Pigs 101 (A Start)

[revar]

Yeah robert, iv heard about these 1 year contracts. Cp has started with them last year I think to net the smaller farms who dont want to fork out 2-4m.

I understand from my contacts its a reaction to the many newer food suppliers. Cp and they are now competing for marketshare of the smaller farms andvthat is good for us. In fact I strongly suspect this is why I got the offer from perfect.

Side note: I dontvwantvtobsell my piglets, which is why I quote 2500 bath to people who ask. If they buy then I have a nice profit, butvstill only half of when I raise them. For a small operation like me a 600 thb profit wouldnt keep me in food and beer.

[Allgeier]

labor up to you, if do youself you save baht, but again i like the wife to have some time away from the farm. ie. have young family too.........

the boars we have in the farm would be good for breeding with the sows from parity 3 onwards (before the gilts- sows would get bad legs - crushed ect. - girl to small for the boys body weight)

How many pigs your wife have and how many hours she spend with them?

You not help her with the farm?

Why not collect the sperm and fertilize by the farmer when the sow is to young? And the Problem with the bad legs are gone, or not? Or how the big Farm's solve this Problem?

Hello Robert24

I can give you the contact details of the CP person for Sarakham/Kalasin

You can send me this contact details?

We found now one feedshop who buy after the pigs back. Its some how you wrote about this CP Modell.

If this is a sure buyer, this will help a lot of.

Nobody know where i can buy 100 % Duroc piglet?

[fang37]

I am considering entering the industry.

Breeding would be my specialization.

[Robert24]

labor up to you, if do youself you save baht, but again i like the wife to have some time away from the farm. ie. have young family too.........

the boars we have in the farm would be good for breeding with the sows from parity 3 onwards (before the gilts- sows would get bad legs - crushed ect. - girl to small for the boys body weight)

How many pigs your wife have and how many hours she spend with them?

You not help her with the farm?

Why not collect the sperm and fertilize by the farmer when the sow is to young? And the Problem with the bad legs are gone, or not? Or how the big Farm's solve this Problem?

Hello Robert24

I can give you the contact details of the CP person for Sarakham/Kalasin

You can send me this contact details?

We found now one feedshop who buy after the pigs back. Its some how you wrote about this CP Modell.

If this is a sure buyer, this will help a lot of.

Nobody know where i can buy 100 % Duroc piglet?

just sent you her contact details.

[Allgeier]

just sent you her contact details.

I got it. Thank you

[thoongfoned]

labor up to you, if do youself you save baht, but again i like the wife to have some time away from the farm. ie. have young family too.........

the boars we have in the farm would be good for breeding with the sows from parity 3 onwards (before the gilts- sows would get bad legs - crushed ect. - girl to small for the boys body weight)

How many pigs your wife have and how many hours she spend with them?

You not help her with the farm?

Why not collect the sperm and fertilize by the farmer when the sow is to young? And the Problem with the bad legs are gone, or not? Or how the big Farm's solve this Problem?

Hello Robert24

I can give you the contact details of the CP person for Sarakham/Kalasin

You can send me this contact details?

We found now one feedshop who buy after the pigs back. Its some how you wrote about this CP Modell.

If this is a sure buyer, this will help a lot of.

Nobody know where i can buy 100 % Duroc piglet?

2 people work 4 ish hours aday cleaning 7 days aweek. same couple bag poo maintain outside around farm about 3.5 rai walled - half hour day ish..

the same couple clean house and the garden at our other house too, have been working with the wife 10 plus years now. live opposite the wifes "nice" house.

AI - births- odds and sods - approx. 3 hours aday for 2 adults 7 day a week.

plus outside help to number (tattoo) pigs ears, weigh[ wean} check stock level ect. company employees we do not pay. plus full audit once a month everything. 1 hour 3 people. company again.

food delivered unload by company. feed pigs, manually carts, 2 people 25 minutes .

3 men maintaince 1 ish day a month (average over year) full day.

1 hour a day paper work. plus 10 minutes paper work for local government - environment stuff. 7 days a week. if you make a hash of the paperwork a lot longer......... thats why we employ people to help. that's a contract sow farm 220 plus holding all time. I do know of people (large familys) that do all the work themselves, but they must live in the farm............lol tooo much to maintain this sort of business just to do it yourself.

.o h we only AI the mums. daily sperm delivery. order how many you need the day before.... do not collect sperm, just order. boars in the farm are just for stimulant.

[thoongfoned]

oh yes the company do all vaccine about once every 60 days, and blood tests on all parities (3 from each parity) every 90 ish days...... government GMP inspection every year. local government will also visit a couple of times a year, mainly to just be noseyyyyyyyy. then we have visits 2 or 3 times per year from the high ups in the company from bkk.. all good fun! plus now yearly inspection (starting new year) from outside source. checking everthing from front gate farm yard to the back of the land. not to sure on this yet, but know its very important to make the right impression..........

[Allgeier]

Thank you for your ansers.

If you have two workers it's will not be so busy for your wife. And for you too. When i read your sentense befor i thought your wife stay the hole day alone with the pigs.

Where you live thoongfoned?

[thoongfoned]

yes my writing can -is all over the place, usually have children telling me to get off their computer.lol udon thani out in the woods.........

[Allgeier]

I have per litter about 5000 or 6000 Bath of expenses. I dont care about 5 or 15 piglet per litter. The expenses are normaly all the time the some.

When i sell after a 1/2 year later the pig i cut of this littercost and the feed and this is what i get.

vaccine is 30 Bath for 10 piglet.

kastrieren we do by our self

Iron injektion is how mutch per piglet? 5 Bath

I dont now how to get up to 1000 Bath expenses per piglet.

[thoongfoned]

I have per litter about 5000 or 6000 Bath of expenses. I dont care about 5 or 15 piglet per litter. The expenses are normaly all the time the some.

When i sell after a 1/2 year later the pig i cut of this littercost and the feed and this is what i get.

vaccine is 30 Bath for 10 piglet.

kastrieren we do by our self

Iron injektion is how mutch per piglet? 5 Bath

I dont now how to get up to 1000 Bath expenses per piglet.

you love it dont you..........

some of my thoughts. food per bag cost X 30kg. sow- gilt cost X. ok. then start look at it over 1 year.. 365 days.

day 1 AI. cost seamen cathater. say you and the pig do a good job an she concieves.

food from day 1. 2kg aday. for first 28 days. if guilt a little less.

day 29 - 80 ish 2.4 - 2.5 kg aday.

day81 - 105 2.8 -3kg per day.

day 106 - 115 2kg day.

birth. 116 - 1kg 117 2kg 118 3kg 119 4kg 120 5kg 121 6kg 122 7kg then full feed say upto 15 - 16kg day max on old parity less for new mums.

wean at 15 day old (piglet) piglet then 5.,5kg average then onto food, out farm at day 19.

mum back waiting for AI 3kg day 131. same 132 133 134 AI day 135. back to 2kg. repeated. some mum can not eat 15 kg, this would be the most. pigs at the mo are eating an average of 13 -14 kg aday at this stage in the farm as of today yesterday.

then include the injections for the piglets. like you say small money. needles,syringe ,tape and hygiene powder. detergent for clean area where the mum piglets were. may be power washer costs. purchase - electric ect... light bulbs... then vaccine for the mums. then the down day food. ie the waiting days if she does not concieve first time second ect....how many piglet per sow year ect.... for true food cost. then the mums that loose births for one reason or another. more dow day more food. cost of boars if you have them will also be included in the piglet cost.

the longer you keep the piglet the more cost you will incure, ie extra food for mum more down - waiting days in the farm. but to my mind better bigger stronger piglets - but all at a cost.

on top of all that labor,electric and maintaince costs.

it all depends on how much you pay per bag or for the food itself to get a true costing per piglet. what would you pay per 30kg bag of food. include delivery unloading. plus all the other bits.

the food per mum is a tipical example of how the mums get feed in the wifes farm. from my understanding of all this the more piglet born weaned is better. if you low birth numbers or high mortality you would need to look at how you can improve. i have costed all this out on the basis of buying food at the rate of 1500 -1700 bags at a time - lorry and drag unit ect. and the cost if you run a very tight farm ie not alot of down day will be around the 1000 baht mark if you were to say have 45 mums average birth a month weaning ten per mum at day 19. piglet age like i said above.

the wifes farm is not a bad farm far from it, it sits in the top end of our area now for afew years, it produce the same amounts almost all the time (yes would be nice to be improving ect) over the period of ayear in piglets terms. in the first 7 months of this year the farm lost well over a 1000 days due to all the above mentioned stuff. ie waiting day. returns. aborts. culls. its these days that cost you the extra money - the same will apply in the finishing end of things too. ie slow growth, sickness, lameness death ect.... it all adds true cost to the "product" pig! hope that helps, it just my thoughs.......... could well be well out.............

[Allgeier]

from my understanding of all this the more piglet born weaned is better. if you low birth numbers or high mortality you would need to look at how you can improve. i have costed all this out on the basis of buying food at the rate of 1500 -1700 bags at a time - lorry and drag unit ect. and the cost if you run a very tight farm ie not alot of down day will be around the 1000 baht mark if you were to say have 45 mums average birth a month weaning ten per mum at day 19. piglet age like i said above.

I not count the piglet. I count how many kg i can sell after 6 Month. And this give me my profit.

At witch time i can bring my own food inside this feeding system? Maybe when i have a size like everyday a bith it's look differant.

But i am looking for a way to run a farm with about 6 to 10 sow.

What i do if i not have worker and the sow have 14 piglet? To spend the have day to feed the piglet by hand? In my position its better there have not more then 10 piglet per litter.

Better 10 and easy than 14 and busy.

And this is my benchmark.

This what you call small money, i count this inside the 5000 - 6000 Bath expenses per litter.

[thoongfoned]

i think you i and thing differenly...........

a mum can look after 14 piglets well. no need to feed by hand. max i would leave on a mum would be 16.

weigh "wean" piglets today. have 2 mums out of the 7 with 14 total to wean each, the rest would have around the 11 -12 mark. all depends how many they birth, the other day had one mum with only 9 and her milk was good, she was a gilt. when her piglets left the farm day 19 they would all have been over 8kg. thats very good for the wifes farm at the moment.

[Allgeier]

Sure we think different.

Because the Farmsize is differant.

But in 19 Days to 8 kg is very good. On the web there talking about 28 days to reach the 8 kg or less. Your wife is 10 days faster.

[thoongfoned]

nice early delivery the other morning, just before 3am the new gilts arrived, our eldest daughter was not happy... (i would imagine she had just turned her phone off, to go to sleep..... ) lol. had 20 plus new ones this month now, very happy.

allgeier it would/is possible to get mums with say ten or under piglets to 10 plus kg at 20 days. birth weight is very important and of course a good milk giver. some mums produce very good milk and if they only nurse small numbers the weight soon goes on. enough food is also very important. from memory the best the farm has had would be 12.4kg ish at day 21. that would be only one piglet not the average, on smaller litters under 10.

it would be near impossible to get such weight on group of mums - piglets. thats why you read low kg because it would be the average from many litters. if you can get 6kg on groups of pigelts at day 19 this is good, im told by people in the industry that this is very acheivable if you get everything right.

[Allgeier]

This week i bought 3 LW +LR female piglet. But there are so small. Only about 3 - 4 kg each. The boys looked great. About 6 - 7 kg. Price 1200 Bath. But i not need the boy's.

Every where i go, i never see piglet with 10 kg.

From thoongfoned the piglet. Who is the buyer and what is the price? 1200 Bath enough? Or is more then 2000 Bath. Because if its more then 2000 Bath, there is no Profit for the small Pigfarmer when the Price stay with about 600 bath/kg.

[thoongfoned]

This week i bought 3 LW +LR female piglet. But there are so small. Only about 3 - 4 kg each. The boys looked great. About 6 - 7 kg. Price 1200 Bath. But i not need the boy's.

Every where i go, i never see piglet with 10 kg.

From thoongfoned the piglet. Who is the buyer and what is the price? 1200 Bath enough? Or is more then 2000 Bath. Because if its more then 2000 Bath, there is no Profit for the small Pigfarmer when the Price stay with about 600 bath/kg.

at 3 or 4kg each they are very small. maybe why they are "cheaper" then the norm, I do not know. the range of 6 -7kg each would be a good starting point if they are already eating - drinking water. if the piglet has not been "shown" food -water you could loose growth days due to the shock of no milk. either way 3-4kg will be hard work to get kg on quickly......... keep them under a light if possible and make sure they have a good dry warm area to sleep in.

the wifes farm is a contract farm.ie she provide the building and labor and the company provide the gilts and food. if the farm produce 1 piglet of 1000 piglet a month it is all the same.ie they come and collect them every 3 ish days - wean them X days old. the wife will get a sort of fixed amount paid once a month per piglet. (not easy to explain) in her bank minus tax.

the people that collect the weaned piglets also get paid per piglet per km travelled to finishing farm. I do know that if they have a piglet die once they have left our farm they loose 2,000baht per death. these piglets - pigs all belong to a big company that look after all the external costs. workers birth the piglet - finish them. no selling buying involved what so ever in this kind of set up.

on a side note the farm now has a new part time worker, our 8 year old son is showing a healthy interest. he seems to have feel straight into step with the AI. soon him and his elder sister will be running the place.....

[Allgeier]

Yes, there are small. But not skinny, only small. There stay in straw. Warm and dry.

In one month i will see i have done a mistake or not to buy this small piglet. I am worry a little there not grow.

This is what i mean with:

Better 8 piglet and there are big than 12 piglet and 4 not grow. Maybe some local breeder sould feed the own small piglet and there know what there breeding.

[jompa67]

How did this happen? White sows mated with Duroc and the result is some pitch-black, and some completely white piglets. None of the piglets are mixed black and white. Is it normal? I've never seen it before.

https://youtu.be/RQEM6SRoIXQ

[thoongfoned]

How did this happen? White sows mated with Duroc and the result is some pitch-black, and some completely white piglets. None of the piglets are mixed black and white. Is it normal? I've never seen it before.

https://youtu.be/RQEM6SRoIXQ

sorry can not help, don't have a clue......... but just wanted to say what a super clean set up you have there! looking really good!

[thoongfoned]

well that's this months piglets weaned, want to get this next month of weaned work over asap (slow month) then back to busy. a mixed bag as far as production figures go, half of the mums produced just over 1 per litter piglet less then the "norm" so this is not good! spoke to the office girls the other day and they said that most farms over the last month have been down on birthing alive numbers. down to the hot weather when AI I think, may into june. we will have to start recording outside temps next year to get a better picture...... ie farm running hotter during the afternoons. weaned 10.25 per mum this month, worst of the year so far........ fingers and toes crossed for this month, half way through and not look any better at the mo....

building work is looking good almost finished the extras now, company happy, extra money in the pay packet this coming pay day...... looking at making a weaning area in the farm soon, place just to keep piglets once they leave the mum. weaning very early and the farrowing boxes are a premium so gonna try and squeeze some new boxes in for the piglets, floor space is very tight! this way the farm will be able to have more births a month too......

new year time im going to try and push the wife (easyer said then done) for a firm answer on a new farm build......... I will not be holding my breath on this one though, one thing I have learnt by spending long spells of time here is to be very patient.........then some more......... he who waits........... can not have lol.

happy pigginnnnnn

[pigeonjake]

good morning piggers,

ive had a few messages asking if im ok as i havnt been about, well im fine just lost interest in thai visa,

also been very busy with the farm,

we now have a small shop and we sell our own pork,

it got to a stage that the buyers were trying it on to much, saying we have to many pigs, the price is down, so that give me the kick up the ass i needed to say f££k you ill sell our pork,

so i set to built the shop all sectional so if need be i can un bolt it and move it,

we went to the ampher and got the license to do it all legal and i must say its going great, we are just working out the best times to open, my wife used to stay open all day,( bless her) but i told her to write down the time people come to buy, and it seams there is 2 peak times, first thing in the morning and in the evening,

so she now opens 6, 630 ish till 10 and 4pm till 7, its going well,

here are a couple of pics, its not big as you can see but it does the job just fine,

regards and happy pigging

jake

[pigeonjake]

heres another one

[thoongfoned]

looking good! was at one of the many general stores in the village last night, lady at this ones buys -makes her own pork stuff (marrinated pork on a stick) thai sausages ect lovely stuff but the waiting is a pain in the ass. (cooking time) she is very busy every night bbq stuff, i try and get the wife to drive by and order, pick it up later.. but last night i waited in line, the wife managed to finish a large bottle of beer before our order was ready..........

good luck mate im sure you are onto a winner with this.

[pigeonjake]

thanks for your comments,

the wife has just got back, she has sold 7 kilo this morning and a lady as orderd 10 kilo for this evening,

if we can sell 3 pigs a week that will do me fine,

my wife says she has had a couple of the vans stop and ask her the price and have told her they will be buying from her,

we are selling at a good price 125bht a kilo, this way it leaves some meat on the bone for others to make a bit of profit and we get a quicker turnaround of our pork,

at 125bht a kilo there is enough profit on that for us, its just about double from selling it to the buyers,

so all in all things are looking good, the shop is striat across the road from uncle police man, just in case some are jelouse,,,lol,,

but like i say we have the license from the amphor so we are all legal,

i should of done it years ago,

we are going to go to macro now and buy a freezer this way i can have 3 or 4 killed at the same time have a day choping up and put in 20kilo bags this way we will never be stuck if the killing man is busy, as you know you have to plan ahead here in thailand, i might have a look round macro, for bits like pork powder,sause and a few bits she can put in the shop,

i dont want to upset the 2 shops in the village as they are both friends of ours, but a few little bits that go with pork wont go amiss,

happy pigging guys

jake

[Allgeier]

the wife has just got back, she has sold 7 kilo this morning and a lady as orderd 10 kilo for this evening,

we are going to go to macro now and buy a freezer this way i can have 3 or 4 killed at the same time have a day choping up and put in 20kilo bags this way we will never be stuck if the killing man is busy,

Where i live nobody like to buy pork from yesterday. The people like it fresh. The best will be to kill one pig in the morning and on the evening its gone.

But 125 Bath is cheap. Here there selling the pork on the market for 140 Bath. Pigprice is around 60 bath/kg.

[pigeonjake]

in an ideal world that would be good to be able to kill in the morning and sell all and hopefully we will get there,

but your not trying to tell me that them vans that run round with the boxes on the back are selling fresh as can be pork,

we havnt had any complaints yet they are all saying our pork is very good,

and yes 125bht is cheap like i said it leaves a bit of profit there for others if the vans want to come and buy from us,

i make enough money at 125bht from a pig, dont forget i buy my feed direct from the mill not a feed shop, i get my feed at cost price not retail,

example, ive got 135 bags of feed coming on monday, 58,895bht, 35 number 1s, 10 number 2s, 40 number 3s, 20 number 4s, and 30 number 5s,

and i get 135 at a time as this is what a up rated toyota vigo can bring,

this pig game is all about your costs and maximizing your profits,

so why would i want to sell to the buyers at 60, 61, 62 63 ect, when we can now sell it at 125bht ?

ive worked it out at 125bht a kilo we make just over 7,000 bht profit on a pig,

now if we only sell 3 a week thats 84,000bht a month, that will do for us my friend,

happy pigging

jake

[slapout]

jake, have you ever looked at pickling the feet and hocks. great to wash down with a beer or so. farang bars with out kitchen sell

to customers in my part of the world, mostly german, dutch farmers who dont have a meal at home on given days.

[weegee]

Good on you Jake....well done.

[Allgeier]

It's possible you make your profit because you buy the feed cheap? Because 99% from the small pigfarmer can not buy from the mill. What is the normal price at the market where you stay? Also 125 Bath?

When i am a normal pigfarmer and i must buy my feed at a shop to a normal price and the pigprice is at 60 Bath there is not so mutch space for a profit with 120 Bath. in my eyes better sell for 60 Bath than for 120 bath at the Market.

But i must buy my feed at a normal shop.

Maybe you can post the adress from this mill and make another pigfarmers also happy. Because more than 7000 Bath Profit on a Pig is amazing.