Pig Breeding: Piglets and Breeding Stock

Homesteaders, small farms, 4-H and FFA families, and other direct-market pork producers.

Price per weaned piglet, with higher prices for registered or heritage-breed breeding stock. Some breeders also sell a few finished hogs.

• Livestock handling and animal health basics
• Understanding breeding and farrowing
• Good record keeping and genetics tracking
• Building a customer list

• State and county rules on keeping and selling swine, including health papers or movement and registration requirements, check with your state veterinarian
• Disease risk, biosecurity and vet costs, since losing a litter or a sow hurts
• Zoning, odor, noise and manure management, check with your county
• General liability insurance, and check whether a boar or aggressive animals change your cover
• Demand for piglets can be seasonal and depends on local feed prices
• Heavy daily work, with someone needed to cover farrowing and illness

Startup costs are typically around $5,000 to $20,000, depending on your breeding stock, housing, fencing and vet costs. Losing a litter or a sow hurts, so it helps to plan for health and biosecurity costs.

Monthly revenue is typically around $800 to $4,000, depending on how many litters you raise, your piglet prices and local demand. Demand can be seasonal and depends on local feed prices.

Check state and county rules on keeping and selling swine, including health papers or movement and registration requirements, with your state veterinarian. Also check zoning, odor, noise and manure rules with your county, and whether a boar affects your insurance.