Pig Farming

[royboythai]

Way to go Roy.......35 Baht? How bigs the sack?? 10 Baht for neung tung kee vuaar round here. (and as much as I can stuff in the tung) :-). 2 years ago it was 6 baht. anybody making a living farming in Thailand is a hero. Keep it up.

[royboythai]

Way to go Roy.......35 Baht? How bigs the sack?? 10 Baht for neung tung kee vuaar round here. (and as much as I can stuff in the tung) :-). 2 years ago it was 6 baht. anybody making a living farming in Thailand is a hero. Keep it up.

[ursolin]

Hello Cagey007,

I have a pig farm but its free range and only 36 pigs. I can give you details of feed and VET bills for this amount of pigs and the correct mixture of feed to give them and also what to do with there waste.

Please PM me and i can give you the details and also of pics of what i have done if your interested.

Paul

Hi Paul,

We are interested in starting up a free range farm too, actually maybe just interested in renting a portion of someone else's free range farm for a period of a couple of years to learn the business, make sure its really for us. Would you do this? Or do you or anyone else know of someone that does this? At first, we would be at arms length, but hope to get a little more involved moving forward. Would be happy to hear any insight you had on starting up as well.

Best.

[IsaanAussie]

Well Pigsters I thought I would restart this thread to see if there are others like myself involved in pigs.

I will post some photos soon showing the progress on my pig palace, which has been recommenced as a result of more favourable exchange rates.

Anyone who currently has pigs will tell you that pork prices are up and feed prices down. Now is a good time to get into the game.

Love to hear from all and any with a story to tell. To the Nay sayers, I am reminded of a classification of men into three categorys, 1. Those that learn by reading about it; 2. Those few that learn by listening; and 3. The rest of us that just have to pee on the electric fence ourselves.

Issanaussie

[MrWiggle]

I like peeing on electric fences....

[slapout]

Never pissed on one myself, but after we started using the weed burner electric fence, doubt anyone would try it more than once after the first time. On damp ground the cows were knocked to their knees, once.

[Gary A]

Some time back my brother in law bought a little black pig from someone and gave him to my wife. We have two meter high block wall around two rai. Within two days that little pig managed to root out a mud hole, debark some fruit trees and the good news was that he also rooted out some of my wife's flowers. I say good news because that was enough pig destruction for her. She caught the little guy and had him tied to a tree. I refused to build a pen for him and forbid her to let him tied to a tree. A call went out to the brother in law to come and get the pig or else. I don't know what happened to the pig but good riddance to him.

[IsaanAussie]

Gary A,

Life is a matter of choice, some people like pigs, some don't. A good friend, Fruity, once said if you dont like pigs, don't get involved. Glad things worked out the way you wanted.

Slapout and Mr Wiggle,

Keep the batterys charged boys. Life is for the living, who wants to read about it.

Isaanaussie

[pigeonjake]

well i for one cant see the problem with someone coming to this country and trying to do something differant,im an old welder now i work in bkk as operations manager and hate it, cant wait to retire,ive got 7 rai up in lam pai mart, ok im from farming stock in the uk, but im still going to raise a couple of pigs for our selfs, ive done the figours, 5 4 week old piglets, raised up, sell 3 1 for us 1 for mama and papa and the money you get for the 3 you sell buy 5 more, and you have your pork for free,that souns good to me, we all came here to be happy at the end of the day and if someone wwants to have a go at pig farming, all i would say is start small, and do it mainly for yourself, becouse there are a lot of farmers who breed pigs,ive got a teacher freind, thai, who breads, and sells ypoung pigs to papa, we got on very well as he buys all the rise hsuk and rise powder from papa, so we are lucky, just remember be happy in what you try to do here, but also remember, if there is something out there that makes money, then a thai will be doing it, take care,, jake

[CLEVERTREVOR]

Gary A,

Life is a matter of choice, some people like pigs, some don't. A good friend, Fruity, once said if you dont like pigs, don't get involved. Glad things worked out the way you wanted.

Slapout and Mr Wiggle,

Keep the batterys charged boys. Life is for the living, who wants to read about it.

Isaanaussie

Well Isaanaussie - I'm thinking I'm insane Aussie - I don't like pigs BUT my wife does - First the sad part -My wife bought 20 pigs - fattened them up with broken rice + old vegetables + Commercial bagged feed -

This all happened a year ago near Sa Kaeo - have house + 5 rai... The Pigs stunk , the commercial food almost doubled in price , even the broken rice increased substancially , THEN the price of pork HALVED !!!

I , I should say we , did our dough !!

OK New beginning , My wife did it again - went and bought more pigs - this time 10 little pigs + 1 mumma pig (more little pigs on the way).. I'm so happy AND pigs can make a lot of noise when they arn't...

A little bit of luck - for some reason my wife+Co. built the pig pens next to our dam - then proceded to wash the pigex into the dam - which fed the fish - and fed a vegetable like vine growing in the dam - this vine was fed back to the pigs - Guess what !! , the piggy aroma has almost dissapeared...

The good news - we don't buy any more fish food - the fish are FAT. - DON'T pay vet bills - if a pig has a problem it is immediatly slaughtered + shared out amongst paying relatives + locals ( the last time this happened,Ithink the pig was bitten by a snake)

How to make pig farming viabile ?? - We are going to build a shed + buy a rice machine to dehusk rice - charge the locals 10% of their good rice + feed the broken rice ect.to the pigs + chickens + ducks...

IS this nuts or what !!! TOO bad wer'e gonna do it anyway....

PS - I am almost a veg.. I only eat Fruit and veg. and a little fish ...My wife is almost the opposite !

ANY IDEAS ??? Trevor...........

[IsaanAussie]

Trevor,

No, you are not crazy at all. The industry has moved from a mass of small farmer holdings (2-100) pigs to one that is dominated by the CPF and Betagro type giants. The prices are now protected by these companies need for profit and that will continue to hold the pork prices up.

Feed prices rose slightly last month and it is suggested will go up again in the next few months. But as you stated the depressed prices of pork and high feed prices are now a lot more in balance. My budgetary figures have improved by over 10% in the last 6 months.

On your question of ideas, consider a dry muckout and combine the solids with rice straw to produce compost/fertilizer. Use the empty feed bags and sell the result at around 30 baht per bag. The wash water will still put 10-30% of the solid wastes and the urine into your fish pond.

After 18 months my pig palace is almost finished, will post some pictures again soon.

Isaanaussie

[RedBullHorn]

...and while many places are facing severed drought(including myself) there's a shortage of fishes in the market, i believe that would push the price of live pigs at farm gate further up....i'm lucky to be doing integrating farming of catfishes and pigs.

[IsaanAussie]

...and while many places are facing severed drought(including myself) there's a shortage of fishes in the market, i believe that would push the price of live pigs at farm gate further up....i'm lucky to be doing integrating farming of catfishes and pigs.

Kratungdang, (horn in thai, sorry mai roo)

Totally agreed. Inrtegrated farming is the answer, well done and Chokdi for the next millenium.

Isaanaussie

[IsaanAussie]

Hi

Me and my girlfriend are thinking of going into pig farming in Khorat.

We have the land and would be very interested in all help setting up buildings,food suppliers,where to buy the pigs to start etc..

So what makes u think a pig farm in Korat would be such a good idea? What do you know about pigs?

It never ceases to amaze me why people come to Thailand and start up some business enterprise in something they have absolutely zero experience of in their own countries. The plumber who opens a restaurant, the stockbroker who starts a fish farm. Amazing Thailand!

A little negative eh, when the UK government shut down the coal mines and put thousands on the dole, out of it came a few millionaires, guys just having a go at something new and it all starts with asking a few questions. Tut Tut.

On another note, got a pig farm near me and they always sloose out at dinner time, grrrrrrrrrr.

Sorry, completely disagree. Now is the time. Major companies CPF and Betagro too much to loose, us, little guys, everything to gain..... go for it...

Isaanaussie

[highlander403]

my missus has just inherited a pig farm 20 or so pigs (i still remember the smell from my youth ) and she wants to utilise it when retiring in thailand next year also got a rice husking machine so can feed the pigs on that, what would be the fcr on that and do you need to suppliment their feed with pig feed, i like the idea of saving on vet bills by slaughtering ( not personally i might add ) out the sick ones..

any ideas guys if this would be viable at present

i personally like the idea of keeping fish water no problem have installed a couple of tanks ready for next year but like the pond idea also a few ducks

regards scotty

Edited April 11, 2010 by highlander403

[IsaanAussie]

my missus has just inherited a pig farm 20 or so pigs (i still remember the smell from my youth ) and she wants to utilise it when retiring in thailand next year also got a rice husking machine so can feed the pigs on that, what would be the fcr on that and do you need to suppliment their feed with pig feed, i like the idea of saving on vet bills by slaughtering ( not personally i might add ) out the sick ones..

any ideas guys if this would be viable at present

i personally like the idea of keeping fish water no problem have installed a couple of tanks ready for next year but like the pond idea also a few ducks

regards scotty

OK, the rice bran offers energy but no protein. You can buy mineral and vitamin premix and add corn and soy meals, broken rice etc.. Take a careful look at costs though. Commercial feeds are not much more expensive once you factor in all the work, equipment and labour in producing farm made feeds. Feeding the pigs as small holding Thais do means slow growth. Resulting in longer to reach market size, more feed, and often more illnesses.

Vet bills are another expense that is often misreported. Our local vet and his helper cost me less than having a purchase the drugs and gear myself, no refrigeration or date problems. Have a good look at the costs again. Perhaps more important, Thais dont like eating meat from sick pigs or those that have died.

Have a look at the 20 pigs you currently have and take some decisions quickly. Keep only the ones with potential. How old are they? If you have sows, how many litters and numbers of live piglets per farrowing, preweaning mortality rates, all need to be known.

Hope that gives you a few things to think about.

Isaanaussie

[bina]

never ever skimp on vets, u dont save money,just lose... make sure to get the swine vaccines (what are they in thailand? rabies/brucelllosis for females? i havent a clue but there must be required govt. supplied vaccines for diseases that are contagious to people)....

u cull out the ones with broken legs or whatever. u keep good mothers and eat or sell the bad mothers. cull out weak litters dont try to raise the weaklings. its harsh reality bu tthat is the only way to make money and not lose it.

bina

[simpathy]

Hi

Me and my girlfriend are thinking of going into pig farming in Khorat.

We have the land and would be very interested in all help setting up buildings,food suppliers,where to buy the pigs to start etc..

So what makes u think a pig farm in Korat would be such a good idea? What do you know about pigs?

It never ceases to amaze me why people come to Thailand and start up some business enterprise in something they have absolutely zero experience of in their own countries. The plumber who opens a restaurant, the stockbroker who starts a fish farm. Amazing Thailand!

I think it´s just a matter of people wanting to do something completely different...... not a bad thing at all. I´m thinking of doing the same thing.... but can´t make up my mind whether to raise frogs, pigs or rabbits....

But Peng... aren´t you a bit out of line with your comment???? Didn´t you post recently on the frog breading thread, asking for advice on how to do it????? Your own critical comment could be applied to your good self!!!!

My thoughts exactly after reading the post.

Nothing stopping or wrong with people learning and trying to get information/advice here before starting it and then relying on the assistance of your extended thai family to make it work (Only a fool would ignore the knowledge and experiences of others). I have more respect for someone who tried to "have a go" with some forethought and failing then for someone who is too scared to try.

I also want to start to dabble in some business and see where it takes me. I don't need the income to survive and I won't invest amounts that I couldn't afford to lose completely (Not saying I would like it - but I won't be jumping off any buildings). Any growth of that business will be from its own profits....if any. The excitement is that it is different to what I'm doing now and thereby being the challenge of learning new things to the point of succeeding that I enjoy. Sometimes the way to learn things is to just get stuck in and get your hands dirty. By gaining knowledge from someone who is kind enough to share it, maybe one day I can provide assistance to them or to someone new. Now doesn't that sound like making the world a little nicer for us to live in? Peng, you sound like someone who is happy to sit on the side and let life pass them because of any number of reasons.

the problem is he wants to do it with his girlfriend. girlfriends and business are mutually exclusive, if you doing a real business to make money!

do thai men w money go into business with their thai gfs who dont have money

Edited April 11, 2010 by simpathy

[highlander403]

thanks bina and aussie some food for thought there guys, seems like a lot more to this pig farming than getting mr and mrs pig together and letting them get on with it

regards scotty

[fruity]

my missus has just inherited a pig farm 20 or so pigs (i still remember the smell from my youth ) and she wants to utilise it when retiring in thailand next year also got a rice husking machine so can feed the pigs on that, what would be the fcr on that and do you need to suppliment their feed with pig feed, i like the idea of saving on vet bills by slaughtering ( not personally i might add ) out the sick ones..

any ideas guys if this would be viable at present

i personally like the idea of keeping fish water no problem have installed a couple of tanks ready for next year but like the pond idea also a few ducks

regards scotty

OK, the rice bran offers energy but no protein. You can buy mineral and vitamin premix and add corn and soy meals, broken rice etc.. Take a careful look at costs though. Commercial feeds are not much more expensive once you factor in all the work, equipment and labour in producing farm made feeds. Feeding the pigs as small holding Thais do means slow growth. Resulting in longer to reach market size, more feed, and often more illnesses.

Vet bills are another expense that is often misreported. Our local vet and his helper cost me less than having a purchase the drugs and gear myself, no refrigeration or date problems. Have a good look at the costs again. Perhaps more important, Thais dont like eating meat from sick pigs or those that have died.

Have a look at the 20 pigs you currently have and take some decisions quickly. Keep only the ones with potential. How old are they? If you have sows, how many litters and numbers of live piglets per farrowing, preweaning mortality rates, all need to be known.

Hope that gives you a few things to think about.

Isaanaussie

Crazy thing, best quality rice bran ( the milky-powdered one) currently costs as much as adult maintance ration! Unlike the coarse, brown rice bran,which has virtually zero nutritional value the powdered stuff is nutritious & is indeed very fattening.

In rural Issan, vets are not easy to locate. There are those who work for the goverment in the cities & a few of these do private work in the evenings & weekends, however, in the main, they are very unreliable. Private small animal practices, don'yt want to know about Pigs! It is, therefore, very important to learn as much as you can about the various drugs / antibiotics & their applications that you are likely in the course of your Pig farming to need at some point. In my opinion, it is essential to keep a stock of drugs (Issan Aussie has seen inside my fridge) It is impossible to have a vet standing by at every farrowing for example; where in 9 out of 10 cases an Oxytocin injection is required, then as a precautionary measure a shot of Pendistrep when all is over.

[IsaanAussie]

Fruity,

perhaps you could try giving that internet connection of yours a shot from the fridge as well. A jab of Oxy may just speed up things up a bit. Oh yeah, give the phone's battery charger a shot too, if you can find it......

[highlander403]

my missus has just inherited a pig farm 20 or so pigs (i still remember the smell from my youth ) and she wants to utilise it when retiring in thailand next year also got a rice husking machine so can feed the pigs on that, what would be the fcr on that and do you need to suppliment their feed with pig feed, i like the idea of saving on vet bills by slaughtering ( not personally i might add ) out the sick ones..

any ideas guys if this would be viable at present

i personally like the idea of keeping fish water no problem have installed a couple of tanks ready for next year but like the pond idea also a few ducks

regards scotty

OK, the rice bran offers energy but no protein. You can buy mineral and vitamin premix and add corn and soy meals, broken rice etc.. Take a careful look at costs though. Commercial feeds are not much more expensive once you factor in all the work, equipment and labour in producing farm made feeds. Feeding the pigs as small holding Thais do means slow growth. Resulting in longer to reach market size, more feed, and often more illnesses.

Vet bills are another expense that is often misreported. Our local vet and his helper cost me less than having a purchase the drugs and gear myself, no refrigeration or date problems. Have a good look at the costs again. Perhaps more important, Thais dont like eating meat from sick pigs or those that have died.

Have a look at the 20 pigs you currently have and take some decisions quickly. Keep only the ones with potential. How old are they? If you have sows, how many litters and numbers of live piglets per farrowing, preweaning mortality rates, all need to be known.

Hope that gives you a few things to think about.

Isaanaussie

Crazy thing, best quality rice bran ( the milky-powdered one) currently costs as much as adult maintance ration! Unlike the coarse, brown rice bran,which has virtually zero nutritional value the powdered stuff is nutritious & is indeed very fattening.

In rural Issan, vets are not easy to locate. There are those who work for the goverment in the cities & a few of these do private work in the evenings & weekends, however, in the main, they are very unreliable. Private small animal practices, don'yt want to know about Pigs! It is, therefore, very important to learn as much as you can about the various drugs / antibiotics & their applications that you are likely in the course of your Pig farming to need at some point. In my opinion, it is essential to keep a stock of drugs (Issan Aussie has seen inside my fridge) It is impossible to have a vet standing by at every farrowing for example; where in 9 out of 10 cases an Oxytocin injection is required, then as a precautionary measure a shot of Pendistrep when all is over.

sounds like some very good advice there on feeding and drugs, but the one good thing i have going for me is one family member is a vet, and has assured me he would be ok for doing that kind of stuff ( he has never talked about charges... yet) .. doubt whether he would be so keen on turning up at say 2 am for farrowing though, i am told/ assured by the missus that it is her baby so to speak and " she can do np "

guess this is where i take a good look at growing veggies instead

thanks for the advice much appreciated indeed..

regards scotty

Edited April 17, 2010 by highlander403

[SantiSuk]

My father-in-law seems to do very nicely out of selling his male pig (i'm no farmer - you can tell) for stud. 400 baht a time and no end of local takers in the village. Every time I go round there the big black thing is enjoying himself in the back garden.

[Khonwan]

I agree with Fruity on the subject of vets. As Ramdom Chance and I have stated some years ago in this forum, vets here, in our experience of two very different districts in Nakhon Sawan, have proved themselves to be lacking in knowledge and interest.

As a beef-cattle breeder of several years here followed by a period of fattening pigs, I advise anyone contemplating rearing livestock to educate themselves on animal husbandry including veterinarian skills and knowledge of drugs commonly used. There are a great many resources on the Internet made freely available by mostly Australian and American universities and government institutions (far less so from my native UK). You may be lucky to have the services of a good vet...but don’t count on it.

Rgds

Khonwan

[COXYATCITY]

Hi

Me and my girlfriend are thinking of going into pig farming in Khorat.

We have the land and would be very interested in all help setting up buildings,food suppliers,where to buy the pigs to start etc..

So what makes u think a pig farm in Korat would be such a good idea? What do you know about pigs?

It never ceases to amaze me why people come to Thailand and start up some business enterprise in something they have absolutely zero experience of in their own countries. The plumber who opens a restaurant, the stockbroker who starts a fish farm. Amazing Thailand!

I think it´s just a matter of people wanting to do something completely different...... not a bad thing at all. I´m thinking of doing the same thing.... but can´t make up my mind whether to raise frogs, pigs or rabbits....

But Peng... aren´t you a bit out of line with your comment???? Didn´t you post recently on the frog breading thread, asking for advice on how to do it????? Your own critical comment could be applied to your good self!!!!

My thoughts exactly after reading the post.

Nothing stopping or wrong with people learning and trying to get information/advice here before starting it and then relying on the assistance of your extended thai family to make it work (Only a fool would ignore the knowledge and experiences of others). I have more respect for someone who tried to "have a go" with some forethought and failing then for someone who is too scared to try.

I also want to start to dabble in some business and see where it takes me. I don't need the income to survive and I won't invest amounts that I couldn't afford to lose completely (Not saying I would like it - but I won't be jumping off any buildings). Any growth of that business will be from its own profits....if any. The excitement is that it is different to what I'm doing now and thereby being the challenge of learning new things to the point of succeeding that I enjoy. Sometimes the way to learn things is to just get stuck in and get your hands dirty. By gaining knowledge from someone who is kind enough to share it, maybe one day I can provide assistance to them or to someone new. Now doesn't that sound like making the world a little nicer for us to live in? Peng, you sound like someone who is happy to sit on the side and let life pass them because of any number of reasons.

totally agree ,well spoken

[IsaanAussie]

Coxy,

Sorry I just cannot leave this sort of thing alone.

To the armchair farmers out there, have you ever dreamt of an alternate existance, of something outside your predetermined fate at home? If not, why are you here? To actually achieve something just because it was there to be done? Because you had the "minerals" to give it a crack? To shake your own cage, and not the cages the rest of us used to live in, but have discarded?

We live in a world with the almost limitless resources of the internet at our fingertips and a wealth of knowledge of people like the "Farang Farmers" on TV who attempt to help anyone realise what they, themselves are chasing, meaning, purpose, satisfaction. Experienced in what, living? The man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything! Its only money....

To the nay-sayers, you have a choice, either reach for the remote or for the stars. In Thailand we have all heard the closing remark, "Up to You".

What was it Marvin the robot from Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy said, "Here I am with a brain the size of a planet, and what do they get me to do? Park Cars!"

Isaanaussie

[COXYATCITY]

Coxy,

Sorry I just cannot leave this sort of thing alone.

To the armchair farmers out there, have you ever dreamt of an alternate existance, of something outside your predetermined fate at home? If not, why are you here? To actually achieve something just because it was there to be done? Because you had the "minerals" to give it a crack? To shake your own cage, and not the cages the rest of us used to live in, but have discarded?

We live in a world with the almost limitless resources of the internet at our fingertips and a wealth of knowledge of people like the "Farang Farmers" on TV who attempt to help anyone realise what they, themselves are chasing, meaning, purpose, satisfaction. Experienced in what, living? The man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything! Its only money....

To the nay-sayers, you have a choice, either reach for the remote or for the stars. In Thailand we have all heard the closing remark, "Up to You".

What was it Marvin the robot from Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy said, "Here I am with a brain the size of a planet, and what do they get me to do? Park Cars!"

Isaanaussie

do not understand why some people,post things like this ,they do not no my circumstances,i have been honest 100 %,in trying to learn something,very sorry that i can not be at the farm full time,as i have things to tie up here( sell my house ,etc.) and try to give my kids a half decent education,so to you know it alls who just like to take the p--s out of people..good luck in your sad life,

[RedBullHorn]

save your breath guys, the poster don't exist anymore in TV since 2009 Febuary... let's assume he downgraded and move to southern India, live's too hard for him here

[RedBullHorn]

just in case if he is still around, me too amount others, came to Thailand with my life saving and zero experiance of rural life. I've have made it in farming, both fishes and piggeries and a home shop selling agriculture tractors spare parts and hardwares, services to more than 300 tractors in my tambon alone. Instead of using my "eye power" i've put words into actions...sure feel good on the achievements and beats been an armchair farmer. My family have the biggest face in the village too...

[IsaanAussie]

do not understand why some people,post things like this ,they do not no my circumstances,i have been honest 100 %,in trying to learn something,very sorry that i can not be at the farm full time,as i have things to tie up here( sell my house ,etc.) and try to give my kids a half decent education,so to you know it alls who just like to take the p--s out of people..good luck in your sad life,

If you misread my intent than you have my apologies. I have no issue with those whose lives include more than just farming in Thailand. Good luck to you and your kids.

My issue is with people who seem to have nothing to do but criticise others. For me constructive critisim is always welcome, I'm always willing to learn. I will in future attempt to be more explicit in my comments. Thanks.

Isaanaussie