In an effort to make our pig management more efficient we have made some changes to the way we integrate the pigs into our production system. Have a look at these photos and see what you think!
We made these movable cages to make 'pig tractors'. We put up to 12 weaners in a 2m by 4m cage which gets moved once a day. Once they get to about 40kg, we reduce the number to 8 pigs per cage. Water is provided with a 20lt bucket and re-filled once or twice daily depending on consumption. A nipple drinker is welded to the frame and joined to the bucket with a 20mm pipe.
The pigs work very well under the bananas where they enjoy the shade, weed the bananas and add valuable manure and urine as a fertilizer.
The cages are moved once or twice daily depending on the size of the pigs. We usually move them in the morning and before feeding time at 1600hrs.
Notice the trolley in the foreground, this helps us to drag the cage without too much effort. We are aiming at moving the pigs through the bananas once every six months or so to allow the land to rest.
Once the pigs are about one month from marketing age, we allow them to run around in the pasture.
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