LIVESTOCK
From page 15
going to grow and sell: will
they be weaners, porkers or
baconers? A weaner is about
eight weeks old, so you are
selling it on for someone else
to raise , or you rear them until
they are ready for slaughter as
porkers (a pig ready for
slaughter at 60 kg live weight)
or as baconers (90 kg live
weight).
Decide what breed of pig will
suit your circumstances best.
Popular breeds include Large
White, SA Landrace, Duroc,
Windsnyer and Kolbroek. Get
advice on which breed is well-
adapted to your area and your
needs.
Look at your
facilities for
housing your
pigs. Pigs are
intelligent
and great
escape
artists, so
your
accommo-
dation
Hardy indigenous Kolbroeks are becoming increasingly
Make sure you can finance all
the expenses until your first
pigs are ready to sell.
Plan a programme that is
going to fit your resources ~
you will need to draw up a
budget and perhaps investi-
gate getting bridging finance.
The Dicla organisation on the
West Rand has developed a
turnkey pig production unit
that includes the pig housing,
its construction, installation of
plumbing, feed, training and
the first batch of piglets.
Then you need to decide
which type of pig you are
needs to be up
to the chal-
lenge of
containing
them. They are
also natural
rooters and
can cause a
great deal of
damage in a
short space of
time.
Large White sow with a large litter
Pigs at
And, because they are kept in
different stages of growth
such intensive conditions,
need different ambient
disease is a constant and
temperatures, so their houses devastating threat, and signs
must be built in such a way
of ailments must be moni-
that the pigs are protected
tored constantly, both visually
against extreme temperatures and by veterinary testing.
and other bad weather
Traditionally, pigs were fed on
conditions , such as cold winds household waste and
and continuous rain. Mothers whatever else they could find.
and babies need extra care.
If you are keeping a pig
Pigs in pens are entirely
simply because you like the
dependent on their care givers idea of having one or as a
for all their needs. You will
means of providing slurry for a
need to be prepared to carry
bio-digester, you will feed it
out certain procedures, such
on your household fruit and
as injecting, tattooing, wound vegetable waste and perhaps
treatment and tail-clipping.
popular
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