[Photos] Starting A Pig Farm in the Philippines

Starting A Pig Farm in the PhilippinesI’ve written about some of the details related to what’s involved and the profit to be made from starting a pig farm in the Philippines, including video.  Here I wanted to share some of the sharper, higher-res images I shot while out on my excursion to see my piggies on the farm.  They are fed well with clean grain, seen by a vet and kept clean so, I guess they’re pretty happy and comfortable.  

philippines survival guide advice expats

The new caretakers are working out much better than the previous ones, and that’s made all the difference.  If you plan on having a Piggy-Farm in the Philippines as a source of extra income, you gotta have people you can trust to care-take the land for you.  Unless you plan on doing it yourself.  We had problems you wouldn’t believe with the first people we had.  Meanwhile, we also have some carabao, moo-cows and a buffalo (I think, not really sure what it is).

I’ve written another, more in-depth article on how things have been going a year after starting this little experiment.  I also cover the idea of starting a business in the Philippines in general and some of the things to consider before getting started.  In our case, my partner and I have this farm partly as a labor of love, a way to help out a friend with a job and as a land investment.  It’s not been huge money especially since any profits have been going  into expanding more and more stalls so that we can handle about 100+ piggies simultaneously.  Before you even buy your first piglet or Momma-piggy.. you want to consider these things first;

Location

A rural area, of course, out in the province.  But do not just buy some property anywhere in the province just because some family member has some for sale or lives on it and is willing to care for your piggies.  That is a HUGE MISTAKE.  If (and when) you have disagreements, all your investment is at the mercy of being in their hands while you are away.  If they live there, you can’t fire them and there you are.. stuck.  Next thing you know, piglets are ‘disappearing’ as they make money on the side selling your piglets to neighbors while you shoulder all the expenses.

Speaking of the neighbors, visit the property and check out which direction the wind carries.  If it’s going to blow the smell of pig-poo right into the neighbor’s kitchen.. you are gonna have issues down the road.  Much better if you can find a piece of land with no neighbors for about an acre or two away.  And it you can at all work it out.. get a piece of land that has either a slope to part of it or even better a nearby river like the one I have.  Unless you drain the water from rinsing out the pig-stalls away from the property.. having it sit and fester is not only going to smell but will be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.   You’ll also want to ask whether or not there is a well on the property and an electric line.  If not, it may cost you to have it brought in.  And finally, a septic tank for the caretakers near a Nipa hut for them to live in.

Food and Vet Care

Pigs.. well, they eat like pigs.  If you want good meat then you should ONLY feed them pig grain from a feed store.   We made the mistake with our first caretakers of giving them money to buy the grain.  Well, guess what?.. they bought the minimal amount of grain and pocketed the rest of the money.  So, hook up with a grainery supply house locally yourself and set up an account with a deposit.  This way you get an itemized bill to monitor how much grain is being bought and you pay them directly at the end of the month.  Even so, keep inventory if you can on the sacks of grain as a dishonest caretaker will simply sell those on the side too.  I’m not being accusatory.. once you’ve lived in the Philippines awhile, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  The mentality here is that if there’s so much of it and you’re “so rich”.. it’s not really stealing to poach some inventory for some extra pesos.

Piggies do get sick every so often and need shots so ask around for a decent Vet to stop by once a month and recommend both shots and a purple spray antibiotic for cuts the piggies may get rolling around and scraping on the stalls.  Without a vet, expect to lose even more then 40% of your piglet litters due to disease or infection.

Piggy Stalls

A good piggy stall needs the following;  Cement floor.  Adequate shade w/roof for rain.  Easy drainage for cleaning.

Yah, you could just make a pen out in the sun but, expect to lose some piggies to the heat.  And you need a floor with a slant leading down to a drainage hole which is then made to flow into a cemented trough so the run-off water from cleaning can go away from the stalls.  In my piggy-stalls the water diverts to a small river on the property.  If you are on flat land, see about making a make-shift septic hole.  This is done with a big hole.. filled with large stones and some PVC pipe.  The stones allow new drainage water to go in and then it filters into the ground around it.

While the idea of a Momma-piggy cranking out 15 piglets which are then sold for lechon after 3 months seems like a really profitable idea.. you will have challenges.   Expect to lose some piglets that die the first week.  Expect piglets to be sold under the radar if you are not around.  Expect your grain bill to increase to feed all those new piggy-tummies.  And expect the weirdest demands from your caretakers at a moment’s notice.  Like expecting bonuses and a free piglet from every litter.. that sort of thing.  You have to be firm about their wages per month.  And don’t be surprised if they tell you, “We spent all our salary for the month, send us some more.”  I mean, back in the States if I told my boss something like that he’d just say, “That sounds like a ‘you’ problem.. not a ‘me’ problem.”  But here in the Philippines, it’s par for the course, so be prepared.

I hope you find some of this useful and.. enjoy the photos!

Reekay
www.lifebeyondthesea.com

philippines survival guide advice expats

Author: Reekay V.

Since 2012 I’ve been traveling through various islands of the Philippines as a full-time Expat and spent 1999 living in Vietnam.

Share with me my ongoing adventures of life in the Philippines. Hopefully you find my observations helpful in your own adventures.
— Reekay

141 comments

  1. Hi Henry

    I do wish you the very best of success with your Piggery but I think in the long run you will realize it is too much work for too little return. In any event, I might suggest you delve into the aspects of pig raising here. I think readers might find it interesting how in fact you raise pigs for profit. What is the ultimate market. Lechon or other uses of the meat. How big should they grow before they are slaughtered or sold. What do you feed them. Sort of a primer on raising pigs (from an expat perspective like yourself new in the business) could be of interest. I enjoy reading your site and wished you wrote more. You are still so young and innocent with your time spent here. I will be interested in seeing how you mature with increased time in the Country. How you interests will change and you move on to doing other things. If you really want to make some money you and your girlfriend should look into lending. Small stuff mind you. 1,000 to 10,000 peso range on a monthly basis. Now that’s a business. If you run it properly You will generate annual returns of high double digits. Good luck. Corey

    1. Too risk for lending money…unless, you or your pinay partner will be all over their faces for collection. Good Luck on the mula business in the Philippines.

      1. I have to agree. The only people making money this way (with high interest loans) are those who take collateral up front, to sell if the loan is not paid. Even then they must hear the hardship stories after someone puts up their motorbike for collateral and now cannot pay the loan.. but they still want the motorbike back! A person needs a very, very thick skin to do this sort of business and also a location to store all this collateral safely. People will know you have valuables and that makes you a target. To me, not a good business to get into.

        1. Good day sir! Where is your farm located? I am also in the same business but i’m still.new and still learning.. What feeds do you use?

      2. Venturing in business is always a risk no matter what kind or field it is..but as per personal experience i would bet on hogs/swine raising than lending. Its like putting ur life at risk than just the money… good luck

    2. Hi Henry

      I’m starting to do the piggery business but I’m starting in two pigs.
      Can u send me some tips or some info that u have research? Thank you so much!!!

  2. I plan on doing some follow-up with the Piggy-Farm as things develop. It’s a debated issue with ex-pats, and for good reason I believe, as to whether it’s feasible or not. The way I see it, the business model of a restaurant is sound.. but not everyone has what it takes to run a successful restaurant. There are some built-in pot-holes of doom in having a Piggy-farm and lots of ex-pats have been derailed by them. I’ll go more into detail on that in a later article. But I do believe, as I’ve seen already, that with my Filipina girlfriend’s connections and networking, things have been moving forward as planned since we started nine months ago.

    Every (sane) person I talked to told me, “Visit the Philippines for awhile.. then decide if it’s for you and go back.” Yah, that’s good advice and I’d repeat it to others but, for myself, I’m glad I just plunged in 100% sight-unseen for the very reason you mentioned. I don’t have a graduated exposure to life here. I got off the plane and it’s been all new since Day 1. It’ll be interesting to see what I’m writing five or ten years from now. 🙂

    As for the money lending, my girlfriend and I looked that over. It has it’s pros and cons. I just don’t think I’m brutal enough to make it work. She’s a soft-heart too. She’s dipped her toe into the lending business years ago and found everybody wants to borrow but few live up to paying back. I suppose if I had a yearning to break knee-caps we’d get all our payments in, but it’s just not the business for me. I do know a guy who makes money on the side buying gold. Mostly when he’s visiting the US, but a little here and there when in the Philippines via Craigslist. He’s got a guy who who can ‘upsell’ the gold to at a profit and knows how to test for gold grade, has a proper scale, etc. Me, I get itchy thinking about meeting people who I don’t know, but know I have a couple thousand on me to buy their gold. I keep picturing the ‘drug deal gone bad’ scenario. ha!

    The great thing about the Philippines is that there are lots of great ideas to start a business. The only reason more locals don’t is they don’t have the ‘seed money’ to get started. There are food franchises in the mall mostly owned by Koreans. Not suites, just carts/kiosks with maybe $400 in hardware and some food to cook. Very simple and straight-forward. Hot dogs on a skewer, spiral-fried potatoes, somai (my favorite) and powdered fruit/ice drinks are the ones I’ve seen locally.

    1. Hi henry! I like the piggery business you have and the tips you are sharing. I’ll have this one when I have enough savings. Continue inspiring people. Goodluck Sir. 🙂

    2. I was thinking of putting up a piggery business just before I read your page. I know there are risks of raising pigs. I tried large cattle raising which I think poses more challenges than piggery. I sold all my cows when one bull pinned one of my caretakers to a barbed wire. I have not totally given up however. I just needed more time to manage, to re-assess the situation, learn from the past and take-off with a new impetus. Maybe, just maybe, a careful FS, perseverance and passion is all it takes to succeed in any endeavor. May my story serve a glint of hope to those aspiring to do business in the Philippines:
      Once, a widow voluntarily offered to me her land for sale because she says that disposing it would erase the sad memories she had of her deceased husband more easily. It was hardly a quarter of a hectare in size and located on a hilly barangay (smallest political subdivision) in an island in northern Philippines. I knew I could not benefit immediately from it because I could not cultivate it while I work Monday to Friday with the local government. In my reckoning, its size is not even worth spending my time for a Saturday visit. So, I considered it as a gamble where my only loss is not seeing any gain.
      After I bought the widow’s lot, news spread that sounded like I am into real estate business. Result? More people got swayed into selling their lots to me. I only bought those that were adjacent to the first, though.
      I stopped buying when I accumulated ten (10) hectares. I fenced it and raised cows. I hired three (3) men to take care of the now mini ranch. It went farely well in the early years of operation until the report reached me that one cow died.
      For an animal to die for one reason or another is tenable. But for reporting it too late when it’s already rotting is a no-no-no. The ranch is just a stone’s throw away from their houses. I fired them all three (3).
      Luckily, a group called “Kapatiran” (brotherhood) accepted the responsibility of taking over the minute ranch. I had no doubt of their being trustworthy. They pray to God every day. They are warm-hearted and kind. Yes, they are so kind that when thieves steal their chickens and other fruits in the ranch, they would just say, “They can’t steal them all.”
      When I retire from government service, I’ll spend more time handling farm matters. When that time comes, I’ll change the motto to “You only steal once.”
      I believe that cheating, stealing and whatever term related to it, is universal. Despite all that sham and chaos in the society though, I still feel more comfortable living in this corner of the Philippines because there are still more people here who have high regard for the law of God and man. They only needed to be reminded time and again.

  3. hi henry
    with your pigs being fed right, wouldnt the profit be in selling the end product, the lechon pig?

    1. The buyers at the marketplace, there in Bohol, get them for Lechon. We thought about running our own butchery and Lechon, but it’s a full-time gig just managing the minor issues with the Piggy-Farm. We finally decided it’s best to specialize in raising them to Lechon size and let someone else take it from there. One thing about having a business in the Philippines, as soon as there are more jobs, suddenly everyone in the family wants to get paid whether they do a good job or not. Having a small staff at the Farm is the best way to go. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of profit just in the raising to market-size. Each piglet goes for more than $135 USD once it reaches 3-4 months. 🙂

  4. I too would have to go against money lending, very hard to collect. If one person out of ten don’t pay, there goes your profit. And I can assure you that not just one person won’t pay! At least that’s my opinion.

    As far as the family want to get paid: I’ve been there and done that! I suggest to limit the work force as they will be eating up your potential profits. I would guess 1-2 persons max is needed to be paid on a monthly basis. That’s for a piggery of about 10-20 pigs. You can also offer a % share of the profits instead of a monthly salary. You would be surprised of how much more work that the caretakers do themselves if they will be sharing the expenses with you.

    FYI: At the peak of my fish pond venture there, I had about 30 caretakers/managers (multiply this # by 2-3 as in most cases the family also live on the farm and it seems like your responsible for them as well) and some were paid salary or percentage. I think the best was a small monthly salary and a small % sharing in the net profits. But… IMO the caretakers/managers and their families were harder to take care of then the actual fishies themselves. 🙂

    Again, good luck!

  5. We pay 2 people to manage the Farm right now. Between my g/f and I we’ve talked about a ‘profit-share’ with them based on piggies that mature to market. Our previous (corrupt) caretakers kept claiming piggies were dying left and right.. way more than expected. It’s likely they were selling them off on the side is my suspicion. That’s why we’ve been talking about sharing a profit percentage, we just want to have a clear understanding with them what that is so they don’t expect a free carabao like the previous caretakers.

    I tell you, Filipinos in general are hard-working, decent people for the most part.. but when it’s family, it seems like you get the worst service and the highest demands from relatives or ‘friends’.

    1. Henry,
      It is tough doing business in the PI. I gave my GF when I lived there money for plots of land to harvest and bought a stud boar. The problem is I got no indication, any money i contributed gave her any independence or helped us. It benefited her family, but that is it. Because of this I never gave more. I have a friend who tried to solve the problems of his GFs family by buying farms. All he ended up was broke. I knew an expat living there who was buying farms too. I wonder if he ever was successful or if they just sucked all his money away. I’ll be interested to see if you are able to make a profit in the PI. I don’t disagree with you that Filipinos are hard working, I’m just not sure if any money ever comes back to the “rich ” expat.

      1. Brianmark

        As much as I hate to talk about my home folks, but you can only find 10 percent pilipinos that is either truly your friend or loves the way you are (lol). Other, especially pilipina, will be your loving match as long as you have the money or promise them to USA. But, if you get lucky, they’re have those pilipina that truly loves you (ten percent), and to keep family away. Good luck to find the one of the ten percent pilipina. One suggestion, is not to show off money; they get really corrupted.

    2. You are correct, Pilipinos are hard working for the most part, but when it comes to money, 90 percent of them are corrupt…they’re good at claiming their government are corrupt but surely, they’re corrupted even as little as a ten pesos. Note this, even your own wife/partner are not to be trusted when it comes to money. Work together and piggery business is really a profitable business if you have a trusteed care taker.

      1. I’d say that’s true of the ‘majority’, especially those in the city even though some province people are same way. But I’ve been fortunate to know Filipinas who I actually can trust and never rip me off. I’ve left my keys to my apartment with one and when I returned, she had cleaned my house for me. 🙂 There are good people but it is our responsibility to be vigilant and not be trusting so quickly just because someone smiles in our face and asks for something as soon as they meet you.

        1. Its not about nationality its about reality pples mind are being corrupted by money…anyways u find a filipino/filipina biz partner witch is straight and biz minded believe me u never go wrong

  6. Henry, I have doing a lot of research about raising pigs. I will be raising my own for food when I retire, Here’s the (newer) method I’ going to use, “Profitable Indigenous Growing System”.
    Really interesting and informative information:
    http://youtu.be/KW8cu7HlqMs

        1. LOL – ok henry translation for you:

          Pwede po makuha ang inyong email or phone,,,gusto ko pong mag start ng maliit na babuyan

          Can I please get your e-mail or phone number. I want to start my own little pig farm.

          That’s what she said.

        2. hi i just started a pig businness in the phil and so far so good i did lose a few piglets due to illness but i was expecting this and i am lucky my g f keeps an eye on things and her cousin runs the small pig farm i am looking forward to the challenge i plan to go there in sept and stay for 3 months or more

          1. Yes, can you suggest a good brand of feed, and some prices. My farm is outside Abuyog, just south of Tacloban, so transport costs might need to be added. Does anyone know a feed retailer in Abuyog?

    1. Have a nice day to you Sir!!! I have something to ask you regarding with your secret na walang amoy,ano yong nilagay niyo sa floor, sand or what? Thank you & more power…

  7. I remember my aunt having this business before and I know how good it was. Good luck on your piggery business, Henry! I hope that it will make you happy even more.

    1. Thanks. 🙂 It’s still my suspicion that the profits go UP when a person runs the farm themselves. Then piglets stop ‘disappearing’ or ‘dying’. But since I’m not into taking care of piggies, my partner and I are trusting the new caretakers we have. Just sold 10 piggies yesterday and got an order for another batch next week so.. there’s money in piggies. 🙂

      1. Of course there is huge money for the piggery business. You can supply the wet markets, the grocery stores, those who are in the sausage business, those who are in the Lechon business like Lydia’s Lechon, Cebu’s finest or those who are in the Roasted Pork business. Lots of potential. If you can combine your pig farm with a poultry business then you have it made. I know a person who supplies chickens and chicken eggs to stores, groceries, franchise operations, wet markets, etc etc. It’s a thriving business, however there are a lot of headaches too that go along with it. But if you keep on top of your business by minding it and checking it constantly, it would be very profitable. There is a large demand for pigs and chickens today. A smart investment.

  8. Wow. That’s a good start,Henry! I wish it goes that way all the time. 😀 And I hope that the new caretakers are taking their job seriously so they won’t have to disappoint you and your partner in the end! Goodluck!

      1. I believe once the volume of piggies increases to certain level you can make an outright decision about Piggery farm profitability. The loyalty of workers is a major factor.Try to ensure a way to monitor their activities. Wishing you all success.

        1. Yes. And the whole loyalty/trust thing is the weakest link in the business plan here. Even today, after sending money to have new pens built last week, despite buying the materials they said would be enough.. now they’re saying they are out of cement. An extra 3 or 5 bags I can understand. But suddenly they are 10 bags short to complete a simple pig-pen. Either the workers (still) don’t know how to plan a project or cement is disappearing. Incompetence or distrust.. not much of a choice. I covered more in detail here; https://lifebeyondthesea.com/ask-henry-running-a-business-in-the-philippines/

            1. Hmmm, hard to say since I never really broke it down to ‘per pig’. The feed is bought in 100 pound sacks and then distributed throughout the pens. I’ll try to put the numbers together later when I get the chance for a ballpark figure.

          1. Henry,

            So terribly sad to hear that these people continue stealing your money. That is the norm in the Philippines, when you are not there, they will sucks you up dry…hate to say this, but no one you can really trust there, even your own partner/gf:-(. I’m coming home this spring and check the piggery business myself. I will start a small one and not planning to buy any land; will be renting for the business. Even though I’m from originally in the Philippines, I’m so shock to learn how money can anyone lose loyalty and principle, but the home folks do. I wish me luck…and you too, hopefully your care taker realized how lucky they are to have a job even as a piggery care taker that puts food on their table and put their kids in school.

              1. Thank you for having this website. I am thinking of starting a piggery business in the PI. I have a small land (a hectares) near a river. When you say you are thinking about profit sharing with the caretaker rather than salary, how much do you think is fair? I will not be there to supervise (I am out of the country).

                1. I usual salary would be between 4000 to 5000 pesos a month, with room/board at the farm. But if you won’t be local to monitor it, expect “losses” as it’s very difficult to find an honest caretaker when the owner is not around on a weekly basis.

                  1. Hello Henry, nice blog. I have been considering starting an agricultural business in the Phils. I have mulled over ideas on how to generate profits while creating better than average jobs for local families. I am from the U.S. and am grateful to have a construction job in which I am payed multiple times the national minimum wage. That is why I feel compelled to employ people with higher wages than the Pinoy minimum. Why do you choose to create a job that only pays php 5000? Have you considered having multiple farms in multiple provinces to increase revenue? Is a monthly salary of php 20,000 a recipe for bankruptcy? I have spent 7 months of my life in the Phils and have witnessed some awful business’s designed by Pinoys that to not even pay the minimum and require 7 days a week work! Their plan for profit requires paying as little as possible. As a rich foreigner I know I could do better, or at least try. The whole point of my message is to convince you and others to rethink how invest your 1st world wealth. I wish you the best and thank you for contributing to an entertaining and informative blog.

              2. just a suggestion. equip your piggery with cctv cameras. all around your piggery building and feed supplies, make sure your cctv cameras can be monitored in your phone any where you are. as to the power supply use a solar panel, you can buy those at amazon.com

                1. absolutely. theft is the single biggest reason why a piggery ends up as not profitable. and it’s usually the caretaker doing the theft, selling off pigs they claim later to you had died.

            1. Filipino here. Wow. I’ve been reading your comments in this article. You seem to have serious trust issues. While Henry here keeps seeing the good, all you keep bringing up are the bad things.

              I’ve been to other countries too. Say Singapore, you think people don’t get corrupted with money over there? You think people don’t steal your stuff? Heh.

              Sorry Henry, I like your articles. This particular reader just annoys me.

              I’ve been involved in the IT industry for more than 10yrs. I have finally decided to transition to agri business no. So I’m trying to gather as much technical help as I ca acquire. Lots of quick courses. 🙂

              It’s nice to see someone like you enjoying it here and still seeing the potential of putting up a business here in the Philippines. I wish you all the luck and good health.

    1. Unless the pig is going to be driving the farm vehicle into town, we never bothered with licensing. ha! If you’re a small operation under 20 pigs or so, out in the boonies of the province, it’s not an issue until somebody takes note of it. If you were running a huge warehouse in or near town then the local BIR would take notice. And that’s when the real fun begins.. taxes are collected every 3 months here.

  9. I really enjoyed reading this article. I am currently working in an ITO/BPO company here in Makati but always wanted to have a business. Piggery and Poultry business is what i have in mind. I am from Trinidad Bohol and I guess I have the perfect place to set things up, its beside our fishpond.

    For starters, how much do you think it would cost?

  10. Goodafternoon po,

    Can I ask how much money did you spent on building the pigs stalls? Or any figure and estimation will do….

    Thank you 🙂 I learned a lot from your post…

    1. hello, ive started mine with 8thousand for the pig pen for 4 pigs, then on my second load, ive put 10 pigs haha!!! but it depends on you, how big you want for your pig pen, be sure to put a mini pool, it would be a lot easier for cleaning, i dont have to bathe them, they just dive in the pool…

  11. I rally enjoy your thoughts and writes ups. I congratulate you by making the hardest decision you ever made to live here in the Philippines.

    Thanks for posting here about the Pig Farming. I know a lot of my office mates having the business you had and they really enjoy it.

    By the way Im from Cebu.

    Good luck and to prosperity!

    FEL

    1. Thanks, it’s been a great experience. PH is definitely my new home. For sure Visaya area, and right now it’s looking like Bohol is the place for me. But, living on Palawan would be nice too. 🙂

  12. I was browsing for any article if piggery business would be feasible and I happened to read yours. I just want to know how much will I need to be able to start a piggery business. I am really thinking of making my own business while working though. I think this piggery would give me much return than rest of the businesses out there and most of them need higher start up capital. I am just an employee earning just enough and sometimes not even enough for a month. I hope you can give me some tips. Thanks!

    1. If you scroll down through the comments and check out the other articles on raising piggies here on the site, you’ll find some general numbers. But much of it depends on the area you choose, utilities that might need to be installed, losses due to theft, etc.

      1. Hello po Mr. Henry, i’m so glad that despite of knowing some bad attitudes of Filipinos you still decide to invest here in the Philippines, I read your articles and I am convinced that piggery is a good business, i’ve been planning to put up a piggery business here in northern samar but the problem is I don’t have enough capital, I own a lot along the beach that I want to sell. So that I can raise fund for my piggery business, i’ m asking help to anyone who is interested to buy lot, pls contact me at this number +639185564917, thank you so much..

        1. Hi Raquel,

          Just read your blog here can I ask what particular town in Northern Samar is your property?

          Thanks,
          Al

  13. Hi Mr. Henry, I read your articles and enjoy reading it,and of course I pick up very important knowledge, like taking the person who you will trust especially when you are away. Now I know, when you want to start your buisness like piggery, try to be more hands on as possible…

    1. Yes, the most common acts of thievery here are by people you trust who already have a perception that it’s ok to steal if they know you can afford it. Finding trustworthy people is difficult. Also, many people here will follow constant, short-term instructions.. but finding someone who can plan and think on their own constructively, proactively without being hand-held is also a rare commodity.

  14. Good evening Henry.
    I am from the Netherlands and now 2 years in the PH.
    I am starting a piggery too.
    But for now just behind the house where i live.
    soon i need pigs

    Have a nice evening

    1. It’s easier to reach me directly via the Ask Henry part of the site. I removed your email from the post so you don’t get spam mail from bots that search the net. 🙂

  15. I’m a Filipina from Visayas I am planning to start a 20 to 25 pigs but not sure who could I trust when I am in Singapore my family living here that is why I’m holding my plan,,It is a good idea if I start more pigs or fewer first??

    1. I would say start with one or two ‘sows’ (female pigs).. preferably not related from the same litter. They can be impregnated by a local farmer’s ‘boar’ (male pig) for a fee. As you get litters, keep more females for your own breeding.. but continue to use an outside ‘boar’ to prevent in-breeding. (that will open up the pigs to genetic weaknesses and/or ailments.) Having enough pens to keep them in will eventually be your new task. 🙂

  16. henry i like the way you start the piggery business. iam here in the u s. iam planning to go home in samar 2016 i want to open fish pond and pig farm thats my plan so i can help were i came from and my people too. thank you so much my in law they in riverside.

  17. Filipinos love their pork, but its a tough business unless you are right there to run it. I was researching for what type of business I could put on my wife’s family land. If you google search the price of feed and how much you will need to feed the pigs until a decent enough size. You will find that it takes about 1 to 1.5 pounds of feed a day per pig. My calculations came out to about 75% of what the pig will sell for. Then add in vet, labor, and all the other operating costs.

    Sure you see a pig or two around a lot of people’s property, but they are eating table scraps and stuff. They are the domestic pigs and aren’t very tasty. You are what you eat after all. Typically they fatten those pigs up fast right before selling and the meat is not very lean.

    If you scale it up and produce your own food, have your own vet, and etc…maybe you can make some real money. Farming to make money requires a lot of crop! For instance the gate price of mangos paid to the farmer by the wholesaler in 2012 in the Philippines was about 10% of the retail price. So the mango farmer owns the land, plants the trees, takes care of the trees, and harvests the mangoes gets 10% and the wholesaler and retailer gets 90%. Thats why the small farms in the USA are almost gone.

    Growing food for your families consumption in the Philippines is a very good idea though, because for most people its their biggest item in the family budget. If you can produce a variety of stuff and trade off surplus with other people for the stuff they grow that you don’t grow.

  18. I admire your desire to live here in the Philippines. Enjoy your stay.

    Thank you also for creating a business. You are helping the locals thru employment and also knowledge sharing as well.

    I do agree though that there really are untrustworthy people who will look for every opportunity to ‘steal’ something from your business.

    By the way, I discourage your usage of the river as dumping site for the feces of the pigs. You are polluting the river.
    Please make a septic tank instead.

    1. Thanks. On the pig farming, my role was funding a few of the Momma-pigs (sows). As of August, 2012, I sold out all my interest in the pig farm to my partner. I really didn’t have much time for it. They designed the stalls and sewage handling between them and the caretakers.

      1. I don’t understand. You moved to the Philippines July 2012 and you sold this business in August 2012. Maybe you put the wrong year. It seems like one month is a short time for a business. 🙂

        1. it’s been a while since i did the purchasing of the feeds. i couldn’t really recommend any particular brand over another. but there are feeds for the younger pigs, mid-sized and when they are pregnant. any place that sells the pig grains can direct you to the one you need, it’s labeled on the 25kilo bags.

    1. Good luck Henry Hope you will more satisfied and happy in your business we are looking forward of more good news in your business..Anyway I am selling my land in Oroquieta city Mis Occ.Its 5434 sq meters ..1800 per sq m..anybody interested pls contact me..+6591044982 Sg.no.Thank you so much

  19. sino po gusto bumili ng lupa dito? pwdeng tayuan ng piggery 5hec-10hec..90pesos per sqm lang. ..along the highway ..tarlac location..contact 09126535494

    1. Junior – I’m looking for a farm that is for rent somewhere in Pampanga to either use in Poultry or piggery business…if I were to buy it, it’s gotta be much cheaper than what you offering in a small hectars. Email me: [email protected]

  20. Hello Henry! Could you make a list of what a business owner for pig farm needs from the pig's food, bills, and accounting… thank you. hope to hear back from you.

    1. Hi good pm sir henry! Good stuff right there. Im a piggery owner myself. If you know amyone who wants to know and engage into this business let me know. 09173196343. Im from bukidnon 4800++ piglets capacity. Godbless

  21. nice article sir. im also planning to raise some piggies, btw im efraim a engine cadet on a swedish ship. I dont like my job as of now and im thinking of doing a business a after i finish my contract. I want to start with just 5 piglets first, in your experience how much does im about to spend on food for 1 piglet?

  22. Any idea for how much will I pay in peso for a care taker per month? I just started 25 piglets… thanks…

    1. Figure you will be providing both room and board with a nipa hut at the farm, so that gets figured in. And then, whether any of their family will be there.. all that has to be negotiated and understood from the beginning. But for the caretaker alone, along with room and board, figure about 4,000 to 6,000 pesos per month.

  23. Hi Henry,

    I am Christine and I am from Argao Cebu. This site is very helpful, I have tried to reach you on Facebook since I am about to start the same business. I am doing my research on how to run it and the numbers involved. I hope to hear from you in there. Thanks.

    Christine

  24. 2000 to 2500 php for one month old piggy, 9 months before she can get pregnant, better if you start out as a fattening, business, and pull your best pigs for breaders

  25. like your post, my wife and I own family land, we are having a large scale piggery built right now, we are starting it out as a fattening business, but also, if you are interested check out , cocoa, and coffee, big profits there also, and wild chicken. sell for 200php per unit,

  26. THANKS HENRY you are such a nice person I am planning to visit Bohol as I have relative from there I hope can visit your farm as well because my children grow up and no idea of the vellage life

  27. Uhh lending money, hahaha, agree, sounds very dangerous to me. Especially if carried out by a foreigner. Would not even lend a spanner unless you don’t need it back. (Not always of course)
    Farming sounds better. But even here I made the experience that unless you don’t have Chinese blood, it never make you wealthy. I still make my money oversea, spending my off time in the Phil’s (Lipa City) only. Planning on some projects as in a mix of agrar/rearing, after I’m allowed to retire. Yet I think it will not be more then some additional money, but nevertheless I love handling nature and animals. That must be the prior. The journey is it’s own reward. All the wealthy expats I saw in the Phil’s, came already wealthy.

  28. hi henry
    thank you for the great article. i have been researching about hog raising and this articles gave me a lot of insight we currently have a house in bohol “calape” but its not fit for hog raising. i already have 3 female goat and 1 male will be starting my small piggery next month in alea bukidnon staring with just 6 pigs 4 female and a 2 male i already have 2 pig pens build i just want to know how much your are spending for the feeds and vaccine. i am currently working in the BPO industry in makati so i need to know so i can have an idea on how to budget my income while raising them the any information will be a big help. luckily i have a good care taker he has been with my family before i was born.but as we all know only time will tell.

  29. Hi boss Henry. May I ask how much money does it need to start a piggery?… And also how much net income will it provide?… Is the net income better than selling a siomai business?

    Thanks.

  30. Tnx for info sir henry im from marbel and i had piggery too u can find me at my fb jubairah casan

  31. hey there Henry. was just wondering, how is the profit side of things with the pig farm? is it reasonable? im actually thinking of starting one up myself hopefully within a years time if all goes well. land wont be an issue as i’m a filipino by birth. and already have a place in mind. i was just wondering if you would be so kind as to shed some light on the expense side of things? i mean if i may be so bold. like permit and license cost. and if you don’t mind me asking a rough estimate on the pens. first of all let me just say what an awesome job you’ve done 🙂 good on you mate. i hope to return to the phils. from new zeland within the next 2 or 3 years. to start help running the farm if all goes to plan. look forward to hearing from you. cheers

  32. I’m asking around about the figures and the basic know-hows of the piggy biz and came to see this site. I’m raising a couple of pigs as of the moment (well basically I let someone raise it for me) I’m hoping to build my own little piggy farm sometime next year if I save enough to start from 15 to 20 piglets. I just want to ask what’s your farm’s water source is. See, there’s this old water pump in my gandpa’s piece of land and I’m wondering if I could use it for them.. also how much do you spend on the vet and on shots every month? Thanks a lot and God bless.

  33. I’m a filipino. I read your experiences on staying here and it makes me sad because of my felow native take advantage on you because of your color and usually poor filipino think you are rich person because you’re white.hehehhehehe. my advice to you is be practical and do your business here you have a girlfriend there that you trust listen to here advice about the nature and culture here. just understand my people

  34. Hi! Henry your so kind to share your passion in piggery. Well I’m retiring soon and piggery struck my mind not only for doing business but to spare my time in a country side . Recently I visited my relatives in Coron Palawan Philippines and they encourage me to start piggery business because of the demand. My relatives got some pigs say 2 to 5 heads as they don’t have capital. I have the interest too even I have no knowledge of piggery farming. Within 2 weeks stayed there I decided to built a 2 piggery houses that can accommodate even 60 to 80 pigs quite big for beginners. It was completely finished with faucets, swimming pools, etc.but no pigs inside yet. I just back in HKG. My concern and need your advice Is that where to buy cheap hog mass since in my place cost 1,450 to 1,520 pesos per sack plus transportation fee. Can you recommend me a high & good breeding pigs? I supposed to start this coming December 2014.
    Thanks a lot & more power

  35. im selling a piggery in quezon. anyone interested with 300heads/ complete with facilities.

  36. Why are you selling you pigs at almost half of market value. You said 134$ for a pig ? Right ?

  37. Henry I am very concerned about your business savvy. Your employees are robbing you blind but you don't seem to care ? I will be back in the philippines soon perhaps you would like to meet and get advice from my wife she will tell you straight up. No b.s. how to handle Filipino workers

  38. hi sir,me and my boss is planning to start up a pig /poultry/fish farm.. mybe you can give tips on how to start and about the other govt certification requirements. please do email me at [email protected]. thank you sir.

  39. ME AND MY HUSBAND ARE PLANNING TO START A SMALL PIGGERY.I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH WE NEED..WE START 35 PIGGIES

  40. I am giving my wife’s family 150k to start a business for themselves.
    They already own good land and they have mentioned a pig farm.
    Is the amount (150k) offered enough to get them started realistically?
    Any advice would be great thanks.

  41. hi Reekay… your blog was so helpful… can i just ask what is the brand of food that you give to your piggies?

  42. Instead of trying to hire a seemingly trust worthy adult, hire kids to do the work?. yes agreement with parent on number of hours per week. Are there labor laws against hiring kids? A kid in the province would want the job I am sure.
    Seemingly you lay down the law before hired and have them sign stipulating understanding,
    for example… Steal feed or hogs from me and I deduct it from your pay and fire you on the spot
    Piggy died? ok then show me the corpse… No corpes?? then your fired! (Donald Trump attitude) Clear expectation need to be stipulated blah blah blah
    Seems to me if you run one of these, You have to be there to run it, now wire money and count your piggies before they are hatched

  43. Hello Henry, congrats for your investments. We are following your bussines also in youtube. we wants to put a piggery in Negros, can you help us to take a reason of the profits actually per head, free, after all the cost of productions. We are spaniards. Regards. email us pls to [email protected]

  44. Hi Reekay,
    I see that you are having a whale of a time. I have been scouring thru all these literature on pigging in PH over the last 8 months. Your is certainly a revelation. A Malaysian friend of mine is running a successful piggery in Luzon. He is married to a local there.

    He visits once a months. Im intending to plunge in as well. probably invest some USD7K with him for a start and see how it goes. How is your piggery doing now? have you achieved what you intended. Have you seen an increase in demand? New pitfalls as it has been more that 4 years since you first started?

    Appreciate you taking time to answer all those curious about this venture. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

    1. The pig farm is averaging about 70 pigs/piglets and making money. All in all, a success. My ex/gf owns/runs it now since I just have no time for it.

  45. May I ask what your profit margin is and how do you compensate your Ex who’s running the operation?

    1. After the first year she has since then been running the farm full-time, so I basically gave her my full share. I plan to re-visit the farm around March/2017 or so. But she’s been operating it at a profit for the last 3 years. She buys the food in bulk, by the truckload, so it’s kinda hard to nail down an exact net profit per pig. But it is working out very well.

  46. hello henry!!

    i was wondering, how do you sell your pigs after 3 to 4 mos?

    do you market it in “palengkes”, do you hire butcher, then sell meat per kilo or do you have a partnered butcher shop that buy the pigs from your farm, load it in their truck and gets paid per kilo?

    whats the process?

    ive been looking for this information ever since, hope you can give me an insight.. i have a plan, but still i dont know how can i sell my pigs after 3-4 months of fattening..

    kind regards

    1. At first, sold them at a local, weekly farmer’s fair. Not all areas have one. But later we made contact with a distributor who would buy 30 or more at a time, which made things easier even if we didn’t get as much for each. selling in bulk, you might say.

  47. Hi! Henry,
    I salute you with your sense of courage and life’s adventure in the P.I. Takes guts to just swim to the unknown. But, one quote really sticks to mind is this. ” Business is a risk that can’t be pass, if, you have the capital to feel that you’re living” so take a risk.
    I’m a bit like you. Spend half of my adult life in the U.S. struggling, ups and down in life but always try get back up when fallen. Never give up attitude. I don’t know if that kind of traits would work in business sense but, I’m willing to try.
    This coming months my fiance’ and I are going to a joint venture of starting up a pig farm (approx. 3-4 piglets). Her family side own the land and I told her before I put up the starter fund I’d like to have a legal documents signed by all parties involved. Don’t like any confusion nor any reasons after the fact.
    Anyway, my questions to you base in your experience there, Is it feasible to start a backyard pig farm or a small commercial pig farm ? and, about how much starting funds/cash $ and piglets do I need for each above question to shell out from start to finish? I’m very grateful for the help and any suggestions you could provide me.
    Regards,
    Glenn

    1. If you have the land, yes.. very feasible in the PH. In fact, pigs multiply quickly so you can easily find yourself exponentially with a LOT of pigs after a year. Costs vary but your best place to calculate your recurring costs is based on the price per kilo for the various grains you will need.

  48. Very Inspiring!

    Permission to post Sir.
    Is there anyone here Looking for Farm here!

    – 6,745 square meter(Piggery Farm) @ Fr. Plana Subd. Malibong Matanda, Pandi, Bulacan.
    Price: 1,000/sq.m (Negotiable)

    For more info contact 0943 505 2590 or send me a message @ [email protected]

  49. Hey Reekay. Ive been watching your videos for a few years now. I was wondering if i could discuss a topic with you. Its regarding business in Phil. I am inteested in building a small appartment to have as a business. What advice can you give me? My wife is Filipina and i trust her a lot.

  50. Hi Reekay
    Stumbled across your videos on YouTube, found then very interesting, I am married to Filipino and very happy,we have a modest house in tioang area but still live in New Zealand and travel there for holidays, we were doing pig farming for a while and I enjoyed it, we were making our own feeds and savings about 45% on feed costs but as my wife’s family were looking after the pigs it was very hard to explain the merits of this to them. Yes it takes 20% longer to get pigs to the 70 kg mark but the feed bill is still 45% less.
    The other point of contention was timing the sows breeding cycle so pigs reach goal weight for those times of year that they are achieving the best price ,as there usual practice there is to put the boar to the sow as soon as possible after weaning, it was interesting and profitable overall and I will do it again when I’m there but I will closely supervise it myself but I’m convinced there is some real profit to be made, good luck

  51. Hi!

    I just got back from the Philippines 2 days ago. I was born and raised there. Me and my cousin wants to start a ‘babuyan’ also back home. So here I am researching more about it and stumbled on your post. Its true tho on what you said about caretakers and all. Found that real funny because it has happened to my family. LOL. But anyways, I’m planning on going back and handling it with my cousin, as you said piggies DO get MISPLACED. And i want to be there and being on top of it. My grandfather owns quite a big chunk of land in La Union, its perfect for a pig farm, chicken farm and also COws and Kambings (goats). He tried to do this before as a business but relatives would just “utang and utang” until theres no more to make “utang”. MY pops is a good man alright but too good, and me and my cousin promised we wouldn’t be repeating his mistakes.

    my question to you is, how much did you spend on the pigs home? was it just the white pig? or did you have the native also? did you consider doing chickens also?
    did you profit well after you sold some?

    thanks!

    1. the native pigs are smaller, but sturdier for survival. each pen you build can house up to 6 or 9 pigs, just depends on the design you come up with. cement, bricks, roof, drainage, labor.. all very cheap in the PH.

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