One of the keys to the success of any business is good management, so management skills must be owned by people who are involved in a business. Moreover, if the business is related to profit, it is necessary to possess knowledge and skills related to management and be willing to learn and improve the quality of management to be successful, profitable, and adaptive to the challenges of the era.
The situation is experienced by pig breeders in East Sumba under the coordination of the Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Sumba, where they have to manage their pigs well. The capacity building for the breeders through discussions and training was carried out continuously. At the beginning of 2022, they made a dialogue with academics, namely Yessy Tamu Ina, S.Pt, M.Si, a lecturer at the Faculty of Animal Husbandry of Wira Wacana Christian University, at the Apriyanto Hangga’s house in Mboka, Kanatang district, East Sumba. (Sunday, 20/2/2022). At least twenty participants consist of students and breeders joined the discussion on pig breeding management. They learned new knowledge to raise and develop pigs. In general, pig businesses consist of breeding and fattening, so they should understand intensive pig breeding management to maximize production, including breeding, pig pens, feed, sanitation, biosecurity, and disease or viruses.
Breeding is the activity of raising pigs so that they develop, through:
- Selection of sow in good, healthy, and have many piglets. The characteristics of a good sow are good health, short snout, lots of nipples, eating voraciously, and moving agile.
- Selection of male pigs in good and healthy condition. The characteristics of a good male are agile, eating voraciously, and being clear of origin to avoid inbreeding.
- Maintenance and care of pregnant sows. It requires attention and extra care from good and healthy food, knowing the pig is in heat and the condition of being ready to give birth with all the calculations.
- Maintenance and care, for piglets, pregnant sows, piglets, and stud pigs require carefulness in diet to be healthy and grow fast. How to care for pigs since they were born, providing good, healthy, and nutritious food. How to vaccinate and special care, for example when it is time to wean from the mother, cut teeth, or cut the tail, and a proper cage.
- Biosecurity is important and must be understood by every pig breeder, especially when faced with a deadly viral infection recently. Biosecurity includes knowing the types of swine diseases, having records of livestock kept, management of sterile cages, relations of livestock with other livestock, and the use of disinfectants, including how to take steps if you find suspicious symptoms to immediately report to the relevant agency.
Fattening is part of the development of the pig business, but focuses more on understanding feeding patterns, recognizing the types of feed both manufactured and homemade and the nutrients and vitamins needed for livestock, including special care so that the weight of the pigs can increase in quickly and healthy. This makes the selling price of pigs high. Another aspect of fattening pigs is the design of the cage according to the development of the pig.
Dialogue and practice with relevant stakeholders is a process of enriching knowledge where the breeders will have better livestock management skills and finally produce quality and profitable pig products. This success will indirectly improve the standard of living and the welfare of the community. ***