Starting a Piggery - Quick Manual

By Pig Industry Board

Basic Decisions When Starting a Piggery 3

a. Capital 3
Sources of capital 3
b. Housing 3
c. Breeding Stock 4
d. Feed 4
e. Knowledge 4
f. Market Outlet 5
Factors to consider when constructing a piggery 5
Siting 5
Pig Flow And Building Layout 6
Design 6
Floors 6
Walls 7
Roofing 7
Provision Of Feed And Water 7
Pig Abattoirs in Zimbabwe 8
Classification of Carcasses 9
Services provided by Pig Industry Board 10
Promotion of production and marketing of pigs 10
Training 10
Artificial Insemination 11
Research 11
Extension 12
Genetic Improvement 12
Contact Pig Industry Board 13
Arcturus Station (Harare) 13
Bulawayo station 14
Basic Decisions When Starting a Piggery
Meticulous planning is needed when one embarks on setting up a piggery project.
Proper planning is essential in order to avoid making costly mistakes. The following
factors should be carefully considered when starting a piggery project.

a. Capital
It is difficult to be precise on the amount of capital required. The amount required
depends on the intended scale of production. Capital is required for developmental
purposes, that is, building sties and purchasing breeding stock. Working capital is
required for feed, drugs, labour and other running costs. It is important to remember
that cash inflows will start eleven months after the start of the project in most cases.
Peak capital requirements are between the tenth and eleventh month. It is therefore
critical to have enough capital for the first year of operation.

Sources of capital
It is advisable for an aspiring pig producer to use own resources or cheap funds for
developmental purposes. Loans that carry high interests are not ideal it will be
difficult to service the debt especially if the loan repayment period is short.

The Pig Industry Board (PIB) assist farmers to determine how much money is needed
for different sow herd sizes.

b. Housing
Production systems in Zimbabwe entail that pigs are housed. The amount of money
invested in the buildings depends on the scale of production and the type of sties
constructed. Simple structures (multi-purpose pens) are suitable for producers with
small herd sizes (30 sows and below). For unit sizes above 30 sows it is recommended
to construct specialized housing.

c. Breeding Stock
High quality breeding stock is essential for maximum output. Inferior stock give rise
to small litters, have poor feed conversion efficiency, increase housing costs and attain
inferior grades at the market. This consequently reduces the margins. It makes
economic sense to invest in high quality stock from the start.

d. Feed
In Zimbabwe feed accounts for about 75-80% of the total production costs on a piggery. The
aim is to have a least cost diet, well balanced and palatable to the animals. Pig feed contains
at least 60% cereals, which are mainly grown by producers. For budgeting purposes about 3.4
tons of maize are required per sow for a farmer who is compounding his diets using maize
and concentrates from local stock feed manufacturers. The tonnage of maize quoted caters for
the requirements of the sow and 18 growers marketed at a live weight of 100kg.

Water is an essential nutrient and it should always be available. For budgeting purposes the
farmer is advised to budget 150 litres of water per sow per day. This amount is enough for
drinking and cleaning. Borehole, dam or flowing water from the river can be used for pigs.

e. Knowledge
It is critical for the producer to have some knowledge on how to run a pig production
enterprise. Sound knowledge and skills in the running of a piggery enterprise help to improve
production efficiency and hence viability of the business.
f. Market Outlet
Pork competes with other meats like beef and chicken. A glut on the market of
competing products can lead to a drop in demand of pork. Pigs can be marketed
through abattoirs like Colcom or they can be customer slaughtered and marketed
through private butcheries and large retail outlets. A reliable market should be secured
to avoid unnecessary expenses. Farmers have to identify the market for their pigs
before they start producing them. A guaranteed market is critical for the smooth
running of a pig production enterprise as it enables the producer to plan with
confidence. In choosing a market, price offered and the distance to the market needs to
be considered.

Factors to consider when constructing a piggery

Siting
Pigs are kept intensively and land needed for the sties is normally not a limiting factor.
A 100-sow unit can be housed on one acre. The site where the sties are located must
be at least 100m from the residential quarters. The buildings should face North-South
in order to avoid exposing the pigs to the sun. Exposing the pigs to the sun can result
in heat stress and sunburns.Ideally buildings should not be erected too close to dams
and rivers as these areas become too cold in winter and at night. Poorly drained areas
must be avoided, as these can become wet basins.
Pigs require water for drinking as well as cleaning the sties. It is imperative to set a
piggery close to a water source. It is also important to ensure that the water is not
contaminated.
Corridors, at least the width of a building, should be left between buildings to ensure
adequate ventilation. When siting the piggery it is wise to take into account the need
for the future expansion of the project.

Pig Flow And Building Layout

The positioning of pens should take into account the flow of production. The finisher
pens should be close to the loading bay and the dry sow pens adjacent to the farrowing
house so that the distance traveled by pregnant sows to the farrowing house is
minimized.
Feed stores should be positioned in such a way that lorries and/or tractors easily
access them.

Design
Buildings should be strong so that repairs and maintenance costs are minimized in the
first years of production. Improper designs adversely affect production. In the tropics,
provision of enough ventilation is important to avert the problem of heat stress.

Floors
Hard concrete floors with a wooden float finish are ideal. Depending on resources the
floors can be fully slated or partially slated. Fully slated floors are hygienic but can be
expensive to install. The floors should be easy to clean because clean floors help to
prevent the build-up of disease causing pathogens and parasites. Too smooth floors
should be avoided, as they are slippery especially when they are wet. Rough surfaces
cause injuries to the pig’s legs and udder.

Walls
Walls should be strong so that the pigs are contained within the pen. A 115 mm wall is
strong enough provided the mortar used is of the right mix of cement and pit sand. In
enclosed buildings, like the farrowing house, provision of flaps is essential as these
can be opened when it’s hot and closed to contain warmth when it’s cold.

Roofing
Pig sties need roofing to protect the pigs from rain and sun’s rays. Several materials
can be used for roofing but it is advisable to use durable material. Ideally thatch
should not be used for the farrowing and weaner pens because the cold environment
that ensue in thatched buildings adversely affects the piglets and weaners. There is
also the risk of fire with thatched buildings.

Provision Of Feed And Water

A feed trough is needed in any pigsty and for growing or finishing pigs a feed space of
30cm per 100kg pig is enough. As pigs can be fed from the passage, it is best to site
the trough against the passage wall for ease of management.
Water can be supplied to pigs through water troughs and/or nipple drinkers. The water
trough or nipple drinkers should not be located near the feeding trough except for
sows confined in a farrowing crate. The ideal site for nipple and water troughs is the
tail end of the slope in the dunging area. The water trough should have an outlet to
facilitate cleaning. The troughs should be big enough to hold enough water at any
given time to enable the pigs to have water whenever they need it.

Pig Abattoirs in Zimbabwe

No. NAME OF ABATTOIR PROVINCE LOCATION

1 Colcom Harare Harare

2 Kaola Park Harare Harare

3 Reinham Mashonaland West Harare

4 Koala Beatie Mashonaland West Kadoma

5 Glen Clover Mashonaland West Chinhoyi

6 Red Dane Mashonaland West Marirangwe

7 Pama Meats Mashonaland West Zvimba

8 Bemba Mashonaland East Marondera

9 Tilisa Mashonaland East Melfort

10 Pig Industry Board Mashonaland East Arcturus

11 Mbano Mashonaland East Ruwa

12 Lisheen Mashonaland East Ruwa

13 Kwekwe Municipality Midlands Kwekwe

14 Pentland Midlands Gweru

15 Mdhomboyi Midlands Gweru

16 Oenem Meat Products Mashonaland Central Glendale

17 Mutare Prison Manicaland Mutare

18 Madziyire Masvingo

19 Nesta Masvingo Masvingo

20 Acacia Bulawayo Bulawayo

21 Umguza Bulawayo Bulawayo

22 Broadwell Matebeleland South

23 Siyaduma Mashonaland East Seke

Classification of Carcasses
The classification of carcasses is based on Cold Dressed Mass (CDM) as stated
below

Class of Pig Live mass range (kg) Cold Dressed Mass (kg)

Undermass < 50 <35

Porker 50-90 35-64.9

Baconer 90-115 65-85

General Purpose 115-150 85-105

Manufacturing >150 >105

The dressing out percentage ranges between 70-75 % of the live weight, lighter pigs
having lower percentages.
Services provided by Pig Industry Board

Promotion of production and marketing of pigs

Farmers can only continue to produce if there is a viable market for their pigs. The
PIB helps farmers to comply with the law by offering service slaughter facility to
farmers. It is a requirement in Zimbabwe that pigs should be slaughtered in registered
abattoirs. The PIB occasionally buys pigs from farmers for its butchery outlet. It also
provide market intelligence to farmers so that they are well informed when they
dispose their pigs.

Training
PIB conducts practical courses in the field of pig husbandry. The most popular
practical course offered is the 3 week practical course. The practical course is
conducted at the PIB stations in Arcturus and Bulawayo. The course involves the
trainee working alongside experienced stockman during the three week period. During
the course the trainees will be given lectures on pig production aspects.

The practical courses are run throughout the year and farmers are advised to book for
the course in advance as the number of participants per given period is limited. Long
back farmers used to shy away from such courses leaving it to the stockman, but they
have realized that they were shying away from profits and also offered to farmers who
do not have the time to spend 3 weeks at PIB. PIB also conducts theory courses on
different pig production aspects. The courses are conducted throughout the country.
Artificial Insemination
Artificial Insemination is a cheaper and effective way of improving genetics on your
enterprise. Apart from improving your genetics, it should also guarantee that each
mating is carried out using viable sperm, which could not normally be achieved
cost-effectively by natural service. The success of the procedure depends on many
factors including but not limited to the use of a teaser boar, proper heat detection and
timing of service, proper semen handling and transportation from purchase up to when
the semen is used, hygiene and good animal husbandry practices.

You can now purchase approved semen from grandparent Large white, Landrace,
Duroc and Dalland boars at an affordable fee. Training on how you conduct Artificial
insemination is also done at our Arcturus Station. Future research will focus on
adoption of semen sexing techniques to manipulate the sex of piglets

For your bookings and questions please call the Technical Department on;
+263733847431 or +263772234651

Research
The PIB undertakes research in the fields of nutrition, breeding and production. The
research is mainly applied and is aimed at finding solutions to the problems that
Zimbabwean pig producers will be facing. Due to resource constraints most of the
research is done in collaboration with other research institutions and companies in
Zimbabwe. Two research projects were done in collaboration with the University of
Zimbabwe from 2013 to 2014. One of the studies involved assessing the meat
consumption patterns in urban and rural Zimbabwe. The other study was on mitigating
the occurrence and the effects of undersized piglets in a litter.
Extension
The PIB offers advisory services to pig producers and aspiring producers. The
advisory services are currently provided for free. Anybody interested in getting the
service can contact the PIB technical department either through email or over the
phone. The technical department can help aspiring producers to site their piggeries
and in preparing their project proposals for submission to funders. The department
welcomes farmers and students for study tours of its facilities.

Genetic Improvement
The genetic make-up of a pig sets a ceiling to which it can be improved by
manipulation of the environment. Genetically superior pigs have the potential to
improve the viability of pig production. In view of this fact PIB is involved in trying
to upgrade the national herd through the importation of grandparent breeding stock
from internationally reputable breeding companies. PIB has completed the set up of
the Artificial Insemination laboratory and currently semen from grandparent Large
White, Landrace and Duroc is now available for sale. Artificial insemination is one of
the ways through which genetically superior pigs can be made available to many
farmers at least cost.
Contact Pig Industry Board

Arcturus Station (Harare)

Pig Industry Board,
Box HG 297
Highlands

Directions: 25.5 km from Harare Along Mutoko road

Reception phone numbers :

+263242 142394 / 5
+263 772 234 650

Technical department:
+263 772 234 651 or +263 738 125 400
email: [email protected]

+263 772 479 712 or +263 733 847 431

email: [email protected]

+263 779 860 800

email: [email protected]

Abattoir and Butchery

+263 772 289 156
[email protected]
Farm
+263 777 882 965
[email protected]

Bulawayo station
Pig Industry Board,
Box 3217
Bulawayo

Directions:15km from Bulawayo along Bulawayo-Harare road

Office: +263 772517935, +263 (09) 296069

email:[email protected]