How much water do pigs need to drink? In hot weather they go to the watering point and seem to be looking for more water. Is giving them water once or twice a day enough? They tend to knock containers over and waste water. What is the best way to…
Need some advice and information on pork production? Look no further. We compiled some articles on pig farming. GENERAL How do I get started in pig farming? Keeping farm records for your piggery Useful guidelines for pig farming HEALTH Learn more about African swine fever Dealing with flies in your…
Question: I believe it is good for pregnant sows to get some exercise, so I have built a large pen where they can be free to move about as much as they like. Now, a neighbour tells me that being outside will harm them as they could suffer from sunburn.…
Question: My friend and I are both newcomers to pig farming. My friend heard that pigs often become infertile in summer – is this true? Pigs don’t really become infertile in summer, but if the weather is very hot they may not breed as well as they do in cooler…
Brian Musonda (57) runs a mixed farming operation on his 10ha small-scale commercial farm outside the Copperbelt town of Ndola. An engineer, who graduated from, a German Polytech, Brian has spent the greater part of his working life in the engineering sector. At some point he realised that farming was a…
Better yields in 2017 has seen grain prices plummeting across the markets of the region, but it is not all bad news for farmers, according to Absa Bank's regional update. ZAMBIA Soya Beans prices have plummeted and are now trading around $265 per ton. Some off takers are rumoured to…
One experienced pig farmer unlocks the potential of aspirant pig farmers, and farm workers, by using the pig farms of his clients as his classroom. He takes his teaching to where it makes a real difference to people and pigs. Elder Phiri (50) of Chilanga, Lusaka, spent 30 years working…
Thirteen pig farmers from the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa have successfully shaken off the stranglehold of rising costs and a stagnating income for the last 13 years by marketing their produce jointly and reducing their risks. Even although South African pig farmers have been able to improve their productivity…
By producing organic vegetables, fruits, chickens, eggs and pork in Zambia's Kafue district with holistic management methods, Sebastian Scott earns a substantial premium for his products from retailers and families in the country's capital, Lusaka. So much so that he could grow from a micro farmer whose products were transported…
Pigs can suffer from heat stroke. Pigs suffering from heat stress will lie down, pant and be unwilling to move. Pigs are sensitive to heat because they cannot sweat, so the only way they can cool down is by panting, and on very hot days this may not be enough.…
A group of farmers show how they’ve made a commercial success with pig farming on a small leased farm in Limpopo without taking out huge loans, inheriting land or buying expensive equipment. The driving force behind this success story are a former Zimbabwean cattle farmer who lost his 12 000…
He’s a white collar worker who left the comfort of a corporate job to toil on a farm. And engineering graduate Gyavira Bwalya (49) is one of several farmers to do just this. Farming is Gyavira Bwalya’s first love, and he had no choice but to divide his time between…
Since he started to practice conservation farming 11 years ago, Mr. Sinoya Phiri of Kafue’s Shimabala region, has gone from a struggling maize farmer to a profitable businessman. He could afford to build a comfortable family home complete with electricity on his 3,5ha farm and he doesn’t struggle to pay school…
Plan carefully and put a business model together for pig farming. Funding should be enough to set up the piggery and cover the running costs for at least a year. Profit is not immediate because of the investment costs. Even the best planned and implemented commercial projects experience a lag…
Mange is caused by a mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, that lives in tunnels in the pig’s skin. It feeds on skin cells as it tunnels into the pig’s epidermis. Adult mites burrow into the skin and lay eggs, and develop through stages from larvae to nymphs and adults. Pigs are infected…
Piglet and sow health will be key to your pig farming operation. Here are some basic signs to look out for. Check that the head, body and limbs of the piglets are all a normal shape. Healthy piglets move after they’ve been born. They struggle to free themselves from the…
