Pig Farming Level 2

About this module

A small herd that is planned, recorded and protected earns more than a big herd run by guesswork.

Who it is for. People who have completed Pig Farming (Level 1) or already keep a few sows and growers. National Proficiency II is the second level of Ghana's TVET framework and leads on to National Certificate I. At this level you work under limited supervision, on routine and some varied work.

CTVET status. CTVET lists a Livestock programme, but no separate pig farming curriculum was found. This module is not a CTVET curriculum. It follows CTVET's format.

The vet rule stays. Only a registered veterinary surgeon may diagnose, prescribe and treat as a vet. This manual still gives no medicine, vaccine, hormone or iron doses and does not teach castration or other cutting acts. You plan the work with the vet, prepare the pigs and keep the records.

Bridge from Level 1: what you already know

Pig words; the Large White, Landrace and local Ashanti pig; choosing healthy stock
Pen sizes, sloping floors, shade, wallows and clean water all day
Feeds by stage, the daily amounts for sows and boars, safe feed storage and the "no swill with meat" rule
Heat signs, the 21-day return check, the 114-day pregnancy and a farrowing calendar
Preparing a farrowing pen; drying piglets and putting them on the teat
Weighing, daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion (FCR); sow cards and pen records
Signs of a sick pig; biosecurity at the gate; the six ASF steps; what the vet decides
Slaughter only at an approved slaughterhouse; costing one porker

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical.

For rations, use the Hub's Animal Feed Formulation Level 2 manual. For biogas, use Bio Digester Technology. For general bookkeeping, use Money Skills for Small Business Level 2.

Unit 1 · Herd planning, pig flow and production targets

A sow is a factory that runs on a timetable. Plan the timetable and you plan your income.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
1.1 Work out the sow cycle	calculates the days in one sow cycle and litters per sow per year
1.2 Plan matings	plans matings so farrowings are spread over the year
1.3 Plan pens	works out how many farrowing, weaner and grower pens a herd needs
1.4 Set targets	sets herd targets and compares records with them

Range. A herd of 4 to 20 sows (real or practice records). Evidence. A 12-month mating and farrowing plan; a pen count; a target sheet.

The sow cycle

One sow cycle has three parts:

Part	Days	Source
Pregnancy (gestation)	About 114 (112–115)
Suckling (lactation)	21 to 42 days at 3–6 week weaning; up to about 56 days at 8-week weaning
Weaning to mating	A sow should come on heat within 1–2 weeks of weaning

Litters per sow per year = 365 ÷ days in one cycle.

Litters per year (example)

A farm weans at 42 days, and sows are mated again 7 days after weaning. (a) How many days is one cycle? (b) How many litters per sow per year? (c) If each litter has 9 born alive and 17% die before weaning, how many pigs are weaned per sow per year?

Why plan matings

If every sow farrows in the same month, you need many farrowing pens at once and sell all your pigs at once, when prices may be low.
If you spread matings, you use pens all year and have pigs to sell every month: buyers like a farmer who always has pigs.
Record every sow's dates on a calendar so you can prepare in advance.

Plan with a wall calendar

Write each sow's name down the left side of a 12-month board.
Mark the last farrowing or the next mating date.
Add 114 days for each farrowing and mark it red.
Mark "into farrowing pen" a week before each farrowing.
Mark weaning and the expected return to heat.
Look at the spread. If three sows are due in one week, delay one mating by a cycle (about 3 weeks) if pens are short.
Copy the plan into your record book and update it every week.

How many pens?

Each farrowing pen is used from about a week before farrowing until weaning, plus a few days to wash and dry it.

Farrowing pens for 10 sows (example)

10 sows have 2.24 litters each a year. Each farrowing uses a pen for 7 days before farrowing + 42 days of suckling + 3 days for cleaning. (a) How many farrowings a year? (b) How many pen-days? (c) How many pens are needed on average? (d) How many would you build?

Targets for your herd

Measure	Guide figure	Source
Gilt first mating	8–9 months, well grown
Litter size, local Ashanti pig	7.5 average at a Ghana station
Pre-weaning deaths, local pig	16.9% at that station
Weaners 7–20 kg	24 (best) to 33 (good) days
Days from 20 to 105 kg	About 105–125
Age at sale	160–200 days from birth
Total feed birth to market	265–340 kg

Set your own targets from your first year's records, then try to beat them.

Herd plan

Take the partner farm's sow cards (or the practice set).
Work out each sow's cycle length and the farm's litters per sow per year.
Fill in a 12-month wall plan with matings, farrowings and weanings.
Count how many farrowing and grower pens are needed in the busiest month.
Write three targets for the farm and compare them with last year's records.

One sow, one year

Draw one sow's year as a timeline with dates: mating, return check, farrowing, weaning, next heat, next mating.

Check yourself 1

What are the three parts of a sow cycle?
How do you work out litters per sow per year?
Why spread matings over the year?

Unit 2 · Selecting and managing breeding stock

Your sows and boar decide every litter for years. Choose them with care and replace them on purpose.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
2.1 Select gilts	selects replacement gilts by teats, legs, growth and mother's record
2.2 Manage the boar	plans boar use by age and keeps a service record
2.3 Plan crossbreeding	explains a simple cross and the risk of inbreeding
2.4 Spot fertility problems	names causes of sows not coming on heat and when to call the vet

Range. The partner farm's breeding herd. Evidence. Gilt selection sheet; boar service record; culling list.

Selecting gilts

Select breeding gilts at about 3 months, before they reach market weight:

At least 12 normal teats, evenly spaced.
Among the biggest and heaviest of the litter.
Strong legs; walks well.
From a sow that farrows good litters regularly (check her sow card).
Not too fat; a little exercise keeps her fit.
Prefer gilts with a long, clearly visible heat.

Feed gilts freely until they are mated, then cut back to the gestation amount. Feed a protein-rich ration in the weeks before mating to help litter size.

Managing the boar

Boar age	Services	Source
8–10 months	Once a week
18 months	Up to 3 times a week
24 months or older	4–5 times a week; never more than 6 a week or 20 a month

In hot climates one boar can serve 5 to at most 25 sows. Keep two if you can: an older heavy boar for sows and a younger light one for gilts.
A boar works well to about 5 or 6 years old.
Keep him in his own pen, not too fat or too lean, with exercise. Heat or fever can make him infertile for a long time; a sick boar rests 1–2 months.
Feed 2.3–3.0 kg a day in two meals; overfeeding cuts libido.
Record every service: date, sow, farrowing date, litter size. A sow that returns to heat after his service is a warning sign.

Boar safety. Boars are strong and can attack. Never enter his pen alone, always keep a pig board between you and him, and move him only with an experienced handler. (Common farm practice; a source for boar-handling rules was not found.)

Crossbreeding and inbreeding

A common commercial pig is a Large White × Landrace cross; the growth figures in the FUNAAB lecture are for these crosses. The Danish Landrace itself was developed from a Large White boar crossed with a local sow.
Crossing local Ashanti pigs with exotic breeds gives faster growth but less ability to use fibrous feed and less disease resistance. Choose the cross that suits your feed and your housing.
Avoid inbreeding. Do not use a boar on his daughters or sisters. Inbreeding lowers fertility, growth and disease resistance. Swap or share boars with trusted neighbouring farms, or buy a new one every few years, but only from a farm with good biosecurity.

Artificial insemination (AI). AI is used for pigs in many countries. A Ghana pig AI service near Takoradi was not found (not verified). Ask the Veterinary Services or Animal Production Directorate.

When a sow does not come on heat

Gilts should come on heat at 6–8 months, and sows within 1–2 weeks of weaning. If a sow is not on heat within 14 days of weaning, check:

Was she suckled too long?
Is she thin or in poor condition?
Was her feed cut after weaning? It should go up, not down
Very hot weather (above 35 °C)?
Too little light in her pen?

Help her by moving her next to the boar's pen and letting her see and smell the boar daily. Hormone products exist, but only the vet decides.

Several abortions at once? Brucellosis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, swine fever or erysipelas can cause sows to abort. Brucellosis can pass to people. Call the vet at once and wear gloves when handling aborted piglets and afterbirth.

Culling

Plan to replace a sow that: fails to come on heat after help; returns to heat again and again; was thought pregnant but did not farrow; has small litters or poor mothering on her card; has a damaged udder; is lame. Sell culls only when healthy and after any withdrawal period.

Pick breeders

Score three young gilts using the 6-point checklist. Choose one and explain why.
Fill in a boar service record from the farm's last 3 months.
Find any sow that returned to heat or did not farrow. Write a possible cause and an action.
Make a culling list with reasons.

Boar share

Find out where farmers near you get boars or boar service. Write the biosecurity risks of sharing a boar and how to reduce them.

Check yourself 2

How many teats should a breeding gilt have?
How often may a 10-month-old boar serve?
Name three reasons a sow may not come on heat after weaning.

Unit 3 · Farrowing crates, piglet survival and weaners

Most piglets that die, die in the first days. Warmth, colostrum and protection from crushing save them.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
3.1 Use a farrowing crate	sets up, cleans and uses a crate with a creep area
3.2 Supervise farrowing	watches farrowing, records times and calls the vet at the right moment
3.3 Save weak piglets	cross-fosters and feeds orphan or weak piglets
3.4 Reduce losses	records each death and its cause and plans fixes

Range. At least one farrowing and one litter to weaning. Evidence. Farrowing record; litter record with deaths and causes; observed crate set-up.

The farrowing crate

A farrowing crate is a frame that limits the sow's movement so she cannot crush piglets, with a warm creep area beside her.
Size: about 65 × 220 cm for large commercial sows and about 50 × 150 cm for smaller types.
A crate with covered creep areas on both sides works well: piglets nearly always prefer the warm creep to lying against the sow.
The sow stays in the crate for about two weeks after farrowing; clean the crate thoroughly before the next sow.
Without a crate, use crush rails 15–20 cm from the wall and 15–20 cm above the floor.

Supervising farrowing: your record

Time	What happened
Start	First piglet born
Each piglet	Time, alive or dead, weak or strong
End	Last piglet; afterbirth out (usually 30–60 minutes later)

Piglets usually come every 15 to 20 minutes. Call the vet if farrowing takes longer than 8 to 12 hours, or the sow strains without result. Do not put your hand into the sow or give any injection yourself.

Reviving a weak piglet

A piglet that is not breathing well can be helped by holding it up by the back legs and gently pressing the chest in a rhythm; dry it at once.

Cross-fostering

If a sow has more piglets than working teats, or little milk, move some piglets to another sow that farrowed less than 3 days before; this works far better than hand-rearing. Make sure every piglet has had colostrum from its own mother first.

Big litters lose more: at a Ghana breeding station, pre-weaning deaths rose above litter size 10 and reached 40% in litters of 15.

Orphan piglets

Piglets with no sow must get colostrum (from another farrowing sow) or they rarely survive. Then:

Keep them in a clean pen with straw at 30 °C, falling to 25 °C after two weeks.
Feed warmed (37–40 °C) undiluted cow's or goat's milk by spoon or bottle.
Follow a feeding table, never giving too much at once:

Day	Feeds a day	ml each feed
1	5	30
2	5	40–45
3	4	60
4	4	70
5–7	3	80–100
8–9	3	120
10–11	3	140
12–14	3	160

Wash and dry the bowl after every feed. Give boiled, cooled water.
Move to solid feed by about three weeks.

Procedures the vet or a trained person does

Procedure	Why	Your job
Iron	Prevent anaemia: sow's milk lacks iron	Have piglets ready; record the date
Teeth trimming (only if piglets bite the udder)	Only the tips; more damages the mouth	Hold piglets if asked
Castration	Prevents boar taint; usually at 2–3 weeks, never within a week of weaning	Prepare a clean dry pen; record
Ear marking	Identification	Keep the code list

The law does allow some unregistered persons to castrate very young animals in some cases. It is still a cutting act with pain and infection risk, so this course does not teach it. Ask your vet to train you properly if your farm needs it.

Weaner management

Wean at the age your farm planned (3 to 6 weeks, or later on low-input farms).
Move the sow out; leave the litter in its pen.
Keep creep feed to about 10 kg, then starter to about 20 kg.
Give 6–7 cm of feeder space per weaner and do not overcrowd.
Weigh weaners at weaning and again at 20 kg; compare with 400–550 g a day.

Record every death

Date	Litter	Age	Cause seen	Fix
(example)	Sow 4	2 days	Crushed	Check crate bars and creep heat
(example)	Sow 4	12 days	Scour	Clean creep; check feed; tell the vet

A litter from birth to weaning

Set up and clean a crate or farrowing pen with a creep area.
Supervise a farrowing with the farmer, filling in the farrowing record.
Record the litter daily: alive, weight at birth and weaning if a scale is available, every death and cause.
If needed, help cross-foster piglets under the farmer's direction.
At weaning, calculate the pre-weaning mortality and list two fixes.

Losses (example)

Four sows farrowed 9, 11, 8 and 12 piglets born alive. They weaned 8, 9, 7 and 9. (a) Total born alive? (b) Total weaned? (c) Pre-weaning mortality %? (d) Which sow had the worst losses?

Crate or rails

Find the price of a farrowing crate (or the iron or wood to make one) and the cost of crush rails for a pen. Which would you choose for a 4-sow farm and why?

Check yourself 3

How long does a sow usually stay in the farrowing crate?
To which sow can you cross-foster piglets?
At what temperature do you keep orphan piglets at first?

Unit 4 · Feeding for performance and feed budgets

You cannot manage what you do not weigh. Weigh the feed, weigh the pigs, and you will know where the money goes.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
4.1 Check protein	works out the protein of a simple mix
4.2 Budget feed	prepares a feed budget for a batch of growers
4.3 Track performance	calculates ADG and FCR for a pen and acts on the result
4.4 Manage heat and water	protects intake in hot weather

Range. One pen of growers over at least 4 weeks. Evidence. Feed budget; pen performance sheet; protein sum.

Protein in a mix

Pigs need at least 13% protein; weaners about 20%. A simple rule: mixing 1 part beans (about 20% protein) with 2 parts cereal (about 10%) gives about 13%.

The Pearson square (example values)

You want a 16% protein grower mix from maize (9% protein, example value) and soybean meal (44%, example value). (a) Use the Pearson square: subtract across the square. How many parts of each? (b) What percent of each? (c) Check: what protein does the mix give?

Add minerals: about 0.3 kg of minerals to every 10 kg of feed mix is advised for home mixes; a premix from a feed mill replaces this, used as its label says.

Feed safety checks at Level 2

Reject mouldy grain and groundnut cake: moulds cause deaths, swollen vulvas and smaller litters
Cook soya beans; never feed cottonseed to sows
No swill with meat or pork, ever; ASF spreads through food waste
Change feed gradually, especially for weaners
Keep the label of every feed batch until the pigs that ate it are sold

Growers and finishers: full feeding or limit feeding?

Most growers are fed to appetite.
Limiting feed can improve feed efficiency by 5–10% and cut carcass fat by 2–4%, but slows growth by 5–10%. If you do it, cut no more than 10%, and never below 60 kg live weight.
Boars convert feed about 3% better than gilts and about 7% better than barrows.

Heat, water and intake

Hot pigs eat less to make less body heat, so they grow slower.
Feed in the cool morning and evening; wet feed raises intake in sows.
Shade, airflow, a wallow and cool clean water all day.
Check drinkers twice a day: a blocked drinker in the heat can stop growth in a day.

A feed budget for a batch

Batch feed budget (example)

You will grow 10 weaners from 20 kg to 105 kg. FUNAAB's guide: 20–60 kg eats 1.66 kg a day at 0.605 kg gain; 60–105 kg eats 3.00 kg a day at 0.825 kg gain. (a) How many days for 20–60 kg? (b) For 60–105 kg? (c) Feed per pig for each stage? (d) Total feed for 10 pigs? (e) How many 50 kg bags?

Pen performance sheet

Week	Pigs	Total weight (kg)	Feed given (kg)	Gain (kg)	FCR
0	10	250	—	—	—
4	10	(weigh)	(sum)	(weight now − 250)	feed ÷ gain

If FCR is worse than target, check in this order: wasted feed (troughs, rats), water, heat, worms (ask the vet), crowding, feed quality.

Track a pen

Weigh every pig in one grower pen. Record the total.
Record all feed given to that pen for 4 weeks (weigh, don't guess).
Weigh again. Work out pen ADG and FCR.
Walk the pen and list possible causes of waste or slow growth.
Present your findings to the farmer with one change to try.

Feed costs

Get today's price of grower feed from a mill and a shop, and the price of maize, soybean meal and wheat bran. Work out the cost per kg of each.

Check yourself 4

What protein do you get from 1 part beans (20%) and 2 parts cereal (10%)?
What are the rules if you limit-feed finishers?
List three things to check if FCR is worse than target.

Unit 5 · The herd health plan, biosecurity plan and disease response

Write it down, agree it with the vet, and follow it every day. A plan in your head fails on the day you are sick or away.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
5.1 Write a biosecurity plan	writes a one-page farm biosecurity plan with zones and rules
5.2 Agree a health plan with the vet	prepares a health calendar for the vet to fill in and sign
5.3 Use medicines responsibly	keeps a medicine record with withdrawal dates and explains resistance
5.4 Respond to an outbreak	leads an ASF drill and knows the reporting chain

Range. The partner farm. Evidence. Biosecurity plan; health calendar; medicine record; ASF drill report.

The biosecurity plan (one page)

Biosecurity is "the most important and effective measure available" against ASF. Write your plan under these headings:

Zones. Draw the farm: clean zone (pig houses), buffer zone (feed store, office), outside (road, loading bay). Pig trucks load and unload outside the fence.
Fence and gate. One gate, locked. A fence keeps pigs in and other pigs and animals out.
People. Visitors kept to a minimum; visitor book; farm boots and clothes; footbath; hand washing. Workers do not keep pigs at home or visit other farms.
Pigs in. Only from trusted sources; isolation pen for new pigs; the vet decides the time and any tests. New boars and gilts bring disease such as brucellosis.
Feed and water. From known suppliers; no swill with meat.
Cleaning. Remove dung, wash, dry, disinfect. Disinfect housing after pigs leave and before new pigs come in.
Vehicles and equipment. Trucks cleaned and disinfected after unloading. Do not borrow equipment from other pig farms.
Dead pigs and waste. Dispose of carcasses and slaughter waste so no animal can reach them. During any suspected outbreak, follow the vet's carcass instructions.
Pests. Rats, flies, stray dogs.
Who to call. Vet's name and number; Veterinary Services office.

The herd health calendar (filled in by your vet)

Item	Who decides	Your record
Worming of sows before farrowing and of growers	Vet	Date, product, batch, withdrawal date
Mange and lice control	Vet	Same
Iron for piglets	Vet	Litter, date
Vaccinations, if any are advised for your area	Vet	Date, pigs, batch
Herd check visits	Vet and farmer	Date, findings

There is no vaccine for ASF. Which pig vaccines are used in Western Region was not verified for this module; ask your vet.

Using medicines responsibly

Disease germs become resistant to medicines when they are used at the wrong dose, too often, or for too short a time.
A course of antibiotics must be finished as the vet says.
Meat from a pig recently treated with antibiotics must not be eaten or sold. Write the safe-to-sell date for every treated pig.
Ghana has a national action plan on antimicrobial resistance.
Buy only FDA-registered veterinary products.

Date	Pig / pen	Signs	Vet's diagnosis	Product and batch	Given by	Withdrawal ends
(example)	Pen 3, 4 pigs	Cough	(vet writes)	(vet writes)	(name)	(date)

Diseases that pass to people

Disease	How people get it	Protect yourself
Pork tapeworm / cysticercosis	Eating raw or undercooked infected pork; eggs from human faeces	Keep pigs penned; toilets for workers; meat inspection; cook pork well
Brucellosis	From infected pigs and aborted material	Gloves; report abortions
Anthrax	Blood-stained fluid from body openings; found dead	Do not open the carcass; call the vet at once

ASF response plan and drill

Signs: high fever, red to blue-purple skin on ears and belly, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, bleeding from body openings, sudden deaths.

Duty to report: owners must notify the authorities of animals that have died or are sick with disease; veterinary authorities can order isolation, disposal and movement controls.

What has happened in Ghana: movement bans on pigs and pig products in Jaman North in 2021; a confirmed outbreak and "code red" at Sogakope in 2025, with quarantine and carcass guidance from Veterinary Services; suspected cases in Kwahu West in April 2025 with advice to disinfect, quarantine and stop transport from infected areas.

ASF steps (from Level 1, now with roles):

Stop all sales and movement. (Farm manager)
Call the District Veterinary Officer. (Farm manager, within the hour)
Close the gate; post a "No entry" sign. (Gate person)
Leave carcasses covered and untouched until the vet says how to dispose of them. (Everyone)
Wash and change; no worker visits another pig farm. (Everyone)
Follow the vet's orders and keep a written log of what happened and when. (Farm manager)

Compensation: the Minister may pay compensation, but owners are not legally entitled to it.

Plan and drill

Walk the partner farm and draw its zones, gate, footbath, loading bay and isolation pen.
Write a one-page biosecurity plan using the 10 headings.
Prepare a health calendar for the vet to complete.
Set up a medicine record page.
Run an ASF drill: time how long the team takes to close the gate, post the sign and make the (pretend) call. Write a short drill report with one improvement.

Know your vet

Find the name, office and phone number of your District or Municipal Veterinary Officer. Ask what pig diseases are seen in your district and whether there are any current movement restrictions.

Check yourself 5

Name five headings of a biosecurity plan.
What must you write for every treated pig before it can be sold?
Name one disease people can catch from pigs and one way to prevent it.

Unit 6 · Manure, environment, neighbours and the law

Pig manure is either fertiliser and gas, or a smell and a court case. Manage it every day.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
6.1 Handle manure	collects, stores and composts manure without run-off
6.2 Link to biogas safely	explains how pig manure feeds a digester and the gas dangers
6.3 Keep neighbours on side	reduces smell, flies and noise
6.4 Know the rules	names the Assembly, EPA and Veterinary Services rules that apply

Range. The partner farm's manure system. Evidence. Manure plan; compost record; permit checklist.

Manure handling step by step

Scrape dung daily from pens into a covered heap or pit.
Let the dung rot before use: keep the heap moist, in shade, and turn it now and then until it is like compost.
Run urine and wash water through a drain into a lined pit, not onto the ground or into a stream.
Keep heaps and pits well away from wells and downhill of them; a biogas digester should be at least 30 m from a well.
Use compost on crops. Fields used by pigs can be cropped to clean out parasites.
Pig run-off can fertilise a fish pond in small amounts, growing natural fish food.

Biogas from pig manure

Pig dung gives about 0.040–0.059 m³ of gas per kg of fresh dung.
Fresh dung is mixed with water about 1 to 1.
See the Hub's Bio Digester Technology manual for sizing and building.

Never enter a manure pit or digester. In July 2026 at a pig farm in Vietnam, one worker fell into a biogas pit and co-workers went in to help: five died and eight were hospitalised. Gas in pits can kill in minutes. Fence and cover pits; rescue only with trained help from outside.

Smell, flies and neighbours

Clean pens daily; dry floors smell less
Cover manure heaps; do not let slurry pond
Plant trees as a wind-break between pens and homes
Control flies by removing wet dung and spilled feed
Talk to neighbours before you build and before you expand

Assemblies act on complaints. In Accra, keeping swine without an Assembly permit is prohibited, and pens must not be a nuisance by stench. In Madina, a court fined a livestock keeper and ordered the animals moved under a bye-law allowing pigs only at Assembly-approved places.

Rules and permits checklist

Who	What	Source
District or Metropolitan Assembly	Permit for keeping pigs where bye-laws require it; registration of premises for rearing livestock; fines for effluent in drains and stray pigs (STMA example)
Environmental Protection Authority	Undertakings likely to have significant environmental impact must register and get a permit before building. Whether a small piggery needs one was not verified: ask the EPA Takoradi office
Veterinary Services	Disease reporting; movement permits in outbreaks; meat inspection
FDA	Registration of veterinary medicines

The new Environmental Protection Act 2025 (Act 1124) replaced the Environmental Protection Agency with an Environmental Protection Authority. The page on EPA environmental permits still cites the older law; confirm the current steps with the Authority.

Manure plan

Measure how much dung the partner farm produces in one day (weigh one wheelbarrow and count loads).
Map where dung, urine and wash water go now. Mark any run-off risk.
Write a manure plan: collection, storage, compost, use, and distance from the well.
Estimate the biogas the dung could make per day.
Fill in the rules and permits checklist for the farm and mark what is missing.

Gas from pigs (example)

A farm collects 60 kg of fresh pig dung a day. (a) How much gas a day at 0.040 to 0.059 m³ per kg? (b) How much water is mixed in daily at 1 to 1?

Ask the Assembly

Visit or phone your Assembly's Environmental Health Unit. Ask: do I need a permit to keep pigs here? Is there a minimum distance from houses? What is the fee? Write the answers and the officer's name.

Check yourself 6

Why must manure be left to rot before use on crops?
Why must nobody climb into a manure pit to rescue someone?
Which authority do you ask about an environmental permit?

Unit 7 · Location, business and marketing

A pig business makes money on three things: few deaths, good feed conversion and a good selling price. Measure all three.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
7.1 Cost a batch	calculates the gross margin of a batch of porkers
7.2 Choose how to sell	compares selling live and selling carcass
7.3 Choose a location and idea	judges sites and business ideas for a small herd
7.4 Market yourself	plans WhatsApp, referrals and regular buyers
7.5 Plan for inclusion	adapts tasks for persons with disabilities

Range. The trainee's own business plan. Evidence. Batch gross margin; sales plan; marketing plan.

Gross margin of a batch

Gross margin = income from pigs sold − direct costs (pigs bought, feed, vet and medicines, transport). It does not include building or equipment costs (Level 3 teaches full profit).

Batch of 10 (all figures are examples)

You buy 10 weaners at GH¢400 each. One dies early after eating 20 kg of feed. The other 9 each eat 280 kg. Feed costs GH¢7 per kg. Vet, disinfectant and transport cost GH¢1,500 for the batch. You sell 9 pigs at 95 kg each for GH¢30 per kg live. (a) Total feed and its cost? (b) Total direct costs? (c) Income? (d) Gross margin? (e) Gross margin per pig sold?

Live or carcass?

A finished pig dresses out at about 75–80% of live weight (hot carcass).
In 2023 the farm-gate price was GH¢30 per kg live and GH¢45 per kg carcass. These are old; check today's prices.
Selling carcass means paying for slaughter at an approved slaughterhouse (STMA lists a per-pig slaughter fee) and transport, and meat inspection by Veterinary Services.

Compare (2023 prices; other figures are examples)

A 95 kg pig. (a) Value live at GH¢30 per kg? (b) Carcass weight at 75% and at 80%? (c) Value of the carcass at GH¢45 per kg? (d) If slaughter and transport cost GH¢100 (example), which is better?

Location settings that give good returns

Land with an Assembly permit for pigs, downwind and away from homes
Reliable water and power for pumps and lamps
Near a feed mill and a registered slaughterhouse
All-season road access for trucks
Not beside other pig farms, pig markets or slaughterhouses (disease risk)
Space to expand pens, a manure pit and a digester

Business ideas for a small herd

Farrow-to-finish: 4–10 sows; sell porkers every month (needs the Unit 1 plan)
Weaner producer for fatteners in your area
Breeding gilts with good records (higher price per pig)
Pork for festivals: plan farrowings so pigs are ready for Christmas and Easter
Compost and biogas from manure
Group buying of feed with other farmers

Marketing yourself

WhatsApp Business: a catalogue with weight, age and price per kg; photos of clean pens and healthy pigs; a status update when a batch is ready.
Google Business Profile: a farm name and location so butchers and chop-bar owners can find you.
Signage at the farm road (keep buyers outside the fence).
Referrals: ask happy buyers to tell others; give regular buyers first choice.
Records sell: show buyers your health and withdrawal records.
Join the association. The Pig Farmers Association of Ghana announces farm-gate prices and says financing is farmers' main challenge.

Insurance

The Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool piloted livestock insurance for smallholders against the untimely death of animals in 2017. Whether pigs are covered today was not verified. Use only insurers licensed by the National Insurance Commission.

Accessibility

Persons with disabilities have equal rights to work. On a small herd farm (design advice from the course author; check with the person):

Task	Workable for	Adjustments
Herd planning board, records, feed budgets, sales	most	large print, talking calculator, spreadsheet with screen reader
Weighing data, feed weighing	many wheelchair users	platform scale at floor level, feed bins at reach height
Heat checks and health rounds	many, including deaf persons	picture checklists, flashing phone alarms, a partner for the boar test
Farrowing supervision	many	seated position outside the crate, good lighting, phone to call help
Moving boars and big pigs	only those who can move away fast	always two people

Business and marketing plan

Choose your idea and herd size.
Cost one batch and work out the gross margin.
Decide live or carcass and explain.
Write a WhatsApp catalogue entry for one batch.
List three regular buyers you will approach.
Add one accessible task and its adjustment.
Present your plan to the group in 5 minutes.

Price watch

For two weeks, record the price per kg live and carcass that buyers near you are paying. Note the date and the buyer type.

Check yourself 7

What is gross margin?
What is the dressing percentage of a finished pig?
Name three ways to market your pigs.

Glossary

Term	Meaning
Biosecurity plan	A written set of farm rules that keep disease out
Cross-fostering	Moving piglets to another sow that farrowed within 3 days
Culling	Removing a breeding pig from the herd
Dressing percentage	Carcass weight as a share of live weight
Farrowing crate	A frame that stops the sow crushing piglets
Feed budget	A plan of how much feed a batch will eat and when
Gross margin	Income minus direct costs
Inbreeding	Mating close relatives
Limit feeding	Feeding less than full appetite
Pearson square	A quick way to mix two feeds to a target protein
Sow cycle	Pregnancy + suckling + weaning-to-mating
Withdrawal period	Days after a medicine before meat may be sold
Zones	Clean, buffer and outside areas of a farm

Logbook

Unit 1: 12-month herd plan; pen count; targets
Unit 2: gilt selection sheet; boar service record; culling list
Unit 3: farrowing record; litter record with deaths and causes
Unit 4: protein sum; feed budget; pen performance sheet
Unit 5: biosecurity plan; health calendar; medicine record; ASF drill report
Unit 6: manure plan; permits checklist; Assembly answers
Unit 7: batch gross margin; live vs carcass; marketing plan
Every homework, dated

Self-check quiz

A cycle is 114 + 35 + 7 days. How many litters per sow per year?
Give three points for selecting a gilt.
How many services a week may a 2-year-old boar do?
Name three causes of sows not coming on heat after weaning.
What size is a farrowing crate for a large sow?
When is cross-fostering most likely to work?
What protein does 1 part beans and 2 parts cereal give?
A pen ate 600 kg of feed and gained 200 kg. What is the FCR?
Name four headings of a biosecurity plan.
Why must you never enter a manure pit?
A pig of 100 kg dresses at 78%. What is the carcass weight?
Name one task on a pig farm suited to a wheelchair user and one adjustment.