OFW Business: Tips on Starting your Hog Business

For overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are familiar with rearing livestock and poultry may be interested in raising piggery for business. A pig farm can be your very own home business, but first, you need to think and determine what you want to achieve. Do you want a pig farm in your backyard? Or you want a bigger farm outside of your home? And what are the possible challenges when raising this business? Is your location suitable for such kind of livelihood? What you will need to start the market and how viable it is will vary from these choices and implications.

Option 1: Home farm

If you like to start your farm in the backyard of your home, the first thing you need to do is create a clean environment for your animals. Lots of people make the mistake of thinking pigs as filthy animals, and they leave them like that. Pigs, like every other animal out there, can catch diseases if their surrounding is not clean. One of the foremost tips when running a hog business is to create pig care or a pen where there are drainage systems and septic tanks. These two are a must! Make sure you clean the cage regularly, as pigs defecate typically twice daily. Providing a water source is also high on the priority list, as you need to wash your animals once a day and provide them with clean water for drinking.

Income Types in Home Farm

If your goal is to have a small business in your backyard, there are two types of income you can make. The first one is to fatten the pig, and sell them as they reach 90 kilos in weight. Fatteners are pigs with age ranging from one month to 45 days, and you can sell them after three months of feeding. The second option is pig breeding. Your sow will give birth every four to six months, and it is vital to keep them lean and thin, so they can produce more piglets. Limit their feeding to approx 1 kilo per day. After piglets are born, take care of them for one month and sell them.

Option 2: Away from Home Farm

When you start a business with a farm that is away from your home, always think of location, just like in other business ventures like carinderia or laundry shop. Without the right place, your business will fall apart, and with a good location, it will flourish. The second order of business is to find loyal people you can trust as caretakers. This applies unless you plan to do everything by yourself.

A good location is in a rural area, preferably without neighbors in the field of an acre or two away. Reason: if there are neighbors close, the stench will affect them, and they will complain all the time. Also, check the wind direction when you are searching for a good location.

The next order of business is to create a good piggy stall. Cement floor, adequate shade with roof for rains, and sound drainage system are high on the priority list for a good, quality booth. When you are all set and done, all that is left is to buy your first pigs and arrange for food distribution. It is recommended that you purchase pig grain from a feed store. It is best to strike a deal with them for a weekly, monthly, or annually supply.

Feeding tips

When it comes to feeding pigs, it is not so simple. You can just throw the food to them, and expect everything to be okay. Most of the farmers/experts in the business recommend multiple feeding (2-3 times a day) and prefer it over once a day. It is important to remember that you must stick to the schedule you implement. Feed your pigs at a specific time of the day, and stick to it.