Pig farmers around the world will tell you that pig farming is a rewarding project. When starting out weaned piglets are purchased at 68 weeks old. When they are 6 months old they can be ready for the market, by this time they have to be weighting 200250 pounds. You should make sure you purchased healthy piglets which have smooth hair coat, pink skin and are in a good condition.
Below are 3 important guidelines on raising healthy profitable pigs:
1. Water
The first thing you should make sure you have when beginning to raise pigs to enough water supply. Pigs drink a lot of water, something like 24 gallons per day. You can use automatic waterers if you have some money to spend. Automatic waterers have an advantage that you don’t have to be giving the pigs water yourself but the waterer will do the job.
2. Management
In general pigs are clean animals. You can make an area of eating which will be different from the area where they eliminate waste. You should help in keeping the pen clean by removing manure on daily bases. You can keep the manure in a separate place to reduce odor, also cover the manure to keep out rain. The pig manure can be used to cultivate your soil since it makes good fertilizer.
3. Housing
Housing is very important when raising pigs. Before you buy your pigs make sure they have a place to stay. Pigs need shelter from rain and extreme heat. A shelter will also help in keeping the pigs warm in winter seasons and to make it warmer you can put hay on the floor. Make sure the house is also large enough to accommodate all of your pigs.
Make sure that you also fence your pig house so that your pigs can not get lost and that predators can’t come in and eat your pigs. You may use ‘hogtight’ woven wire fence with a board around.
