TRAINING GUIDE ON ORGANIC PIG FARMING FOR INSTRUCTORS AND LECTURERS FROM

NATIONAL TEACHERS’ COLLEGES OF UNYAMA, MUBENDE AND NATIONAL INSTRUCTORS

COLLEGE ABILONINO AT HOMA FARMS LIMITED WITH SUPPORT FROM VVOB

3rd DECEMBER TO 6th DECEMBER 2019

INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This Manual is a result of training activities delivered between 3 rd to 6th December 2019 under
VVOB education for development project in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and
Sports, VVOB is currently implementing a pre-service agricultural education programme for
teachers and instructors in Mubende, Gulu and Lira.

HOMA Farms Ltd with great pleasure would like to thank all the people who gave their ideas and
thoughts throughout the training and development and compilation of this training guide.
Specific mention is made of the facilitators; Awii Deogratias, Abaho Adams, Komakech Vincent
and Odong Isaac Lokoroma for the commitment and zeal they had while undertaking this
precious activity.

HOMA Farms Ltd also appreciates her directors, staffs and students for having been available
and helpful in all ways whenever the teams called upon them.

Special thanks go to VVOB for the financial and material support towards this training which we
hope will go a long way to enable our instructors and lecturers access knowledge from the
training guide/manual that will increase their training and skills in organic pig farming.
BREIF BACKGROUND OF HOMA FARMS LTD

HOMA Farms Ltd is a registered private limited liability company carrying out mixed farming,
demonstration and training in agriculture and environment.

We bring private-sector and market focused understanding to production, training and development work
through teams that combine business expertise with local knowledge relations and context.

HOMA Farms Ltd in partnership with VVOB has organised a practical training and demonstration on pig
farming with more emphasises on organic pig farming for instructors and lecturers from the above colleges.
TRAINING ACTIVITIES OUTLINE

1. Pig management and business

2. Introduction to organic pig farming using IMO (indigenous Micro Organism)
3. Feeds and feeding (convectional, non-convectional)
4. Diseases and parasites management in pigs
5. Other routine management practices

1. PIG MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS

The profit (money) made by the pig farmer depends on the number of pigs sold per sow on the farm over a
period of one year. The profit made is therefore influenced by the ability of the farmer to manage the farm
in such a way that the sows produce a maximum number of pigs that can be marketed in the shortest time
possible.

Good management means:

 Good housing that will allow the efficient production of marketable pigs
 Proper disease control. Clean conditions and precautionary measures on the farm will make disease
control easier
 The use of good, highly productive breeding animals that grow efficiently, use their feed efficiently,
produce carcasses with a low-fat content and produce up to 20 and more piglets per year
 Correct feeding. The farmer must know the feed requirements of the different age groups and feed
each group the correct quantity of the right mixture.

Pig farmers should be aware that profit margins can differ from year to year. The price of feed and the
market price of pigs go up when pig meat is scarce and drop again when there is an oversupply. Likewise,
feed prices change, particularly that of maize which is included at a rate of up to 60 % in pig feeds. Feed
costs, however, amount to about 75 % of the total production costs. Therefore, when feed prices are high
and pork prices low pig farmers

2. INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC PIG FARMING (FERMENTED BED TECHNOLOGY-FBT)

‘The innovative way for farmers’

This is a climate smart and environmentally friendly way of pig farming currently being adopted in Uganda
by pig farmers. It involves the use of natural litters as bedding materials where indigenous microorganisms
biologically decompose cellulose and lignin in the bedding materials (twigs, crop straws, saw dust, wood
shavings, rice or corn husks etc.), into simple organic compounds and generates warmth suitable for high
quality pork production.

Problem of pig farming in Uganda

 Too much smell in the pig sty

 Dirty pig sty
 Much feeds required in the production and management
 Diseases such as African Swine Fever
 Weak immune system.
Why organic farming?

 Natural and environmentally friendly, no pollution and smell – Natural resources such as sunlight,
efficient air circulations and micro-organism, are utilized to maintain the floor dry and fluffy
 No artificial heating – The bedding creates an immense amount of heat (approximately 60 0C) as the
plant materials breakdown and decompose.
 Less labour is required to manage the unit – It is cheap and effective way to rear clean and healthy.
 Natural feed made locally by farmers – Tough fibre-rich feed strengthens their intestines. Animals
raised by natural farming methodology are healthy, strong and have little diseases
 Nutritive cycle theory – Manure can be used as feeds for livestock and fish while fermented manure
used as a good fertilizer
 Natural behaviours - It does not deprive the pig of its natural behaviours such as rooting.

Components of an organic pig sty

 Well-constructed pig sty with organic bedding (saw dust + soil +manure)
 East-west alignment enables sunlight to disinfection and heating inside the sty which eradicates
almost every parasite
 Well ventilated making the ground to maintain 60-70% of humidity
 Manure and saw dust are fermented through mixing with IMO and changes into feed
 During the process of fermentation, there is a production of heat (natural heating system)
 Pigs would exercise according to water and feed troughs placed opposite side each.
 Ventilation and condition of the ground.

Siting for a pig sty

 Should be on a well-drained soil

 Its orientation should be in the east-west direction to allow sunlight to enter in the morning and
evening
 It should have easy access points to deliver supplies using vehicles
 The roof should be made of material that protects pig from rain and direct sunlight
 The walls should allow for maximum air circulation

Construction process

 Prepare a land for the pig sty (e.g. 3.5 by 8 meters for 20-25 pigs)
 Dig 1 meter of land into the ground and set pillars and ground mark
 Build a wall with bricks or timber off cuts, do not cover the ground with cement
 When roofing, use some transparent sheet
 Make a wall and cover the upper wall with iron net/ welded mesh then finish the construction
 Fill the organic matter such as rice straw, corn stalk, branches (maximum 30cm)
 Fill saw dust, soil, salt and limestone
 On the cement ground, spread 15-20cm of saw dust (size is 3.5 by 4 meters)
 After finishing, mix IMO and introduce the piglets

INDIGENOUS MICRO-ORGANISM (IMO)

IMOs are powerful and effective natural resources that improve the soil conditioning and the crop health.
They are easily collected from local woods or field. By utilizing micro-organisms that survived and adapted
to the local environment for hundreds or thousands of years, we can obtain safe, cheap, yet powerful
natural fertilizers and livestock feeds

IMO Solution synthesis and application

Step 1: Collection of IMOs

 Prepare 2 kg of posho, steamed rice, cassava, matoke, sweet potato, potato, etc.
 Mix with 50g of salt, and then make a ball, place it in a net or piece of cloth made of cotton to
protect against rats and insects
 Find a good, warm and shaded place, dig 6-7 cm deep into the ground and bury the ball, keep it
under humus soil for 5-7 days
 After 5-7 days remove the ball from the soil and mix with black sugar or edible sugar
 Put these in storage and keep it on 22-23°C for 7 days in a shaded area without light. You can store
it for future use by keeping it in a cold and dark place such as underground

Step 2: Multiplying IMO

 Prepare 500 times of water for IMO by mixing it with water, add 3% of sugar and 3% of bran (rice
bran, maize bran). Thanks to the weather of Uganda, putting sugar is optional.
 After 3-4 days, you can smell something sour. Do not leave IMO liquid more than a week. (if we
don’t put sugar, we can leave IMO liquid at least 2 weeks)

Step 3: Multiplying IMO secondly

 While using, leave 10% of IMO, add water to fill all the storage and add sugar and bran (1%)

Tips: The weather of Uganda is warm (hot), therefore faster fermentation of IMO solution containing sugar.
For that reason, putting sugar would be controlled by farmers. As there is no sugar, it would be fermented
slowly.

Management of the unit

 Sprinkle the solution daily

 Turn the bedding/litters after 3-7 days depending on its state
 After 6 months you can change the bedding/litters.

3. FEEDS AND FEEDING OF PIGS

Importance of feeds

Feed accounts for at least 70% of the cost of commercial pig production. Therefore, it is the
most important operational cost item in a pig enterprise. To maximize profits, a pig farmer must
minimize feeding costs. Feed must contain the nutrients in the right quantities
Pigs require feed for body maintenance, growth and reproduction. Feeds supply nutrients
which are used to meet these biological needs.

Nutrients required by pigs

Energy sources Protein sources Vitamins Minerals Water

Cereals (maize, Plant protein Plants and herbs Limestone, Rain, tap,
sorghum, millets, (soybeans, (comfrey, shells, bone underground,
wheat, rice) etc groundnuts, Amaranthus, Azolla, meal, anthill rivers
cotton seed cake, Tithonia, Alvera, soil
sunflower seed moringa,
cake, coconuts, wondering jew,
etc) vegetables and
fruits, etc)
Cereals processing by Animal protein Industrial sources
products (maize bran, (fish meal, (premix, boosters,
rice bran, wheat bran, maggots/insects, concentrates,
breadcrumbs) blood meal, bone- multivitamin
Roots and tubers meat meal, power/injectables)
(cassava, sweet poultry and fish
potatoes, yams, processing by
potatoes) products
Fruits (banana, jack
fruit, mangoes,
avocado, etc)
Animal fats

Feed formulation guide as at HFL

Ingredient Inclusion% Inclusion% Inclusion% Inclusion%

Creep feed Weaner feed Grower feed Finisher feed
Maize bran/rice bran 45 44.5 55 57.5
Whole maize 15 16 10 10
Cotton/soy/sunflower seed cake 11 10 8.5 8
Fishmeal/blood meal 7 6 8 6
Cassava meal 8 8 8 8
Premix 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Brown salt 1 1 1 1
Shells/limestone/bone meal 6.5 7 5 4
Sweet potatoes 6 7 4 5
Total (Kgs) 100 100 100 100

Categories of pig feeds

Pigs need different types of feeds as they develop because their nutritional needs vary with age and stage
of production. There are four types of feeds used in Fermented Bed Technology system. These are: Creep,
Weaner, Grower and Finisher feeds.

Feed category Age of pig Protein inclusion.

Creep feed 3-8 weeks 20-22%
Weaner feed 2-4 months 16-20%
 Grower feed 4-6 months 14-16%
Finisher feed 6 months and above 11-13%

HYDROPONIC FODDER PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

The hydroponics is a Greek word meaning ‘water working’. Hydro means ‘water’ and ponic means ‘working’
and it is a technology of growing plants without soil, but in water or nutrient rich solution for a short
duration in an environmentally controlled houses or machine.

“Fodder” refers particularly to food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them)

Hydroponic fodder therefore is Fodder grown using hydroponics technology for a period of 7-10 days used
as fodder for cattle, pigs, rabbits, poultry among others.

Benefits of hydroponic fodder technology

 Saves water; consumes 98% less water than conventional method and the used water is recycled
 Reduced growth time; takes only 8 days to develop from seed to fodder while it took 45 days for a
conventional fodder to grow
 Marginal land usage, up to 1000 kg green fodder can be produced from 480 square feet area daily
which is equivalent to conventional fodder (Co4) produced in 25 acres of cultivable land
 Constant supply; Fodder can be produced round the year irrespective of climate, land availability,
natural calamities, labour shortage. Promotes sustainable agriculture and livestock production
 Requires minimal manpower and time; only 2 -3 hours of work daily, doesn’t involve technical
work.
 Completely natural and organic; no usage of chemicals
 Optimal production cost
 Reduce cost of concentrate as fodder contains more crude protein.
 Minimal equipment usage to plant, grow, harvest, transport, and store feed.
 Nutritious fodder; Hydroponic fodder along with seed and root (sprout mat) are highly edible and
are rich in protein (10 – 17%). Ideal nutrients enriched fodder for livestock.

What can be grown as hydroponic fodder?

Yellow Maize, barley, wheat, maize, sorghum, millet, green gram/mug beans. The above seeds can be
mixed with either soybeans or sunflower seeds as protein sources

Procedures to produce hydroponic fodder

Materials and requirements; Hydroponic trays, Buckets, Water, Seeds, Sterilizers/disinfectants, Salt

Procedures

 Seed selection, sorting and cleaning

 Sterilization and rinsing (15 minutes)
 Soaking (24 hours) and incubation (48 hours)
 Displaying on trays, watering and managing
 Harvesting and feeding (from 4th day onwards)
Feeding chart

Animal specie Day

Broilers 4th-5th
Layers 5th-6th
Kuroilers and local 6th-7th
Ruminants 7th-10th
Swine 7th-10th
Rodents 5th-10th

AZOLLA (WATER WEED)

A wonderful branched free-floating aquatic fern, that rapidly grows on the surface of the water. A
sustainable feed for cattle, fish, pig, and poultry, it’s also used as bio-fertilizer on the farm.

Benefits of Azolla

 Feed for livestock containing very high proteins, amino acids, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, Beta
Carotene) and minerals. Also, has low lignin content (easily digestible). 
 Bio-fertilizer-Fixes atmospheric nitrogen and store in leaves (used as green manure)
 Weed control and organic mulch reducing water evaporation
 Mosquito control-Restricts mosquito breeding process, “mosquito fern.”

Procedures to follow when cultivating Azolla

Materials and equipment; Water site, Cow dung, Anthill soil, Compost manure, Seedlings, Polythene
sheet/tarpaulin, Farm tools

Procedures

 Prepare the water pond

 Fill the pond with water
 Mix cow dung, compost manure and anthill soil in the water
 Stir and let it settle for 24 hours
 Spread the seedling into the pond and mange
 Harvesting and feeding after 14 days

SILAGE MAKING

Silage is fodder that is made from green foliage preserved through fermentation. Silage is produced though
controlled fermentation (under anaerobic conditions) of green forage material with high moisture content

Benefits of silage

 A way of preserving fodder

 Value addition to pastures
 High digestibility
 Ensure effective utilization of space
 Improves palatability of pastures
Procedures of making silage

Materials and equipment; Plant materials, Molasses, Maize/rice bran, Water, Silage bags/silo/pit, Tarpaulin,
Other farm tools

Procedures

 Cut/chop the plant material into smaller piece and spread on the to wither
 Dissolve molasses in water and sprinkle
 Spread the bran onto the chop plant material and mix thoroughly
 Compact in the silage in an airtight bag, pit, silo and monitor
 Harvesting and feeding after 30 days

4. HEALTH AND DISEASE CONTROL

Diseases and parasites are a major cause of deaths and loss of condition in pig production. An outbreak can
have disastrous consequences. A farmer should thus regard disease as a potential economic threat. To
minimize this threat, the farmer should keenly monitor the pigs for any signs of disease, maintain close
contact with veterinary personnel for advice and emergency cases, and report suspected disease conditions
early for quick diagnosis and treatment.

Signs of ill health in pigs

A healthy pig will: A sick pig will show:

1. Move about steadily 1. Loss of appetite
2. Breath steadily and easily 2. Difficult and abnormal breathing

3. Eat well 3. Dull animal

4. Have a loose shiny skin 4. Defecation of excessively hard or watery faeces
5. Have bright eyes and moist nose 6. Faeces are blood stained or contaminated with worms

6. Normal body temperature 7. High temperature (fever) and abnormal heartbeat

7. Shiny and well-groomed hair 8. Rough hair coat and loss of condition
coat
8. No discharges 9. Coughing, lameness, diarrhoea, nasal discharge, abortion and
skin discoloration
9. Calm, alert and relaxed 10. Rubbing against hard objects (signs of irritation or itching)

Common diseases of pigs and their control

Common diseases of pigs

Disease Clinical signs Treatment Control

African swine Fever, dullness, No treatment Strict Biosecurity, Quarantine,

fever (ASF) inappetence, huddling and slaughter of all infected
together, incoordination, pigs on the affected farm
coughing, discolouration of followed by thorough
skin to bluish, fluid eye and disinfection.
nasal discharges, vomiting
 and diarrhoea
Worms Emaciation, wasting and loss of Anthelmintic like, Deworm pigs every 2-3
condition, inappetence, Albendazole, months after weaning
coughing in case of lungworms, Levamisole and
rough hair coat and diarrhoea. Piperazine
Mastitis, Sow fails to release milk after Use antibiotics and Good hygiene in the pig pen
Metritis and farrowing. The udder may be oxytocin
Agalactia swollen hot and painful
(MMA)
Piglet Signs appear mostly in Give ferrous Put red soil in pig pen or give
anaemia piglets of 3 weeks of age, sulphate iron injection to young piglets
pale mucous membranes injections or
and skin, dullness and oral
diarrhoea formulations

Foot and Fever and vesicles on the No treatment Slaughter of pigs in

Mouth coronate and sometimes on the affected houses,
Disease the lips and tongue quarantine and mass
Vaccination
Swine erysipelas Sudden death, loss of Penicillin is very Clean the pen and disinfect.
appetite, red and bluish effective and is Treat the in-contact pigs with
appearance of the skin the drug of penicillin.
and ears. Diamond shaped choice
skin lesions which may
become necrotic
Mange Itching and scratching Use Ivermectin, Treat the pigs whenever they
especially at mid-day, and acaricide at are entering a new pen
scabs on the skin, recommended which has been cleaned and
wrinkling and hardening dosage levels disinfected
of the skin, loss of the hair
and shaking of the head if
the ear is affected
Lice Lice will be seen in the Use Ivermectin and Routine spraying with
folds of the skin especially insecticides/acaricide acaricides or treatment with
in the neck and at the base ivermectin
of the ears
Parakeratosis Similar signs to those of Give zinc Ensure that there is enough
mange but with no itching formulations like zinc in the diet.
and scratching zinc carbonate or
zinc sulphate

5. OTHER ROUTINE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

RECORD KEEPING

Importance
  Track the performance of individual pigs; identifying performers from those that have problems
 Trace how much is being spent and earned by the enterprise
 Identify animals for use as Sows and Boars (breeding stock)
 Compare the performance of the enterprise with that of other farmers
 Identify which pigs have health and fertility problems
 Identify weaknesses in management and take corrective action
 Compare the performance of pigs with standard production goals

Types of record keep in pig farming

 General record book

 Sow record card
 Growing and finishing record card
 Boar record card
 A diary
 Health record book
 Financial record book

CASTRATION
Male piglets are castrated when they are not to be used as Boars. This makes them docile for easy
handling. Castration also removes the male smell from their meat. Castration should be done early before
piglets grow to 3 weeks of age because: The piglet is small and easy to handle, recover quickly with little
impact on growth and are well protected with antibodies

PIG WEIGHT ESTIMATION METHODS

 The weighing scale method. A commercial weighing scale is the most convenient and accurate
method for recording pig weights. As the animals get bigger, weighing with a weighing scale gets
more difficult, especially by women. At an appropriate stage, a farmer should shift to the girth
method for weighing mature pigs.

 The girth and length method. This is accurate to within 3% of actual weight. To estimate the
weight of the pig in pounds
 The girth only method – metric. A farmer can use the girth only method to get the approximate
weight of the pig. This is done using a weight estimation tape/heart girth