PIG FARM AT TANDSLET

WRITTEN BY MARIAGORETTI D. SHAYO (BGY PARTICIPANT FROM MAWENZI TEACHERS’ RESOURCE CENTRE – KILIMANJARO - TANZANIA)

We arrived at the pig farm at 8:00am and we had a warm welcome from the owner’s wife who gave us a short history of the pig farm. She told us that the pig farm was started in 1983 but on the 1^ST December, they got fire accident and the whole pig farm was burnt.

In 2000 they rebuilt the pig farm where they had 3000 pigs with one employee. She told us that they use computer system to perform almost all activities including the feeding of the pigs. She further explained that the computer can recognise the number of pigs on their ear lobs and the amount of the food they should eat. They prepare special food for different pigs for example, pregnant pigs, piglets and those which are prepared for insermination.

They us both natural and artificial insermination. The pigs which are already inserminated are separated from other pigs which are expected to be inserminated in order to make sure that they are in good condition. Normally pigs take three months, three weeks and three days during pregnancy. There are about 240 pigs and each pig gives 30 piglets per year. During maternal care, each pig should have 12 piglets because a pig has 12 breasts and also is to make sure that all the piglets have enough milk and food. They nomally cut the piglets´ tails after two weeks and the reason behind is to protect them from eating each other.After five (5) weeks, the piglets are taken away from their mothers.

Every week about 110 pigs are taken for slaughtering. After the introduction we had an oportunity to go arround the farm .We were taken to a certain room where we removed our shoes and jackets and we put on special clothes made of plastics and long socks. During that time many questions were asked and responded positively.