Pig Production Systems.

 

Pig Production Systems
There are three ways pigs can be raised or kept. Similar to poultry, cattle and other livestock animals, pigs can be raised under:
1. Extensive or Free-range system
2. Semi-intensive system
3. Intensive system

Extensive or Free-range system
This is a system in which the pigs are allowed to move around without limits or unconfined. The animals find and scavenge for food themselves while the farmer supplements this with agricultural byproducts or kitchen waste. In the evening, the pigs return to the enclosure made for them as shelter.
This enclosure is usually a small place made of sticks and a simple roof.
In this type of management system of pig, local pig breeds are usually kept and bred because they have high resistance to diseases and can manage with low-quality food/feed. One of the advantages of this extensive system is that little, or no money is spent in providing food or veterinary services for the pigs.
Under the extensive or free-range system, the pigs are allowed to mate indiscriminately, giving room for inbreeding. Hence, the reason for poor-quality and poorly performing offspring. Quality of pigs is usually a priority to the farmers since the pigs are not kept or bred as a regular source of income or meat production. The pigs are sold when the keeper needs extra cash or they are present as gifts during festive seasons.

Semi-Intensive System
Semi-intensive system involves confining the pigs to limited space or area. The keeper provides all the feed, water and veterinary services that the animals need because they are not allowed to scavenge or find food and water for themselves.
So the pigs are feed with kitchen wastes and agricultural byproducts such as corn husks and cobs, cassava peels, yam peels, etc.
Under this type of management system, the pigs are allowed to graze on grasses within the confined space. The pregnant sows are usually given special attention and provided with extra food.
Unlike in the extensive system, farmers keeping pigs under a semi-intensive system spends more time and effort on the pigs. The financial inputs are fairly low but more technical knowledge about pig production is required.

Intensive System
The intensive system is the best and recommended system of keeping pigs if the production goal is to generate income. Under this system, pigs are kept indoors or in pens and not allowed to move outside. The pens are constructed in such a way that the pigs can eat and drink in their pen. This is the type of management system practiced by commercial pig farms. If you want to start a pig farm, then you must choose this system to get the best from the animals.

Most of the discussion here shall focus more on Africa perspective especially Nigeria where I am operating from.

 (c) BREEDING: Crosses between native and exotic for Improvement of local breeds - (i) Pure-breeding (ii) Out breeding (iii) In breeding

Crosses between native and exotic for Improvement of local breeds:
Breed improvement is important in obtaining improved and high yielding animals. The main purpose of breed improvement is to introduce a positive characteristic into a local breed. For example: by crossbreeding an indigenous sow with an exotic boar; the offspring is likely to inherit the body shape and good growth rate from its father and the tolerance to environmental stress from its mother.