • synthetic drugs stimulate faster growth in live weight;
  • special premixes allow animals to gain weight quickly, forming higher quality fat and meat.

By the way, people have long been using such "bioadditives", literally drawing them from nature itself. For example, lake silt contains a lot of minerals and vitamins, including calcium and copper, magnesium and other substances.

Pig keeping

Most often, specially allocated premises such as a barn or a converted barn are used for this. The pigsty must be:

  • warm (even in winter, the temperature in it should not fall below +15 degrees) and without drafts;
  • dry;
  • spacious and light;
  • with thoughtful ventilation;
  • with the possibility of dimming the light after each feeding.

how to raise piglets for meat at home

The normal development of pigs depends on the conditions in which they are kept.

It is advisable to keep strong and weak individuals separately so that they do not harm each other. Also according to the norms:

  • the height of the walls must be at least one meter;
  • floor area - from three to five square meters to accommodate a sow, and three to four meters for each piglet.

This helps the piglets stay healthy and grow quickly. In addition, once a month the room needs to be disinfected and the walls whitewashed.

Particular attention is paid to the availability of water, especially if dry feed is used for fattening. If there is not enough water, the condition of your charges will begin to deteriorate.

Summary

In this article, we explained how to feed pigs, what breeding techniques are used in the national economy. You have learned what feed pigs need to grow quickly when bred for meat, lard or bacon.

We have briefly described the existing growth promoters so that you can choose the ones that are more suitable for your flock.

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how to raise piglets for meat at home

The lack of significant capital investments and stable profits make pig breeding at home for beginners a very popular activity.

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 to earn money.

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 equip a pigsty

How to start breeding pigs? Of course, with the search for a suitable room in which you need to create conditions. Especially responsibly you need to approach this matter if you plan to breed pigs for sale in the future.

Room planning

The walls of a pigsty, in which it is planned to raise pigs for meat or sell live weight, should be made of non-moisture-consuming and heat-insulating materials that will keep warm in winter.

Building materials such as:

  • wood;
  • brick;
  • porous gas blocks;
  • cinder blocks;
  • rubble stone.

The inside of the wall can be plastered and whitewashed or planked. The pigsty must maintain suitable microclimatic conditions for keeping the pigs. The attic must be insulated, and the floors can be filled with concrete or assembled from planks. In the outer walls, we need manholes with dimensions of 70x70 cm, through which animals can get to the outdoor area for walking.

Conditions of detention

The hardest part is raising young pigs, which need more comfortable conditions. Purchased piglets need to be left in a quarantine room for a week to identify sick individuals in the early stages of development.

Youngsters need to be grown at an ambient temperature of 18-22 degrees and humidity above 70-80%.

Piglets need to be kept in warm rooms free from dampness and drafts so that they can grow 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 troughs after each feed. The pigsty requires disinfection treatment every month.

Pigsty lighting

The correct technology for raising pigs involves providing sufficient natural light indoors. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on the development of individuals. During the winter months, when daylight hours are shortened, artificial lighting is required.

Nursing females need lighting for 18 hours a day at an illumination level of about 15 lux, while fattening females need lighting of 5-6 lux for 12 hours.

Ventilation of the room

In the pigsty, you need to equip a ventilation system that will remove the processed air from the room, and instead drive in fresh air from the street.

Keeping pigs on a small scale is possible with a home-made ventilation system, and for breeding on a larger scale, industrial equipment will be required.

The main thing is not to forgetthat drafts are dangerous for piglets and young animals, therefore ventilation should not be too powerful. Optimal conditions for growing pigs are created with an air handling unit with performance regulation.

Which breed is better

To organize a home farm, you need 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:

  1. Bacon... Their meat contains the most layers of fat, but there is no layer of fat.
  2. Greasy meat... They have premium lard, but also eat meat.
  3. Meat-greasy... Mainly meat is obtained from them.

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 courtyard, be guided not by the specifics, but by the market demand in the region:

  1. Large white. This breed was brought from England, but our selectors have made a significant contribution to the current appearance of animals. Competent breeding of white pigs allows individuals to gain 100 kg of weight in 7 months, and the mass of adult boars reaches 350 kg and females up to 250 kg. The breed is classified as meat-greasy.
  2. In the bacon category, the most popular breed in the Russian Federation is the 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.
  3. It is difficult to single out the most popular breed among the lard-meat, 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.

How to feed pigs

How to feed pigs for rapid growth - this question is asked by all beginners. If pig breeding is a business for you, it is better not to save on feed. A balanced diet is the main factor affecting 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 fatten with fodder of the third category, otherwise the meat will lose its taste. You can add it to the diet in rare cases, and exclude it altogether 2-3 months before slaughter. The feeds differ in composition among themselves:

  1. Category I feeds are wheat, barley, rye, beans, peas, carrots and beets.
  2. Category II includes alfalfa, clover and other herbs.
  3. III category of feed consists of potatoes, corn, wheat bran, beet molasses, buckwheat, etc.

More green fodder promotes meat build-up, while root crops, corn and barley increase the fat layer. Thus, everyone decides for himself what is the best way 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. For each individual, about 400 kg of feed will be spent for this. The peculiarities of pig breeding require feeding the piglets five times a day 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 table leftovers.

You need to include in the diet 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 with boiled root crops with the addition of ground wheat and herbs (legume tops, nettles). Milk whey is mixed into the feed, and of the additives, 10 g of salt per day and a spoonful of ferrous sulfate are recommended (dissolve 2.5 g in 1 liter of water).

From the eighth month, animals fatten up, so it is recommended to add more legumes, fatty waste and zucchini to the diet, and the daily dose of salt is increased 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 characteristics that you should be aware of. To prevent the animals from freezing and getting sick, the premises need to be insulated and heated. It is recommended to drink them with warm water, and the feeding method 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 how to feed pigs to grow better?

Experts recommend in the warm season, harvest nettles and dry them for the winter. It is useful and nutritious for animals, especially in the cold season with a lack of vitamins.

Breeding pigs

Now let's find out, is it profitable to breed pigs for sale? It all depends on the seriousness of your approach. If you learn how to breed animals correctly, 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, lush green grass and compound feed. Use hay instead of green in winter.... When the pig becomes restless, refuses food and grunts characteristically, this indicates the onset of sexual heat.

After 10-12 hours, you need to organize a mating with a boar or carry out artificial insemination, and after the same time interval, repeat the procedure. After 17 days, you need to observe the female. If the symptoms of sexual heat recur, the sow is not fertilized, and the process must be repeated (it is better to choose a different boar). We told you how to breed pigs, but this is not the most difficult thing in breeding them.

How to care for new born piglets

Piglets that are born require special attention. What is needed here is not the usual care of pigs, but more reverent and attentive. The nursing female also needs extra attention. After farrowing, you need to give her a liter of water, and after another six hours, completely satisfy her need for fluid.

On the first day, the female needs to be given a liquid mixture of wheat bran or oat flour, and after a week, root vegetables should be introduced into the diet - they will ensure the flow of milk. After farrowing, you will have to give food to the pig three times during the day at regular intervals.

As for the piglets, each of them after farrowing needs to be wiped off, rinsed with patches, ears and mouth, processed a cut of the umbilical cord and burned with iodine.

Pig breeding is serious business. An important role is played by the obligatory 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.

Calculating the profitability of pig breeding

Now let's find out whether 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 that it will take $ 2,000 in total. 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 too much.

In about six months, the pigs will gain almost 100 kg. With 50 heads, you can leave 3-4 for breeding, and sell the rest for meat. With them, you will receive a profit of about 10-15 thousand dollars.

At first glance, the breeding of pigs as a business seems to be a very profitable business, but take into account the costs of salary to working personnel, utilities, purchase of equipment and feed, and as a result, one pig will have a net profit of 750-800 rubles per month.

With all this in mind, decide for yourself whether a pig breeding business is profitable or not.

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