On Monday, I went to Kin Swai and got a peek at what is a very innovative pig farming method here in Cambodia! Most Cambodians keep their pigs in concrete pens, but this rice husk fodder is ingenious! Read on…
Pig House Dimensions:
3 meters x 3 meters
1 meter deep
Fodder Ingredients:
10 parts/bags of rice husks
1 part/bag of dirt
Method Benefits:
Virtually no smell. (Definite plus. Concrete pens reek.)
Pigs work their waste into the fodder themselves. (Less work for the farmer.)
More comfortable for the pigs than concrete pens. (Happy pigs = Fat pigs)
Fewer piglet casualties due to maternal roll-overs than in concrete pens. (That’s a good thing.)
Water only necessary for drinking. No pig cleaning needed. (Conserves their precious water!)
Fodder only needs to be changed 1x annually. (LOW MAINTENANCE!)
The old fodder is very good compost. (Helps their gardens! YAY!)
Much more economical than concrete pens. (The $$ speaks.)
Much less upkeep/care than required with concrete pens. (Velly Nice.)
So, I found this very fascinating. When I found myself explaining this to an American man the other day, he stopped me in the middle of my spiel to ask if I had done 4-H as a child. Haha… 🙂
The answer to his question would be… yes…just kidding.