The smell of manure and feed might not be everyone’s cup of tea but for Mzee Samuel Chepkwony, the scent of opportunity drew him to seek early retirement from his full-time job as a school bus driver to focus on his passion for pig farming.
Chepkwony, 55, a resident of Asenwet village within Kipsistet area in Soin/Sigowet Sub-County within Kericho County now working full-time on his farm started on his lucrative pig farming venture some eight years ago while still working as a school bus operator at Kipsigis Girls High School in Kericho but opted to seek early retirement last year to pursue his passion in pig farming.
A visit to his pig farm shows a farmer who has a passion for pig farming. Chepkwony’s pig farm houses around three full grown female pigs and 42 piglets housed in a wooden pigsty made of wooden planks and mabati walls with saw dust littered in four compartments for comfort and cleanliness and two feeding areas located outside the wooden structure. The pigsty, measuring four by six feet, is located directly opposite his stone brick house situated on two and a half acres of land.
He revealed that his desire to start a pig farm venture started in 2017 when he came across the school’s kitchen waste prompting him to approach the school’s administration with a proposal that the learning institution embark on setting up a pig farm to reuse the kitchen waste as feeds for the swines. However, to his dismay, this project was declined paving way for him to pursue this venture on his own farm.
“I got disturbed at the amount of Kipsigis Girls High school kitchen waste mostly from food leftovers and I approached the then Principal Mrs. Juliana Kirui with a proposal that the school establishes a pig farm to counter this wastage. To my dismay, the school’s administration declined this project that I had proposed. This added more fuel to my passion to setting off my own pig farming venture on my farm,” added Mzee Chepkwony.
The father of two narrated that he started his pig farming venture armed with only Sh5,000 and with this he bought two female sows of different breeds citing his decision stemmed from his desire to find a more fulfilling and potentially lucrative career which he admits his friends who reared pigs for pork mentored him in pig farming.
“I recall buying my first pigs from a friend in Kericho one that was of the Large White breed and the other an Oxford Sandy breed. He gave me one on credit promising to pay later while the second one I had to cough Sh4,000. Both were females. One was gestating and on taking it home, it gave birth to eight piglets. Since I was still in employment, I had to employ a farm hand to regularly assist on my pig farm and I must admit I have learned pig farming techniques from my friends who rear pigs for pork on their farms,” said Mzee Chepkwony.
He adds that he rears his pigs for sale with his market being the neighbouring county of Kisumu where demand for pork is relatively high as he is able to sell in a month five pigs weighing 70 kilograms each at Sh15,000.
Female pigs are known as sows reproduce twice a year with their gestation period being only 114 days. Pigs are divided into three categories notably weaners who are between two to three months old, growers who are between four to six months old and finishers who are between seven to 12 months old.
Mzee Chepkwony revealed that last year, he had 100 piglets on his farm from a single sow making it the highest number of piglets he reared since he commenced on his pig farming venture. He also sells his piglets when they mature to three months to farmers who are starting out on pig farming and he sells his large swines to slaughterhouses in Nyamasaria area located in Kisumu County.
“A large swine from my pig farm is around 60 kilograms and when it matures to nine months, I sell for Sh10,000 and a piglet of three months weighing three kilograms I sell at Sh4,000. There was a time I sold ten large swines to a slaughterhouse in Nyamasaria in a single day. Last year I managed to sell four piglets in a day to a local slaughter house in the same area. The price range of the pigs depend on the pig details notably the age, breed and weight. Pigs at different stages of growth (weaners, growers and finishers) command different prices and heavier pigs typically fetch higher prices,” revealed Mzee Chepkwony.
“When I started out in 2017, I can confidently say that pig farming is incredibly rewarding and profitable. I have managed to pay school fees for my children including purchasing of farm inputs like fertilizers and seeds for my other crops on my farm. I grow lemons and mangoes in addition to having a section of my land under coffee and sugarcane crops, but I can confidently say that pig farming provides a steady income stream and contributes to food security. Due to the expensive costs of feeds, I opted to using kitchen waste. Currently I house five swines and one boar in addition to 42 piglets all which I feed twice a day specifically at 9am and 5pm. My pigs feed on two kilograms of leftover food per day.
Chepkwony who has not employed any farm hand to assist him on his pig farm says successful pig farming combines having the right breed, suitable housing, proper feeding and disease management among other practices that must be observed while advising anyone wanting to get into pig farming to observe all these for better returns.
He adds on to say that the pigsty should be free from rain and sun and the wind and no slippery floor and emphasized on deworming and iron injection for young piglets as well as regular vaccination.
“It is important to protect the pigs from harsh elements of the weather be it cold, the rain or wind as this can lead to early deaths of the piglets. I deworm my young piglets every month and the large ones after every three months. I also give an iron injection for the young pigs on the third day and repeating on the 21st day as well as tooth clipping to reduce injuries caused to each other to their mother as they nurse. My pigs rarely get sick but I once lost one some years back due to cold weather,” noted Chepkwony.
Pig farming is rewarding but one has to do their research first on whether they will realize profit or not. Also, when it comes to feeding, this is a critical element in pig farming but I opted to use kitchen waste as the commercial feeds are expensive, observed the pig farmer.
Chepwkony said he was happy to have ventured into pig farming and has no regrets for having retired early to pursue his lifetime passion.
In the same breath, he urges the county government to offer training opportunities as well as extension services for interested youths and established pig farmers with a view to enhancing their knowledge and capacity on scientific and modern pig farming methods.
“I am one happy pig farmer because I have reaped a lot from pig farming. This is my source of livelihood and I am able to provide for my family as well. One can start small and continue building up. Rearing pigs for meat has been a rewarding experience. This work is not for the faint hearted as it requires dedication and care for these animals. Seeing them grow and thrive is fulfilling. The market demand for pork is consistent making it a viable business venture. Challenges like disease management and market fluctuations exist, but with proper planning and management pig farming can be profitable and satisfying,” he noted.
By Sarah Njagi
