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Maendeleo Vijijini
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American author and businessman Clement Stone coined the now
famous quote: “When life hands you a lemon, squeeze it and make
lemonade.”
This dictum rings true to Michael Wanyoike,
66, to whom the 2007/2008 post-election violence handed a lemon. He did
not sulk or curse after the 12 beef cattle he was rearing at his 50-acre
Kongoni Farm in Isinya, Kajiado County, were stolen by people who took
advantage of the chaos to disinherit others. He lost Sh300,000 in the
theft.
After the chaos, he picked up the pieces and
eight years later, he has risen to be the best Farmer’s Choice bacon
producer in Kenya for three consecutive years in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
“I
bought the farm in 2003 but did not know how to utilise it to make
money. In early 2007, I was advised by a friend that Isinya was very
ideal for beef cattle. I took the advice and bought 12 mature animals at
Njiru market in Nairobi.
There was a lot of fodder on
my farm and in six months, the animals were fat enough for the market.
But as I was readying to sell them, thugs, who were taking advantage of
the 2007 chaos took away all the 12,” narrates Wanyoike.
Despite
the setback, Wanyoike did not abandon his quest to put the land in the
semi-arid region into good use. In 2009, with no previous experience, he
ventured into pig farming.
“I realised that cattle keeping in the area is prone to
rustling. It was at that moment that I decided to get into pig farming
since the animals are rarely stolen.”
Having held a
white collar job all his working life, the father of four did not know
where to start to actualise his new dream. But Farmer’s Choice extension
services came in handy in actualising the former BAT Kenya human
resources director’s dream.
“They gave me the basic
information on pig farming. But what was more important is that they
recommended me to some accomplished farmers in Nairobi and Murang’a, who
I visited. These visits gave me the inspiration and confidence to
implement my plans. Since then I have been learning new things every now
and then.”
After the learning experience, he was ready
for the toil, which he started by purchasing his first stock of six
pregnant sows at Sh30,000 each from Farmer’s Choice.
From
that moment, he has never looked back and listening to him now talk
about pig farming, and what it takes to produce the best bacon in the
country, you could easily take Wanyoike who has 550 pigs at any moment
for a university professor with a PhD in animal husbandry.
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
Wanyoike,
whose pig farming knowledge is from practical experience right from the
onset, attributes his success to pig management practices that he
adheres to.
“I make sure that I keep breeds that are
good farrowers (giving birth prolifically) and fast-maturing,” he says.
On his farm, Wanyoike keeps three breeds for various reasons.
These
are Landrace, Large White and Duroc. Landrace are long, big, farrow
more and are very good mothers. On the other hand, Large White are big
and strong while Duroc grows very fast, puts on weight fast and are
heavy.
“Farrowing should be at least twice a year. I
make sure that the sows are properly fed and kept in good health to
ensure they come to heat soon after farrowing. Equally important is that
boars should be well-fed and be healthy for proper serving and prevent
spreading of diseases.”
He is excited about the recent
introduction of artificial insemination services for pigs that enhance
the chances of achieving two farrows a year.
“In the
last two months, we have been using AI on our sows. This is a milestone
as it guarantees quality breeds while reducing the risk of disease
infections through mating. We purchase semen a dose at Sh1,500 from
Farmer’s Choice and do the serving ourselves on the farm".
For optimal returns on investment in pig farming, Wanyoike focuses on ensuring that each farrow has at least 10 piglets a litter.
For optimal returns on investment in pig farming, Wanyoike focuses on ensuring that each farrow has at least 10 piglets a litter.
GOOD SELECTION OF BREEDERS
“The
number can be up to 15 but on my farm the average is 12. Anything less
than 10 is not good business. To achieve a good litter, you have to do
good selection of the breeders, ensure they are healthy and
stress-free.”
Another factor that he considers is to make sure that his piglets weigh at least a kilo each.
“This
is very important because the birth weight indicates the health of the
piglet and how it is going to mature. A piglet weighing below one kilo
will need more time with the mother, is delicate and susceptible to
stress and diseases and will also cost more before going to the market
compared to the one with good weight. What is important to keep in mind
is that the weight of the piglets depends on the health of the mother.”
On
his farm, weaning is done a month after birth. “A pig’s gestation
period is three months, three weeks and three days. This means that if
you wean after one month, the mother should move back to production
cycle soon enough and, therefore, help you achieve the two litter a year
target,” explains Wanyoike.
“The weight gain for the
piglets has to be properly managed. We strive to ensure that at weaning,
the piglets weigh between 7 and 8kg. At three months, they should weigh
20kg and, thereafter, gain 0.45kg daily,” he adds.
In
most cases, Wanyoike sells his pigs for slaughter when they are six
months. At this time the pigs’ live weight is usually between 90 and
105kg each.
“At around six months, the pigs stop
putting on weight. This means that if you do not sell them at that age,
they will be eating into your profits as you will continue feeding them
although they are not gaining weight.
This will also
interfere with the quality of the carcass, especially the fat-depth,
which is very critical in grading of meat quality.”
COST OF FEEDS
One
of the biggest challenges facing pig farmers is the quality and cost of
feeds available in the market. Wanyoike has been able to overcome this
by making his own feeds.
“When I started my project, I
could not get quality feeds. I tried mixing the feeds to attain the
recommended quality but this was tedious and costly. To overcome this
challenge, I decided to establish a feed factory in Thika, Bewa Animal
Feeds, where I make feeds for my pigs and also sell to other farmers,”
says Wanyoike, who makes the feeds from wheat bran, wheat pollard, maize
germ, soya, omena, sunflower and vitamins and mineral supplements.
Equally important to feed is water and he has sunk a borehole for his animals.
The services of qualified personnel are also key to success at Kongoni Farm.
“Recently,
I engaged a trained graduate in animal husbandry and this has turned
around my business. Since she took over, we are able to achieve our
quality targets. There are no short cuts to using experts for a
successful venture in pig farming,” says Wanyoike. He has also engaged
the services of two skilled workers and two casuals.
Wanyoike,
who says his family gives him moral support although none seems to be
interested in joining him in this farming, has started reaping big
rewards from his pig farming business.
He sells at
least 50 pigs every month at an average of Sh14,000 a head to Farmer’s
Choice, the biggest processor of pig products in Kenya. He hopes to
increase this number to 100 given the improved management practices in
his farm.
He is encouraging more people to venture into the farming
given the rising consumption of pork and other pig products in the
country driven by the bulging middle class and influx of expatriates,
especially Chinese.
***
Artificial Insemination
Initially,
artificial insemination services among pig farmers was an expensive
venture because they had to import semen from as far as Britain. The
service was, however, introduced by Farmers Choice few months ago to
boost quality of pig breeds. A dose of semen costs Sh1,500, and a pig is
served twice for a complete dosage. The storage box is cold enough and
can safely store the semen for about three days by keeping it under 17
degrees Celsius.
Peris Wangari, the farm manager at
Kongoni Farm in Isinya, Kajiado County, says sows need to be prepared
before they are inseminated, a process which takes between four to five
days.
“Once a sow has shown sign of heat, for instance
mounting on others, it is brought to interact with a boar for a few
hours every day to stimulate it,” Wangari said.
“When
the sow is ready for insemination, its vulva is washed using a
disinfectant to prevent infections, if any, from entering the pig’s
uterus.”
The catheter (a flexible tube used for insemination) is inserted through the animal’s vulva after which a bottle of semen is discharged into it.
“The catheter is inserted upwards so that it goes into the animal’s uterus,”Wangari said, adding the dosage is given twice to minimise errors.
The farm inseminates about 10 pigs every month so that as a bunch of animals are sent to the market, a new set of piglets are delivered. The planning ensures they never run out of pigs to deliver to their buyer.
–Leopold Obi
The catheter (a flexible tube used for insemination) is inserted through the animal’s vulva after which a bottle of semen is discharged into it.
“The catheter is inserted upwards so that it goes into the animal’s uterus,”Wangari said, adding the dosage is given twice to minimise errors.
The farm inseminates about 10 pigs every month so that as a bunch of animals are sent to the market, a new set of piglets are delivered. The planning ensures they never run out of pigs to deliver to their buyer.
–Leopold Obi
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