feed formulation and piggery...
TRANSCRIPT
FEED FORMULATION AND
PIGGERY HUSBANDARY
PRACTICES WORKSHOP REPORT
Business Development Services
Vanuatu TVET Sector Strengthening
Program
Compile by: Provincial Agriculture
Officer
Abstract
The workshop conducted by Sola Livestock and
Agriculture Officers to 15 Pig farmers from 7
(Seven) villages at Vanualava to help them look after
their pigs during this time of high population pressure
and dry season periods that can lead to poor pig
management and shortage of feed. The workshop was
delivered using theory and practical sessions
emphasizing the best husbandry management
techniques used and how to produce best Pig Silage
to improve growth and reduce cost.
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Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Objectives .............................................................................................................................................. 3
Workshop Sessions ............................................................................................................................. 4
Day 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 4
Morning Theory Session ................................................................................................................. 4
Afternoon Practical session ............................................................................................................ 5
Day 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Morning Theory Session ................................................................................................................. 5
Afternoon Practical Session ............................................................................................................ 6
Day 3 ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Morning Theory Session ................................................................................................................. 6
Afternoon Theory Session ............................................................................................................... 7
Day 4 ................................................................................................................................................... 7
Morning and Afternoon Practical Session ...................................................................................... 7
Day 5 ................................................................................................................................................. 11
Formulating Action Plan ................................................................................................................ 11
Key achievements/outputs ................................................................................................................ 12
Problems/issues encountered .......................................................................................................... 12
Next Steps/Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 12
Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 13
Appendix .............................................................................................................................................. 14
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Introduction The Workshop was conducted on the 19
th to 23
rd of October 2015 at Sola [Esuva Hall], by
Sola Livestock Officer [Mr. Allan Kutos] and Agriculture Officer [Mr. Peter Maho]. Theory
sessions of the workshop were conducted on Esuva Hall [Sola] and the Practical sessions
were conducted at Kerebuak, Kerebeta and Agriculture Station. The workshop was delivered
to 15 local Pig farmers from Vanualava to help them manage their pigs from birth to
reproduction for quality protein production by providing a secure environment for them to
grow and develop with the provision of good husbandry techniques and adequate nutrient
requirements especially through the fermentation of sweet potato [Kumala] to produce pig
silage which can be used for a six months period.
On day 1 Farmers learned how to set up a piggery farm with its practical session in the
afternoon were farmers measured out and construct a pig house with three separated rooms.
On day 2 the livestock officer covered the husbandry techniques required for better
production in the morning theory session and the farmers had a chance to castrate a male pig
and practically learned other husbandry techniques in a pig pen at kerebeta during the
afternoon practical session.
Farmers need to cultivate their lands for planting kumala for their pig’s silage as it will not
affect their food security needs and competition for crops with the livestock animals. On day
3 of the workshop Sola DARD officer have explain different farming systems to be used and
suggested Alley Cropping system as the recommended cropping pattern using crop rotation to
improve soil fertility and soil structure by the process of Nitrogen recycling which can
provide nitrate [Plant available Nitrogen] to be absorbed by Kumala plants to improve its
protein and carbohydrates requirements which can be consumed by the pigs for energy and
protein production.
During the Pig Silage practical sessions on Day 4, participants prepared their Pig Silage in the
morning by following the preparation procedures and properly package together the kumala
vines and graded cassava and kumala tuber flesh inside an air tight container for fermentation
process to take place.
During the workshop the objectives of the activities are achieved however there are few
constraints encounter and recommendation which are detail in this report.
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Objectives
To help farmers to start and manage a Piggery Farm
To identify reproduction and growth features and manage the best local breeds with
an improve growth rate.
To set up an Alley Plot of Sweet Potato [Kumala]
To understand the process of Nitrogen Cycle
To learned and examine the best ensiling method.
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Workshop Sessions
Day 1
Morning Theory Session
The workshop was declared open by chairman of PGTB, Mr. Michael Silona and livestock
officer emphasize on the importance of improving protein supplies at Sola Markets.
During the first theory session in the morning, Livestock officer explained the requirements
needed to set up a piggery farm and as a recap exercise of what has been explain participants
form groups to discussed and present their ideas.
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Afternoon Practical session
Participants select the best site to build a Pig house by considering the number of pigs
required within the recommended measurements of each room for boar, Sow and wean
piglets using local materials at kerebuak village.
Day 2
Morning Theory Session
Pig reproduction, growth and management topics were covered by livestock officer with
more discussions, questions and presentations made by participants as a tool to help them
understand the topics.
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Afternoon Practical Session
A field day was organized for participants to visit a Pig farm at Kerebeta where they had
hands on practical of how to castrate gilt.
Day 3
Morning Theory Session
Different farming system and their importance to improve the soil fertility was explain by
Agriculture officer and Alley Cropping was the recommended farming system to use as it
retain soil fertility back to the soil within a plot of alley by using crop rotation. Nitrogen
Cycle was also explain with the Nitrogen Synthesizing Bacteria that converts Nitrogen gas to
Nitrate that are available for plants esp. Kumala to improve its proteins structures in the leafs
and carbohydrates in the tubers via the process of photosynthesis. The officer also explains
how to produce more kumala planting materials and the conditions and types of soils required
to plant the vines. [See attach PowerPoint Slides]
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.
Afternoon Theory Session
The Agriculture officer explain the Pig Silage Procedures with the evidence base
documentary of a workshop conducted by NARI Project on Tanna that show outstanding
results of the silage that improve growth and tame the Pigs within a three months period.
Participants then form groups and recap their ideas of the procedures from harvesting to
packaging and present their ideas that raised more questions and discussions during each
presentation.
Day 4
Morning and Afternoon Practical Session
Kumala and Cassava preparation and packaging Procedures
a) Kumala Tubers and Vines are selected, washed and peel to remove unwanted Pest [Weevil &
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Borer] and Diseases [Black rot].
b) Kumala vines and tubers and/or Cassava
tubers are grated and chop to smaller
sizes to allow more sunlight [heat] to
reduce the amount of moisture to about
40%. Because sweet potato vines have
high moisture content (up to 90%
water), which can be a risk of losing
nutrients by excessive effluents coming
out from the silage and most of the
proteins will be converted to
Ammonia resulting in poor
quality silage which is inadequate
for growth and development of
pigs.it is necessary to pre-wilt
them before fermenting.
C) Pre-wilting of the fermenting materials takes
about 2-4 hours in
dry, sunny weather.
During pre-wilting
the vines are turned
over regularly
allowing rapid and
uniform wilting.
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D) After reducing the moisture content of the
fermenting materials, the materials are mixed
together by hand, salt is added as an additives
to restricts fermentation, as it help to save some
of the starch and sugars from being fermented
in the silage and preserving the quality of the
fermented sweet-potato vines and tubers to be
kept stable for a long period of time if properly
processed.
E) The mixture is share equally among the participants and put into their plastic bags. The
fermenting materials inside the bags are pressed hard down to removed air from the materials
and immediately after pressing the materials, the air
inside the first and second bags are removed and the
bags are tightly closed and placed inside a container
that is place in a cool and dry place to avoid mice
and insects.
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F) A prepared sample of the Pig Silage was opened for participants to smell and filled the
finish product of the
silage. A Pig of 3
months old was
weighted to find the
initial weigh before
feeding it with that
prepared silage so
that the difference in
weight can determine
the silage
improvement after a
3 months period.
G) Pigs that can be fed with silage made of kumala vines and roots are fattening pigs from
18-20 kg live weight (or after the age of 2-2.5 months) because by this time the physiology
and functions of the digestive tract have been completed and become stable, so there would
not be disturbances from eating fermented feeds.
Besides this, sows, including nursing sows, can be fed with kumala vine and root silage but
small piglets under the age of 2-2.5 months should not be fed sweet potato vine and root
silage
H) Participants also learned the ratio require to mixed an energy food [Carbohydrate e.g
Copra meal] and Protein feed [e.g Meat/Fish Meal] at a ratio of 3:1 with boil cassava to meet
the energy and protein requirements of the pigs.
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Day 5
Formulating Action Plan
During the last day of the workshop participants group together into their respective villages
and formulate their Action Plans deciding to work together in building and repairing the pigs
houses and fences and set up their alley cropping system to plant kumala for their pigs .
Before the closing ceremony the participants form Vanualava Pig Farmers Association and
elected their executive body to help monitor the progress of the pig farmers and to register the
association to the Cooperative admin officer at Sola.
The workshop was officially closed by Torba TVET Centre Coordinator.
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Key achievements/outputs
The objectives of the workshop are assess during the theory and practical sessions were Pig
farmers practically learned new husbandry practices such as how to identify reproductive
stages of a male and female pigs [reproductive cycle], new practical terms such as farrowing,
Weaning, Castration and practically learned how to measure a piggery pen to separate pigs
according to their respected needs. Farmers also learned the procedures to produce good pig
silage by ensiling Kumala and Cassava fermenting materials and the conditions required to
store the silage for 21 days and onwards.
However after the 3 months period the participants will be assess with their Action Plans and
officers will identify those pig farmers that achieved the objectives of the workshop. Also
after 3 months the results of this prepared silage will show that sweet potato silage will have
three advantages: 1) improved pig growth rate, 2) reduced cost per kilo of weight gain, and 3)
saved labor.
Problems/issues encountered Currently there are shortages of Kumala veins and tubers that was are tackling issue in most
of the villages due to the ongoing Elnino seasons that causes wilting of vines and leafs and
smaller tuber sizes and/or decaying of the tubers in heavy clay soils. Infected fermenting
materials can results in poor Pig Silage that can trigger disease development within a pig’s
digestive tract and without proper disease and husbandry management techniques the pigs
will definitely reduce its protein quality.
Next Steps/Recommendations
1. If Pig farmers achieved the objectives of the workshop after monitoring their action plan
they will be selected as lead farmers for other future pig trainings such as producing Bio-gas
[Methane gas] from pig’s dung.
2. The trainings have to be delivered to Islands and villages where there are more pig farmers
in other islands of Torba such as Merelava and Gaua.
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Conclusions The workshop was conducted purposely to help pig farmers to plant their kumala in an alley
cropping system and produce their own local feeds using kumala vines and tubers. Pig’s
feeds are somehow too expensive by some farmers or too time consuming to be prepare daily
Pigs can only benefit from a certain amount of feed sources each day and over-feeding only
results in wastage. Farmers are often forced to feed large quantities of sweet potato to pigs
immediately after harvesting in order to minimize loss during storage due to weevils, rats,
rotting or other factors. However the ensiling methods of preserving the nutritional value of
fermenting kumala materials can lengthen the storage life of the materials for a period of
about 4-6 months.
The one week workshop have introduces the 15 participants not only on the nutritional
aspects of the pig-raising system, but also pig’s husbandry management techniques that are
essential in order to take full advantage of improved nutrition. More importantly, without pig
management, the results of feeding trials would be inconclusive because it would not be
possible to differentiate between the effects of nutrition and illness on growth.
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Appendix
Pig husbandary and Feed Formulation Participants
Name Male/Female Village Contact Details Number of Pigs
Keith Barton M Kerebeta 5493681 2
Elton Livae M kerebeta 5622996 2
Johnstar Stanley M Kerebeta 5486519 27
Harry Albert M Kerebeta 5397295 8
Nelson Leo M Big Water 5397295 To be Purchase
Chrisben Webas M [Disability] Wasaga 13
Jerry Alex M Wasaga 5994417 5
Jim Paulsa M Wasaga 5486168 5
Benza Paul M Wasaga 5969323 6
Derick Wilton M Wasaga 5399756 4
Philimon Dinh M Sisiol 5434719 8
Bernard Smith M Sisiol
Robin Hand M Neregasal 5399855 7
Rolland Collin M kerebuak 5399788 3
Aitan George M Qweso 7106111 4