Dr. Ernest AgriTech Hub

Dr. Ernest AgriTech Hub I share practical livestock insights from real farm experience, focused on health, feeding, productivity, and agribusiness.

Built for farmers, students, and professionals who want results that work on ground.

Everywhere you turn now, people are talking about African Swine Fever. Some farmers are scared, while others believe it ...
17/07/2026

Everywhere you turn now, people are talking about African Swine Fever. Some farmers are scared, while others believe it won't get to their farm.

From my experience, ASF doesn't give warnings because you're a good farmer. It only takes one mistake.

One thing I've learnt in pig farming is that when there's an outbreak around you, this is not the time to relax or start taking shortcuts. This is the time to become even more strict with your farm routine.

If your farm is still free from ASF, protect it like your life depends on it. Be careful where you buy pigs from. Don't allow unnecessary visitors into your pig pens. Anything coming into your farm—people, equipment, or vehicles, should be treated as a possible source of infection.

If you already suspect ASF on your farm, don't make the mistake of selling those pigs because you want to recover your money. That one decision can destroy another farmer's livelihood. We've all worked too hard to build our farms, so let's not be the reason another farmer loses everything.

Pig farming is more than making money. It's also about being responsible to other farmers around us.

I know everyone is praying that ASF doesn't reach their farm, and I pray the same. But prayers should go hand in hand with good biosecurity.

At times like this, the best farmer is not the one with the biggest herd. It's the one who takes biosecurity seriously every single day.

What extra measures have you introduced on your farm since the ASF reports started? Let's share ideas that can help protect one another.

We are now in the cold season here in Nigeria, and if you're raising pigs, especially a large number of them on concrete...
17/07/2026

We are now in the cold season here in Nigeria, and if you're raising pigs, especially a large number of them on concrete floors, you've probably started hearing an occasional cough from one pen or another.

Many farmers overlook it at first because the pigs are still eating and moving around normally. But from my experience, this is the period when you need to pay closer attention. A few coughs here and there can be the first sign that something is changing in your housing environment or herd health.

Cold weather, damp floors, poor ventilation, dust, and overcrowding can all put extra stress on pigs and make respiratory problems more likely.

This is why I pay more attention to ventilation, keep the pens as dry as possible, avoid unnecessary drafts, and observe the pigs closely during this season. Catching a problem early is always easier than treating a full-blown outbreak.

Don't ignore that occasional cough. Your pigs could be telling you something before it becomes a bigger problem.

Have you started noticing coughing in your pigs this cold season? What management changes have worked for you?

Many pig farmers don't realize that during this period......We are now in the rainy season, and if you're in Ogun State,...
15/07/2026

Many pig farmers don't realize that during this period......

We are now in the rainy season, and if you're in Ogun State, you already know how cold the weather has become.

Many pig farmers don't realize that during this period, the cold doesn't only affect piglets directly. It also affects how they respond to routine management practices.

Did you know that carrying out procedures like tail docking, teeth clipping, or even administering iron injections too early (around day 3–5) can increase the risk of piglet mortality if the piglets are already struggling with cold stress?

A piglet that is cold is already using most of its energy just to stay alive. Adding the stress of handling and routine procedures at the wrong time can be too much for some of them, especially the weak ones.

This is one reason I become extra careful with newborn piglets during the rainy season. Before carrying out any routine procedure, I make sure the piglets are active, have suckled well, and are not under cold stress.

The rainy season is not the time to manage piglets the same way you do during the dry season. Sometimes, a small adjustment in management can save more piglets than any medication.

Have you noticed higher piglet losses during the rainy season? What changes do you make on your farm to reduce them? Let's learn from one another.

If you ask me, the rainy season is the toughest time to raise piglets from birth to weaning.I've worked through both the...
15/07/2026

If you ask me, the rainy season is the toughest time to raise piglets from birth to weaning.

I've worked through both the dry and rainy seasons, and one thing I've noticed is that the rainy season demands more attention. You can check on a litter before going to bed and still wake up to find one or two piglets de@d if you don't stay ahead of the cold.

Many people think every piglet that d!es at this time must have been s!ck. From what I've seen on the farm, that's not always the case. Some of them simply get cold, become weak, fail to suckle enough colostrum, and before you know it, they're too weak to survive or they end up being cru$hed by the sow.

This season has taught me that piglet survival starts from the first few hours after farrowing. If those hours are not well managed, it becomes very difficult to recover the losses later.

Since I started paying more attention to keeping piglets warm immediately after birth, making sure they suckle early, and checking them more often during cold nights, I've realized that little management changes can make a big difference.

Feed is important. Good breeding is important. But during the rainy season, management is what separates a litter that survives from one that records unnecessary losses.

What's the biggest challenge you face with newborn piglets during the rainy season? I'd like to hear your experience.

The biggest threat to your piggery today may not be the cost of feed... it may be the gate to your farm.With the reports...
14/07/2026

The biggest threat to your piggery today may not be the cost of feed... it may be the gate to your farm.

With the reports of African Swine Fever around Ogun State, every pig farmer should be asking one question:

"How easy is it for this virus to enter my farm?"

Many farmers believe ASF starts when pigs begin to die. I don't think so.

In my opinion, ASF starts the day we ignore simple biosecurity measures.

The day we buy pigs because they're cheap without asking questions.

The day we allow visitors to walk from one pig pen to another.

The day we borrow equipment from another farm without disinfecting it.

The day we assume, "It can't happen to me."

That's how many farms lose years of breeding and hard work.

The painful part is that ASF doesn't give you much time to correct your mistakes. Once it's on your farm, you'll wish you had taken biosecurity more seriously.

Whether you have 5 pigs or 500, this is the time to tighten up your farm management. Restrict unnecessary visitors, isolate new pigs before mixing them with your herd, and don't overlook the small things. In pig farming, the small things often become the biggest problems.

One careless decision can cost you everything.

If another pig farmer visited your farm today, what biosecurity rule would they have to follow before getting close to your pigs?

Let's learn from one another in the comments.

14/07/2026

WE ARE HIRING – PIGGERY FARM ATTENDANT

We are looking for a hardworking, honest, and dedicated Piggery Farm Attendant to join our team.

Location: Kobape – Interchange Express Road, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Accommodation: Available. The successful applicant will live on the farm.

Requirements:

- Previous experience in pig farming is an added advantage.
- Must be hardworking, responsible, and willing to learn.
- Must be ready to reside on the farm.

Interested applicants should send a WhatsApp message or contact 07087256276 for more information.

Please share this post, you might be helping someone secure a job.

One thing many pig farmers in Nigeria don't pay enough attention to is cold stress in newborn piglets.Whenever I hear a ...
27/06/2026

One thing many pig farmers in Nigeria don't pay enough attention to is cold stress in newborn piglets.

Whenever I hear a farmer say, "My sow gave birth to 12 piglets, but only 6 surv!ved," the first thing that comes to my mind is not d!sease. I want to know what happened immediately after farrowing. Were the piglets kept warm? Was the pen dry? Did they have a creep area? Did they take colostrum early?

The truth is, a newborn piglet is very vulnerable. It is born wet, with little body fat and almost no ability to regulate its body temperature. Once it becomes cold, everything starts going wrong. It becomes weak, suckles less, loses energy, and before long it may d¡e. In some cases, it becomes too weak to move away from the sow and ends up being crushed.

This is why I always tell farmers that piglet survival starts before the sow even farrows. Don't wait until the piglets are on the ground before you begin looking for a heat source. Prepare your farrowing pen in advance. Make sure the bedding is dry, eliminate drafts, and provide a warm creep area where the piglets can rest after suckling.

Many of the piglets we lose are not because there is no treatment. We lose them because we overlook simple management practices that make a big difference.

As farmers, we often spend money on drugs and vaccines, but sometimes the cheapest solutions save the most lives. A warm, dry environment during the first few days of life can significantly improve piglet survival and increase the number of piglets you wean.

Every extra piglet that survives is extra income for the farm.

What method do you use to keep your newborn piglets warm during the first few days after birth? I'd like to hear your experience. It might help another farmer reduce piglet mortality.

If you have ever done livestock farming before, you will understand this…The hardest part is not buying the animals.It i...
20/06/2026

If you have ever done livestock farming before, you will understand this…

The hardest part is not buying the animals.

It is not even feeding them.

It is not even disease.

The hardest part is when everything looks fine… and then you still lose animals for no clear reason.

You treat, you feed, you manage well… but one morning, you still find losses.

That’s the part nobody likes to talk about in farming.

Some people will say “you didn’t manage well.”
Others will say “it’s normal in livestock.”

But when it happens to you, it’s never that simple.

So I want to ask those of us in livestock farming:

Have you ever experienced sudden losses on your farm even when you felt everything was done right?

Or do you think every loss always has a clear cause?

Let’s talk honestly 👇🏾

20/06/2026

Now that I'm back, I would like to hear from you.

What would you like to learn from this page?

Would you be interested in:
🐷 Pig Farming
🐐 Goat Production
🐔 Poultry Farming
💰 Agribusiness & Farm Profitability
📚 Agricultural Research & Innovations
👨🏾‍🌾 Practical Farm Management

This page is for learning, sharing experiences, and helping one another grow in agriculture.

Drop your suggestions in the comments. What topics would you like me to focus on in the coming weeks?

I look forward to hearing from you.

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