Business for raising pigs at home. Pig farming as a business idea: how you can make money by breeding pigs

The demand for pork is consistently high, so many people want to try breeding these artiodactyls to obtain 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? We will help you deal with these and many other questions.

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

Room planning

The walls of the pigsty, in which it is planned to raise pigs for meat or sale by live weight, must be made of non-moisture-intensive and heat-insulating materials that will keep warm in winter.

The best building materials

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

The inside walls can be plastered and whitewashed or covered 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. The outer walls need manholes measuring 70x70 cm, through which animals can enter the outdoor walking area.

Conditions of detention

The most difficult thing is to raise young pigs, which need more comfortable conditions. Purchased piglets should be left in a quarantine room for a week to identify sick piglets in the early stages of development.

Young animals should be grown at an ambient temperature of 18-22 degrees and humidity above 70-80%.

Piglets must be kept in warm rooms without dampness or drafts so that they can grow stronger.

The pig area should be kept clean and the animals should be allowed to exercise outside. Change the water as often as possible and clean the feeders after each feeding. The pigsty requires disinfection every month.

Pig barn lighting

Proper technology for raising pigs involves ensuring sufficient natural light in the room. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on the development of individuals. During the winter months, when daylight hours are short, artificial lighting is required.

A lactating female requires lighting for 18 hours a day at a light level of about 15 lux, and fattening individuals require lighting of 5-6 lux for 12 hours.

Room ventilation

In the pigsty, you need to install a ventilation system that will remove recycled air from the room, and in return bring 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 raising pigs are created with a supply and exhaust unit with adjustable performance.

Which breed is better

To do this, you need not only to study and comply with the conditions for breeding pigs, but also to buy suitable animals. All domestic pigs are divided into three categories, depending on the meat:

1. Bacon. Their meat has the most layers of fat, but there is no layer of lard.
2. Grease-meat. They have high quality lard, but also have meat.
3. Meat-fat. They produce mainly 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 your backyard, be guided not by their characteristics, but by market demand in the region:

1. Large white. This breed was brought from England, but our selectors made a significant contribution to the current appearance of the 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-greasy.
2. In the bacon category, the most popular breed in the Russian Federation is considered to be the 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 tallow-meat breeds, since there are many of them. Among them is a large black one. Pigs gain a hundredweight 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 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 is a question asked by all beginners. If pig farming is a business for you, it is better not to skimp on feed. A balanced diet is the main factor influencing weight gain in individuals, and the taste of the 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 combining them.

It is not recommended to fatten 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. The food differs in composition from each other:

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

More green feed helps build meat, while root vegetables, corn and barley increase fat. Thus, everyone decides for themselves what is best 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. The peculiarities of pig breeding require feeding piglets five times a day for up to 3-4 months, after which they switch to four meals a day. The main thing is to clean the feeders from any leftover food after feeding.

Pigs are considered omnivores, but the quality of the feed used will affect the meat, so we do not recommend feeding them table scraps.

You should include in your diet vegetables and fruits, a variety of grains and root vegetables. Additionally, you need to buy feed containing valuable microelements.

Piglets up to 4-5 months are fed boiled root vegetables with the addition of ground wheat and herbs (legume tops, nettles). Whey is mixed into the food, and the recommended additives are 10 g of salt per day and a spoonful of iron sulfate (2.5 g dissolved in 1 liter of water).

From the eighth month, animals gain fat, 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 your own food, but on small pig farms it is more profitable to buy ready-made food.

Features of keeping pigs in winter

Caring for and breeding pigs in winter has certain features that you should be aware of. To keep animals from freezing and getting sick, the premises need to be insulated and heated. It is recommended to give them warm water, and the feeding method also differs. Due to the lack of seasonal greens, more food waste, animal feed and bran should be added to the diet, also not forgetting about salt.

Beginning farm owners often wonder what to feed pigs to help them grow better?

Pig breeding

Now let's find out, are there 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 months the first offspring is possible. For it to be good, you need a sow weighing more than 100 kg and having at least 12 formed teats.

In one farrow, the female brings up to 14 piglets (depending on the breed), and each of them is your profit. Whether this business is profitable will depend on the demand and average prices for the breed in a particular region.

To prepare the sow for pregnancy, enrich the diet with dairy waste, lush green grass and mixed feed. Use hay instead of greens in winter. When a pig becomes restless, refuses to feed and grunts characteristically, this indicates the occurrence of sexual heat.

After 10-12 hours, you need to organize mating with the boar or carry out artificial insemination, and after the same time period, repeat the procedure. After 17 days you need to observe the female. If the symptoms of heat recur, the sow is not fertilized, and the process must be repeated (it is better to choose another boar). we told you, but this is not the most difficult thing in their reproduction.

How to care for newborn piglets

Newly born piglets require special attention. What is needed here is not ordinary pig care, but more careful and attentive care. The lactating female also needs additional attention. After farrowing, you need to give her a liter of water, and after another six hours, fully satisfy her fluid needs.

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

As for the piglets, each of them after farrowing needs to be wiped, the snouts, ears and mouth washed, the umbilical cord cut treated and burned with iodine.

Reproduction of 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 (each of them must be brought to the nipples). If this is not done, the female will not accept them.

Calculation of 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 profitability, let’s take a small pig farm of 50 heads.

Each piglet costs about $40, so the total cost is $2,000. Each individual will require 100 kg of feed and 180 kg of grain annually, that is, you will spend 170-200 dollars per month on food. The profitability of raising pigs partly depends on the quality of the feed, so don’t save too much.

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

At first glance, pigs as a business seem to be a very profitable business, but take into account the costs of salaries for working personnel, utility bills, purchase of equipment and feed, and as a result, from one pig you will be left with a net profit of 750-800 rubles per month.

Considering all this, decide for yourself whether it is profitable or not.

Raising pigs
Detailed business plan with calculations

We continue to publish articles about business in rural areas. And this time we will look at raising pigs and a business plan for organizing your own pig farm. Breeding pigs in small quantities does not bring much profit, and sometimes even just losses. Therefore, the minimum threshold for entering this business is calculated as a “round sum”.
If you can afford investments of such volumes, then let’s get started. To create a pig farm you will need a good building with the necessary equipment, competent staff and animal feed. These three components are fundamental here. Read more business ideas in the article:

Business plan “Raising pigs”: premises

The basic component of this business is the building in which the pigs will live. To do this, you can buy or rent an abandoned pig farm, and communications and primary equipment will already be included in the price. In the second case, you can build a barn with your own hands or with the help of hired force.
During construction, you will have to take into account a lot of points: the building must be insulated, protected from dampness and drafts, and thoroughly ventilated. Contrary to stereotypes about pigs, these animals are very clean, they require special care and comfortable conditions. And the main difficulty during construction is organizing cleaning channels into which dirt will need to be washed off periodically.
Therefore, our business plan will be based on a rented pig farm of 800 m2. The average cost of such a rental will cost 120,000 rubles (150 rubles per 1 m2).

Equipment and communications for a pig farm

Raising pigs for sale is significantly different from raising pigs at home for meat for your table. In such a business, it is important to ensure that your product is of the best quality and has excellent taste.
Therefore, pig farms use equipment that significantly reduces the cost of hired labor and improves the living conditions of animals. So, for a pig farm you will need the following equipment:
For supplying water and feed
Ventilation
Lighting
Heating
Water pipes
Feed loading line
The cost of purchasing all this equipment varies around 500,000 rubles. In addition, monthly costs for water and electricity will require an average of 20,000 rubles.

Mandatory personnel for a pig farm

Vet. When raising pigs for sale, do not forget about their health. Healthy pigs produce good offspring, and their meat is more valuable. Moreover, some diseases make meat completely inedible, and sick pigs can become a source of epidemic. In turn, this causes big losses for you. Therefore, when drawing up a business plan for raising pigs, do not forget about the veterinarian. Payment for the work of a veterinarian is about 20,000 rubles.

Livestock specialist. You will also need a knowledgeable technician to keep all your equipment running. The average salary of a livestock specialist in agriculture is 15,000 rubles.
Pig farmers. For a business with 120 heads, 4 pig breeders will be enough. The average salary of a pig breeder in Russia is 30,000 rubles. To save money, you can hire an experienced pig breeder with a salary of 30,000 rubles, and three assistants without experience (pay 15,000 rubles each).
General workers. Laborers in agriculture are very important personnel. There is no point in hiring a separate person for cleaning, loading feed and filling pens with hay. In practice, all this can be done by one person. For our farm, 2 laborers will be enough. Salary – 10,000 rubles.

Purchase of pigs and food costs

For a farm of 800m2 you will need about 128 pigs (based on a minimum area of ​​6.25m2 for each). The purchase price of one piglet at two months of age is 2,500 rubles. In total, the purchase will require 320,000 rubles.
By the way, it is better to purchase from different suppliers in order to avoid mixing of genes. Otherwise, the offspring may turn out weak and sick.

As for feed, to raise strong and meaty animals you will need 100 kg of feed for one pig with 180 kg of grain additives per year. Our livestock requires 1,067 kg of feed and 1,920 kg of grain monthly. The cost of such feeding is 11,000 and 14,500 rubles, respectively.

Calculations and profit

After 6 months, the pig gains weight of about 100 kg with this feeding. From 128 heads, about 4 are usually left for breeding. It turns out that 124 heads, or 12.4 tons of meat, will be sold. Considering the average price for 1 kg is 250 rubles, the profit from the sale of the entire product is 3,100,000 rubles.
Let's summarize the initial investments calculated earlier:
Rent – ​​120,000 rubles
Equipment – ​​500,000 rubles
Purchase of piglets – 320,000 rubles
Purchase of feed for the first month – 25,500 rubles
Total: 965,500 rubles
Now let’s calculate the monthly expenses that a pig farm requires:
Rent – ​​120,000 rubles
Utilities – 20,000 rubles
Salary to employees – 130,000 rubles
Feed – 25,500 rubles
Total: 295,500 rubles
It turns out that before receiving the first profit in 6 months we will spend 1,773,000 rubles. And from the income received of 3,100,000 rubles, the profit will be equal to 1,327,000 rubles.

Conclusion

To obtain good pork, they devote a lot of time, attention and means to caring for pigs. Therefore, in such a matter you should not look for economical methods and means. The more you invest in raising pigs, the more you will get back.

We are thinking over a business plan for raising rabbits on our own - features
Sheep farming - what to look for when creating a business plan

Many people who have a house and land in rural areas, sooner or later begin to think about how to get some kind of stable income from the available area of ​​​​land and buildings, and start their own business. Pig farming is usually the first thing that comes to mind. As a business, this area has great prospects for development. High-quality pork is always in demand on the market and has a fairly high price level. The second reason for the increased popularity of pig farming is the sufficient simplicity of the technological process - you only need to raise the animal and sell the resulting products. Let’s try to understand all the intricacies in order to anticipate possible difficulties when organizing a profitable business in pig breeding.

General issues

If you are determined to consider pig farming as a business, you should initially realize the following point: you will have to radically restructure your routine, constantly pay attention to your farm, and regularly deal with financial and physical investments in your chosen occupation.

At the planning stage of opening a pig farm, try to realistically assess your capabilities for selling the pork you produce. If you are planning to build a relatively small business in breeding and raising pigs, and you can sell all the products yourself at familiar and agricultural fairs, then it is enough to have your own private farm. But in the case of sufficiently large-scale pork production, the status of an individual entrepreneur will provide more opportunities for selling meat and lard. In this case, you will have to regularly pay taxes and operate with a large number of permits, however, you can safely increase the pig farm to the desired number of livestock.

First of all, think through in detail the business plan according to which your pig-breeding enterprise will be formed and developed. It is quite possible to start with a few sows and gradually increase the desired number.

Consider using your own breeding sires, initially choosing a specific breed. Of the two possible directions of development, the organization of pig farming should place the main emphasis on the production and marketing of meat. Maintain selective breeding in pig rearing only for your own needs for the reproduction of livestock, since selling young stock to the public does not always recoup the investment costs.

In addition to selling the main products of pig farming (fat and meat), find opportunities to sell by-products (hides, blood, etc.). A smokehouse can be a good help on the farm for the wider development of a pig farm - smoked products are also in great demand on the market, and their shelf life is longer than that of fresh products.

All of the above should be combined into a single business plan for breeding pigs and raising them, and also add there:

• possible feed procurement markets;
• costs of organizing and maintaining the life cycle of a pig farm;
• identifying and minimizing all risks in pig farming;
• the possibility of attracting veterinarians and livestock specialists.

Required documents

The business of raising pigs is a serious and responsible step, which implies that the entrepreneur has in his hands a full package of documents regulating and permitting the activity. The main question in this case: how to open a pig farm baffles most people. However, not everything is as scary as it often seems.

To obtain documents, decide on the choice of a specific area in which your activities will take place and the pig farm will develop, since it is in that region that you will have to communicate with officials. Initially, agree with the administration of the selected area on the possibility of organizing pig farming on their territory and the specific location of the future pig farm. Already at this stage, it is advisable to have a business plan to show the seriousness of your intentions, as well as your own competence in the chosen project.

It is no secret that most often officials positively consider the issues of creating new jobs, which, of course, will appear after the start of a new business and the construction of a pig-breeding enterprise. In this case, the administration provides the entrepreneur with all possible options for opening a pig farm and registering a land plot. It is also possible that an assistant will be assigned to you in completing all the paperwork: from documents registering the enterprise and your activities, to assistance in obtaining possible government investments for the development of a pig farm.

Premises and equipment

Having received all the necessary permits to conduct business, you should pay maximum attention to the premises, its construction or preparation for settling with pigs. You may be allocated an old building, which should be reconstructed and equipped for the needs of your own pig farm. It will cost a little more to build a pigsty from scratch, but in this case you will be able to build the required communications in accordance with the business plan.

Organizing a pig farm for 100 or more heads involves hiring people who will care for the animals. Therefore, when drawing up a layout of the premises of a pig-breeding complex, include in the plan the allocation of office, household, production and utility rooms, a laboratory and other things. For a herd of 300 heads, the optimal area of ​​all premises is about 5000 m².

The pig farm premises must meet sanitary requirements, be clean, bright, and special attention must be paid to eliminating drafts.

Also pay special attention to the installation of equipment and equipment of the pig farm. The costs of purchasing the latest equipment will pay off very quickly, since it will create optimal conditions for raising each pig and reduce the cost of doing business to a minimum.

Most Russian pig farms are equipped with equipment that has already expired and is obsolete. Often its age exceeds 20 years, much of it is inoperative. And this leads to direct losses: increased morbidity in pigs, wasted feed, etc.

The modern approach to organizing the raising of piglets and pigs as a business implies almost complete automation of the life support process of a pig farm. This is what we should strive for.

Breed selection

Today in the world there are more than a hundred breeds of pigs of different areas of productivity. Therefore, before purchasing livestock for the future herd, carefully consider and decide on the choice of breed that will become the predominant or the only basis for pig breeding of your private farm or individual entrepreneur.

Experts who have already gone through the journey of starting and developing the business of their own pig farm recommend purchasing up to 350-400 heads of pigs and piglets to start. Of these, approximately 2 boars and 15 sows. Buy the rest of the piglets for fattening and subsequent sale, so that the business generates income from the very beginning. The business plan of a pig farm should include this possibility, however, if finances are not enough to purchase a large number of pigs at a time, you can start with a mini-enterprise, developing at the expense of your own producers.

Even before purchasing breeding animals, it is advisable to visit several farms engaged in pig breeding, take a closer look at the young stock on offer, study pedigrees in several generations, and find out all the features of a particular individual:

• Firstly, as a result of this study you will be able to avoid inbreeding of animals;
• Secondly, productive qualities are inherited, and you will get a good offspring only from highly productive and healthy pigs;
• Thirdly, when buying pigs for breeding, you are making an investment in your business for several years in advance, and how your investment will pay off depends on which animals you choose.

Recently, Russian farmers often choose to do business by breeding and fattening Vietnamese pigs, and use highly productive breeds as the basis of their business plan. Indeed, these animals have the necessary qualities to be included in a successful and profitable business plan for a pig farm:

• multiple births of sows,
• high profitability of raising pigs of this breed,
• bacon performance direction,
• popularity among amateurs, which contributes to good sales of meat products and young animals and high business profitability,
• disease resistance.

Breeding Vietnamese pot-bellied herbivorous pigs as a business can bring good profits, provided that the necessary conditions are created for these animals (a warm pigsty and a spacious range).

Only well-balanced feed and feed mixtures, of high quality and formulated in the correct ratio for each specific age group of animals, will lead to stable high income and prosperity of your business.

Follow the same principle in the process of breeding and reproducing the herd. Activities in this direction must be carried out at a high level, constantly, systematically and purposefully. To work with sows and newborn piglets, select responsible personnel who are familiar with all the nuances. It is also advisable to hire a livestock specialist for the work.

It is specialists who have the necessary experience and knowledge in the field of pig farming who will help to avoid mistakes when choosing the time for breeding pigs, caring for sows during pregnancy, and providing assistance to animals during obstetrics. And this will reduce the mortality of young animals, which means it will increase the profitability of the business.

Financial justification of the business plan

In order to calculate the profitability of pig farming, we assume that the livestock will be 350-400 individuals. For this quantity, it will be necessary to prepare about 30-35 tons of grain and 250-300 kg of various additives for the year; a staff of 4-5 people will be required. To reduce the cost of feed, you can use your own crop areas to grow grain crops, root crops, potatoes and other additives. Initially, provide for the acquisition and registration of such plots in the business plan for the development of the pig farm.

When drawing up a detailed business plan for a pig farm and calculating the financial costs necessary to start the enterprise, we will assume that from 15 sows of this herd you can get an average of 150 piglets per farrowing. Surveys are conducted twice a year, resulting in approximately 300 finishing pigs per year. Raising them to a live weight of 100 kg, we will spend up to one year on fattening, depending on the conditions created and the breed. In this case, the net yield is 50-60 kg. Let's multiply this figure by the number of piglets raised and the market value of 1 kg of pork, and we will get the income of our business. On average it is about 3,150,000 rubles per year.

From the resulting amount, subtract the expenditure part (the cost of feed, utilities, workers' wages, transportation costs, etc.) - we get an amount that means the net profit of the enterprise. Approximately it is about 1 million rubles per year. With such a profit, the business will pay for itself within 2.5-3 years, and then it will begin to generate very significant income.

Of course, every pig farmer who decides to build his own business for fattening and breeding artiodactyls must independently make the above calculations, taking into account the characteristics and prices of the region in which he will establish a pig farm. Having received specific numbers, it is much easier to answer the burning question: is it profitable and should you engage in pig farming?

Perhaps the most common and productive type of livestock farming activity is pig breeding. Raising pigs for meat is quite profitable and not very difficult. In today's conditions, the government of the Russian Federation attaches great importance to the development of agricultural activities within the country. This means that if you start raising pigs at home as a business, you can, among other things, count on support from the state.

Pig breeds

Today there are a huge number of pig breeds, but they are all divided into three areas, depending on the final product:

• meat or bacon;
• meat products;
• greasy.

Before starting to organize a farm, you need to choose the direction in which you will be engaged and, depending on this, select breeds. It is possible to choose several directions or just one. If you decide to focus on one area, then probably the best choice will be meat breeds, which include the following breeds - Yorkshire, Ukrainian Steppe, Northern Siberian, Livenskaya.

Documentation

The decision to engage in breeding and selling pigs implies, in order to comply with the legality of the business, the execution of a certain package of documents.

The most successful form of ownership in this case will be the registration of individual entrepreneurship (IP). But this should only be done if the livestock you will keep is more than 100 heads. Otherwise, it’s easier for you to set up as a regular homestead farm and sell surplus products.

If you still decide to register as an individual entrepreneur, then you should indicate the following code for the all-Russian classification of types of economic activity - 01.46.11 - raising pigs for meat. If, in addition to meat, you are going to breed pedigree pigs, then it is worth entering the second code - 01.46.12 - breeding pedigree pigs.

Despite the fact that people associate pigs with dirt, they are quite clean animals. And therefore, like any other animal, they must be kept clean and relatively warm.

Dampness and drafts in the premises for pigs are unacceptable. The temperature that is comfortable for them should not fall below 12 degrees Celsius. And if young animals are kept in the room, then no lower than 16 degrees.

Where to start breeding pigs as a business and how to succeed? Of course, with the arrangement of a good pigsty! The best room would be a building with brick walls at least 50 centimeters thick and a floor made of boards or concrete. It is important that there are no gaps in the floor to avoid injury to animals. The floor is insulated with a mound of sawdust and clean sand, a layer of at least 20 centimeters.

It is very important that the premises can be cleaned regularly, so water supply and sewerage are often installed in the pigsty. If animals are kept indoors all year round, a heating system is required. Feeders and drinking bowls must be installed.

If you plan to keep at least a hundred animals, then you should think about automating feeding and water. Or hire a sufficient number of service personnel.

Pig farming is considered to be the most profitable area in livestock farming. This is due to the fact that these animals gain weight quite quickly and are unpretentious in food. However, do not forget that, like any business, this one will require investments, risk and constant participation in the business.

Where do you start breeding pigs?

Pig farming as a business can only be considered by those who have prepared a specific plan and are ready to engage in raising animals every day. Despite the fact that the business started will require huge investments and patience, the results that it can bring will fully compensate for all the efforts. Pig farming is divided into two areas: raising animals for meat and selection, which is not considered as an independent business. In itself it is unprofitable. Pork is always a popular product. The result of production is meat, fat, skin and blood. They are purchased by sausage factories, workshops, grocery store chains and market resellers. Smoked sausages and lard can be stored for a long time, which allows you to increase the duration of product sales without compromising its taste. What makes this business profitable is the sale of meat.

If we are talking about the needs of your family within one shed, then you can do without complex calculations. But you still have to invest time and money.

Pig farming for aspiring livestock farmers should start with a business plan. It should take into account such aspects as farm organization, possible sales markets, feed purchases, breeds of pigs and their cost, and maintenance costs. Separately, it is necessary to identify all possible risks and ways to reduce them. To effectively start a business, it is recommended to attract experienced specialists, among whom should be a livestock specialist.

Farm organization

When considering pig farming as a business, the main focus must be on the farm. The room should be bright, clean and draft-free. The optimal area for a 300-head herd is 5000 square meters. meters. This will allow it to accommodate household, office and industrial offices, as well as a laboratory.

Particular attention should be paid to the removal of manure in various farm design options. This is a very important factor for compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, and therefore for healthy growth of the livestock.

Equally important is what equipment will be installed on the farm. Equipment for pig farming must meet the latest requirements to prevent animal diseases. The success of the business depends on how modern it is. European companies remain leaders in the production and development of such equipment. Modern farms are set up in such a way that most of the process occurs automatically. These include electronic feeding systems and separate areas for sow insemination, farrowing, growing piglets and fattening. In Russia, such farms are still very rare. The equipment used here is 15-20 years old. Half of it is not functioning. The result of such activities is losses.

Purchasing pigs

To organize a farm, experts recommend purchasing a herd of 300 heads for a novice pig breeder. There should be no more than 10 producers in the herd, and no less than 150 sows. This will be the main potential for replenishing the herd. Almost half of the livestock will need to be fattened and sold to generate funds. It is better to buy dozens of pigs from different owners in order to prevent mating of animals that are close in pedigree. The choice must be made with an experienced livestock specialist or veterinarian, who will immediately determine the health status of the animal. If the farm where you plan to purchase piglets has many unhealthy-looking piglets, it is better not to risk it. And look for another farmer. In any case, this must be done in breeding farms.

Pig breeds

There are about 100 breeds of pigs in the world. To select livestock, you need to carefully study them. Each of them has its own pros and cons. Pigs are raised for meat, lard and bacon. Pig breeds differ based on what more can be obtained from them. There are differences in their fertility and resistance to changes in temperature. They differ in skin color and temperament.

In Russia, 32 breeds of pigs are actively used. Photos of some of them are presented below.

1. Large white. The most common breed in Russia and the CIS.

2. Landrace.

Even outwardly you can see how different all these representatives are.

Pig farming as a business has the main goal of growing the existing livestock and providing offspring to replenish the herd. To do this, it is necessary to take into account all factors, including the time of year.

It is better to start raising pigs in early spring. These animals are very thermophilic. During the warm season, a pig weighing 25 kg grows into a pig weighing 115 kg. With such a mass, they are already ready for sale. Piglets that were born during the warm period will get stronger and gain weight faster.

To grow properly, pigs must drink a lot. If the water supply is not automated, then it must be provided in another way. It is not recommended to leave a trough with water, since it can easily be overturned. Animals will be left without water.

Pigs are very positive about feeding. The food should be balanced according to their age. Normal weight gain should be 0.5 kg per day.

Pig rearing technologies

The technologies for breeding these animals have many differences. But they all relate to feeding and maintaining the herd. Each farmer chooses the one that is most economically acceptable for him and meets his goals.

Technologies differ in their approach. Some are designed for free movement of the herd. Others completely block it and are aimed at keeping the animal in a narrow cage.

There are various Danish, Brazilian, German, Canadian, Finnish technologies in the world. Each of them has its opponents and supporters. The technology of breeding pigs in hangars is gaining popularity in Russia. This is very economical in terms of constructing a farm.

Those who have already started this business unanimously say that with any technology, the important factors for making a profit are the source material (piglets), quality investments in their cultivation and market prices at the time of delivery of the products.

Development of pig farming in Russia

Pig farming is poorly developed in Russia. As a business, this type of livestock farming is not profitable for small farmers. This is due to the fact that new technologies, which are based on the capabilities of modern equipment, are not being implemented in most farms. Russian factories that produced equipment for pig farming have almost completely stopped. Which leads to the use of old energy-intensive technologies for keeping animals. This affects costs and reduces production profitability.

Pig farming in Russia is represented by a number of major companies that have not given up their positions for several years.

TOP 5 most successful pork producers in Russia

As can be seen from the table, production growth is obvious. But on a national scale this figure is very small. Recently, special attention has been paid to the development of pig farming. This is due to Russia’s reorientation towards the domestic market and the ban on the import of meat from European countries and the USA. The government plans to allocate special subsidies for the development of farms.