06/05/2026
HOW TO SELECT THE BEST PIG FOR YOUR FARM
The impact of the investment in quality pig genetics on a farm is not judged by the physical characteristics of the pig including size, color, height etc. even though they may be important. It is determined by the percentage of economic value the herd (not a single pig) delivers to the pig farmer. The herd should not just look nice but must be of the right weight to age etc.
All physical characteristics are as a result of unseen abilities naturally present in a pig or group of pigs. When looking at economic value delivered by particular genetics, we evaluate performance of the farm population kept under similar standard conditions. Even in pigs of lower genetic level, there are individual pigs that excel better than others. Therefore the uniformity of the group but not an individual pig is key!
The price of animal feed has been going up and there is no hope of going down due to changes in climate that is causing change in seasons. Therefore any commercial farm that will remain profitable focuses on efficiency of genetics kept and technologies applied. These may cost a little more but focus is on the level of economic benefit delivered compared to cheaper options.
Lets discuss the 3 main qualities that influence economic value in a group of pigs intended for slaughter:-
1. Reduced time to market. Forexample, the offspring sired between Nuclèus Pietrain NN/PN³ and Sèrènis reachs 100kg of live body weight in about 140 days. This is from the normal 170 - 180 days known. The farmer saves between 40 to 30 days. If a group of 100 pigs were under finishing and each pig consumes 2kg per day and each kilogram of finisher feed cost 1,500/- (UGX):-
Total Feed saved: 100 × 2 × 40 = 8,000kg
Total cash saved: 8,000 × 1,500/- = 12,000,000/-.
2. Reduced feed required: The Nuclèus Pietrain NN/PN³ requires an average of 2kg of feed to gain 1kg of live body weight. This is from the normal 3 to 3.5 kilograms commonly fed for a pug to gain 1kg of live body weight. If this happens for the last 56 days before market, the farmer saves between 1 to 1.5kg of feed.
Total feed saved:- 1× 56 × 100 = 5,600kg
Total cash saved: 5,600 × 15,00 = 8,400,000/-
3. More weight per carcass: The Nuclèus Pietrain NN/PN³ of 100kg live body weight produce a carcass weighing 75kg+ with a lean meat percentage (LMP) of above 68%. Information from our local export standard abattoir - Mbizzi indicates majority of pigs slaughtered yield 60% carcass and LMP of below 50%.This means, a pig farmer using advanced genetics like Nuclèus Pietrain NN/PN³ and Sèrènis offspring has 15kg more per carcass and recieves a premium price from a processor due to his pigs high LMP.
15 × 100 × 12,000 = 18,000,000/-
The best mother for your slaughter pigs available in Africa today is the Nucleus Sèrènis produced in East Africa.
This exploits economic benefit more when bred with any of the Nuclèus commercial boars, Pietrain NN/PN³, Vigor and Duroc. Certified multiplication farms for the Nuclèus Sèrènis and commercial boars are available in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
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