14 guides on breeding for Philippine pig farmers.
A backyard sow lasts five or six parities, so a 5-sow herd needs about two replacement gilts every year. The cheapest-looking source, your own boar's daughter, is the most expensive: 25% inbreeding costs 0.6 to 1.0 piglets a litter and 7.5 kg at 160 days, roughly ₱17,600 to ₱24,300 a year. That is a bought gilt's price, annually.
Oct 24, 2026
A Philippine sow's full cycle runs 147 days, which is exactly 21 weeks and exactly seven three-week slots. That is the whole grid a small herd needs. Here is how to build it for 3 to 10 sows, why group weaning is a free synchroniser, and the February service date that lands finished pigs in mid-December.
Oct 16, 2026
One sow eats roughly 1,000 kg of feed a year no matter how many litters she gives you. That is 20 sacks and ₱23,900 to ₱36,600 depending on your feed tier. Split across the 13 to 19 piglets she actually weans, her own feed costs ₱1,280 to ₱2,690 per weaner sold. Here is the whole programme, and what it costs.
Oct 8, 2026
Keeping a boar costs ₱42,000+ a year at July 2026 feed prices. AI costs ₱400-1,000 per sow per heat and gives you better genetics. Here's how the math works for backyard operations and how to access the LGU service.
Oct 3, 2026
Bad breeding decisions compound over years. One wrong boar can produce hundreds of slow-growing, poor-converting piglets. Here are 7 mistakes that quietly drain profit from Philippine pig farms.
Sep 13, 2026
Do not breed at first heat. Wait until the 2nd or 3rd cycle, at least 8 months old and 120+ kg for improved breeds. Breeding too early means smaller litters and harder farrowing.
Aug 4, 2026
A sow kept one parity too long costs more than a replacement gilt. Here is the parity threshold, the cull-weight pricing against the PSA farmgate, and the decision math for knowing when to send a sow to the wet market.
May 13, 2026
Most Filipino commercial farms use both. The right question is not "which is better" but "which goes where in your crossbreeding program," and for pure-breeding decisions, the answer depends on your market.
May 13, 2026
Most native pig guides tell you to raise piglets to 40-55 kg for lechon. Lechon de leche skips that and sells the litter at suckling weight, which on paper looks insane until you do the per-sow annual math.
May 13, 2026
A fattener pig loses about ₱730 over 5 months at PSA's Q2 2026 farmgate, and about ₱2,750 at the DA's August ₱150/kg. A productive backyard sow still clears ₱15,000-₱32,000 selling weaners across a year. The gap is enormous, but only after you survive the first 8 months. The actual math.
May 13, 2026
When a sow has been straining for 45 minutes with no piglet, something is wrong. This guide covers what to do, step by step, before and during a farrowing emergency.
Apr 12, 2026
The back pressure test is the most reliable method: press firmly on your sow s back. If she locks her legs and stands rigid, she is in standing heat and ready to breed.
Apr 7, 2026
The most reliable early sign: if your sow does not return to heat 21 days after mating, she is likely pregnant. Gestation is 114 days, or 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days.
Mar 22, 2026
Native pigs average 4-7 piglets per litter, but the PCAARRD-developed Markaduke breed averages 10 by its third litter. Here is what the research actually shows.
Mar 15, 2026
