The Standard on Saturday
Date: 07.11.2015
Page 19
Article size: 577 cm2
ColumnCM: 128.22
AVE: 294911.11
Everything you wanted to know
about successful pig rearing
By DROTHIENO JOSEPH
Pig farming has several advantages
including quick herb multiplication
and rapid investment turnover with
minimal expenditure on building and
equipment. In Kenya, there is a well
paying pork processing and hotel in­
dustry that produces bacon, ham, sau­
sages and lard. Pork has a relatively
higher energy value and is rich in vita­
min B1, B2 and Niacin. Pig fat has also
found industrial use in chicken feed,
soap and paints manufacture. Pig ma­
nure can be used as fertiliser in agri­
culture and fish ponds.
When properly reared and bred, a
sow (female pig) can give birth to up
to 12 piglets and they can do this for
up to two times a year. Pigs grow fast
and can be served at eight months old.
In other words; with just one sow you
can quickly establish a farm within
one year.
Selection of your breeding stock is
of utmost importance as this will de­
termine the survival rate of your litter.
Selection of the breeding Gilt
Gilts are female pigs that have not
been bred; after giving birth they are
called sows. When selecting gilts for
breeding check for reproductive traits
because your business will be hinged
on getting larger litters (collective term
for a batch piglets produced by a sin­
gle sow). The best time to select gilts is
at weaning based on their growth rate,
alertness, strong legs in addition to
good body conformity.
Gilts should have a six or seven
superior offsprings on your farm.
When selecting a boar for breeding,
like with the gilt selection; do a thor­
ough historical background check to
ensure that he is from a good mother.
It must have six pairs of rudimentary
teats as this trait is genetically inherit­
ed and will be passed on to his gilts.
Of great importance are the sexual
organs which must be well developed.
The boar must be active and strong
and should be at least eight months
old at first service. Breeding boars
should be checked regularly for bru­
cellosis and leptospirosis by a veteri­
nary surgeon. The recommended boar
potential of the gilt.
The gilts mother should have been
a good mother ­ it should at least on
average have produced nine piglets
per litter with the first farrowing (giv­
ing birth in pigs) happening at 12
months and thereafter a farrowing in­
terval of seven months.
Selecting the Boar: Boar is a
male pig; though applicable, artificial
insemination in pigs is not so widely
used therefore boars are widely used
in pig breeding. It is important to se­
lect a boar that will ensure you have
at 12 to 14 hours interval to increase
chances of conception.
Heat induction: Heat is many a
time induced in sows especially those
under intensive rearing systems and
this is normally done within two to ten
days after weaning. There are two ways
of doing this either through hormone
injection or playing with the psychol­
ogy of the sow. The former is straight­
forward and should be done by a vet­
erinary surgeon the later can be done
by gently stroking the sow's vulva ev­
ery morning for three to five days,
If being reared for pork; it is recom­ spraying her house with boar urine
mended that you castrate male piglets and introducing sow to boar.
After service, wait for three weeks
when they are two weeks old to avoid
and observe for any heat signs; ab­
sence of heat signs shows that the pig
Pigs can also be infested with internal and
conceived. Pregnancy will take 114
external parasites; common internal worms
days.
are round and tapeworms while common
to sow ration is 1:25. A boar should be
used for service two to four times in a
week.
external parasites are ticks, fleas and mites
and are characterised by itching, restless­
ness, scratching on walls. Ihey are treated
by application of medicated powders in the
pig's house.
Periodic deworming is recommended to
control internal worms.
Piglets should be dewormed one week
after weaning, gilts at two weeks before
mating, sows two weeks to farrowing and
two weeks after weaning and boars every
six months.
Ihis can however change depending on
pairs of evenly distributed teats; this weather patterns and parasite prevalence.
will ensure a larger size of the litter.
Gilts with supernumerary teats (extra
teats normally not well developed)
should be rejected as this is not a good
genetic trait for a breeding sow. Histor­
ical background of the gilt should be
checked as an indicator of the genetic
gilts should be served on day one
while sows should be on day two.
Whether a sow or gilt; they should be
served twice on the recommended day
the boar taint in the pork.
Flushing: Remember to give extra
feed to gilt or sow one to two weeks to
breeding; this is called flushing and is
aimed at increasing the number of
eggs ovulated and hence the piglets
per birth.
Heat detection and serving:
Like in the cow; pigs have an ovulation
cycle of three weeks; a sow or gilt will
be on heat for 2­3 days during which
they should be served. Signs of heat in­
clude the following; ­ restiessness, red
and swollen vulva with a whitish mu­
Farrowing: When about to farrow
(give birth) separate the pregnant pig
from the rest and put her in a special
farrowing pen. Pigs in most instances
give birth unaided but ensure you pro­
vide soft bedding for the piglets. Veter­
inary intervention is needed when a
delay of about one hour interval is not­
ed between the arrivals of successive
piglets. Vaccinations against e.coli and
atrophic rhinitis and deworming
should be done two weeks to farrow­
ing. Take note that some dewormers
can cause abortions and are contrain­
dicated during gestation.
After birth, cut the umbilical cord
to about 5 cm and disinfect with io­
dine to prevent inflammation and tet­
anus infection. It is important that you
clip the needle teeth using a teeth tri­
mer to avoid injury to the mother's
teats during suckling; if this isn't done
the mother is at risk of getting mastitis
or rejecting her litter due to the pain.
Ensure that the piglet suckle
enough colostrum and thereafter that
they have enough milk. Piglets nor­
mally identify one teat which they will
suckle; this is called 'teat fidelity' and
prevents piglets from fighting during
suckling. The piglets should be able to
cus discharge and mounting other
pigs. When ready for service the gilt or
sow will stand still when you apply suckle to satisfaction if the sow has
pressure on its back ­ this is called
enough milk but in some circumstanc­
standing heat and it shows willingness es the sow may not have enough milk
to be served. Timing of service is im­ and a farmer has to supplement or
portant and it is recommended that look for a foster mother who has
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya
The Standard on Saturday
Date: 07.11.2015
Page 19
Article size: 577 cm2
ColumnCM: 128.22
AVE: 294911.11
same time and you have to spray all doctor.
(The writer is a veterinary surgeon
the piglets in that litter with some
spray to disguise the piglets you are in­ working with the Kenya Tsetse and
troducing since sows use smell to Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council
identify their piglets. Piglets are borne ­KENTTEC)
with inadequate iron and thus must be
supplemented through oral adminis­
tration or injections. Weaning is nor­
mally done at around eight weeks after
farrowing.
Feeding: It must be noted that pigs
are monogastric (they have one stom­
ach) and shouldn't be fed on fibrous
feeds as their digestive system doesn't
have the ability to digest such fed. Pigs
are nonetheless ferocious feeders and
have a high fed conversion ratio. The
feed must be rich in energy, proteins,
minerals and vitamins.
Pigs can be fed on rice bran, maize,
soyabeans, cassava, vegetables, distill­
er's residues, milling by products,
pumpkins, water hyacinth (pigs are
among few animals that feed on this).
Where restaurant or chicken waste is
used as pig feed they must be screened
thoroughly.
Common diseases: Pigs suffer
from myriad bacterial, viral, fungal
and nutritional diseases. Signs of ill
health include fast breathing which is
a sign of fever, droopy ears, change in
skin colour, diarrhea, dullness, lack of
appetite. When you observe signs of
infection in pigs; immediately separat­
ed from others and call a veterinary
A pig farmer attends to his animal. To get fat profits from pigs a farmer must
embrace good husbandry, [photos: nanjinia wamuswa]
enough milk.
Cow or goat milk and mashed bean
porridge can be used to supplement
low sow milk. If using a foster mother;
she must have farrowed at almost the
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya