Starting a piggery is a great business that you can start in your own back yard.

For this workbook, we solicited the help of seasoned pig farmer Rolly Bautista,51,  who helped Entrepreneur with some basic know how for people who want to get into this kind of business. Rolly, who maintains a 200-square meter pig cage in his backyard in Apalit, Pampanga, has been in this line of business since 2000.

KEEP IT CLEAN

“It is not true that pigs are filthy animals. In fact, they can easily catch diseases if their surroundings, and even the people who take care of them or approach them, are unclean,” he said.

So for those who want to use their backyards for a small-scale piggery business, Rolly said the first emphasis should be on the pig cage or pen. He said that a drainage system and a septic tank are musts. Through this, every time the pigs urinate or defecates, the area can be cleaned immediately. The pigs defecate twice a day and the cage will only become smelly if they get mixed with the urine.

“If you will immediately clean the cage, it will not smell bad and your neighbors will not even notice that you have a piggery in your backyard because it will not emit a foul smell,” he said.

There should also be a steady source of water because the pigs need to be washed at least once a day. They also need to drink clean water regularly.

The roofing of the cage should be high to help it have proper ventilation, because the sow will easily suffer a miscarriage if the area gets too hot.

The pen should have regular anti-bacterial sprays.

Bautista said a 200-square meter pen can accommodate up to 10 sows (inahin) and 50 fattener piglets.

BUSINESS OPTIONS

For those interested in starting a piggery, there are two options to choose from.

1. Grow so-called 'fatteners' and sell them when they have reached at least 90 kilos in weight.

A fattener, Bautista says, is a pig with an age ranging from one month to 45 days. They can be bought at an average of P1,600 t P1, 800 each, depending on the prevailing market price. They consume an average of one sack of feeds per month at P1200 each sack. They are ready to be sold after three months.

As a sample estimate, if the prevailing price is P100 per kilo for live pigs, then a 100-kilo pig will sell P10,000.

Slaughtering the pig and selling it to neighbors might net you an additional 30-percent mark-up.

2. Pig breeding

Another option is breeding and selling pigs wholesale. Bautista says a 120-day-old sow (Dumalaga) can be bought for a minimum of P12,000 each. It will then take an average of four to six months for the sow to give birth.

“Make sure that you keep the sow thin so it will not have more piglets and will not have a hard time giving birth. It is best to limit to one kilo the feeds that it will eat for one day,” he said.

In doing this, Rolly said the sow can give birth to more than 20 piglets. A fatter sow, on the other hand, can only have up to eight piglets.

After taking care of the piglets for one month, he said they can be sold already for at least P1,000.

In receiving buyers, Rolly said you must make sure that they will not get too close to the pigs. This is because there is a possibility that they have been to other piggeries and they may have brought some diseases with them.

While in the business, Rolly said the seminars usually given by the suppliers and manufacturers of feeds are a must. The feeds producers also dispatch their veterinarians once a week to the piggery owners.

“You should be well-informed especially with the new kinds of diseases that are coming out,” he said.

Rolly said the business will continue to be profitable as long as cleanliness will emanate from the owners themselves.

Entrep Tip: Pigs usually cost higher after the Holiday season because the supplies have run out by that time. Rolly said you can adjust your mating schedules according to this.