Swine KPIs — ADG, Born Alive, and Days to Market Explained Simply
The three swine KPIs that determine whether your piggery makes money — Average Daily Gain, Born Alive per litter, and Days to Market. Kenyan benchmarks and improvement strategies.
Swine KPIs — ADG, Born Alive, and Days to Market Explained Simply
Pig farming is a numbers business more than almost any other livestock enterprise. The margin per kilogram is thin. The difference between profit and loss comes down to three metrics that most Kenyan pig farmers do not track.
Average Daily Gain (ADG)
What it is: How many kilograms of weight your pig gains per day, from weaning to market.
How to calculate: (Current weight − Starting weight) ÷ Number of days
A piglet weaned at 8 kg on day 28 that reaches 90 kg on day 168 has an ADG of: (90 − 8) ÷ (168 − 28) = 82 ÷ 140 = 0.59 kg/day
Kenyan benchmarks:
| ADG | Rating | Days to 90 kg (from 8 kg weaning) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8+ kg/day | Excellent (genetics + management) | 103 days |
| 0.6-0.8 | Good (well-managed Kenyan farm) | 103-137 days |
| 0.5-0.6 | Average | 137-164 days |
| Below 0.5 | Poor — investigate | 164+ days |
Why it matters in KES:
Every day a pig spends in your farm costs feed money. At KES 120 per day in feed:
- Pig at 0.8 ADG reaches 90 kg in 103 days: Feed cost = KES 12,360
- Pig at 0.5 ADG reaches 90 kg in 164 days: Feed cost = KES 19,680
- Difference: KES 7,320 per pig
For 20 pigs per batch, that is KES 146,400 lost to slow growth.
What improves ADG:
- Genetics — buy from improved breeding stock (Large White × Landrace crosses are standard in Kenya)
- Feed quality — adequate protein (18% for growers, 16% for finishers), balanced amino acids
- Health — deworming, vaccination, clean housing reduce disease burden
- Water — unrestricted clean water at all times
- Stress reduction — avoid overcrowding, fights, temperature extremes
How to track: Weigh pigs every two weeks using a weigh band or scale. Enter weights in the app. ADG is calculated automatically for each pig and for the batch average.
Born Alive Per Litter
What it is: The number of live piglets at birth from each farrowing.
Kenyan benchmarks:
| Born Alive | Rating |
|---|---|
| 12+ | Excellent (top genetics + management) |
| 10-12 | Good |
| 8-10 | Average for Kenya |
| Below 8 | Poor — genetics or management issue |
Why it matters: More born alive = more pigs to sell. A sow that averages 11 born alive over 2.3 litters per year produces 25.3 market pigs per year. A sow averaging 8 over 2.0 litters produces 16. The difference — 9.3 pigs at KES 15,000-20,000 each — is KES 140,000-186,000 per sow per year.
What affects born alive:
- Genetics — prolific sow lines produce more piglets
- Sow parity — first-litter gilts produce 1-2 fewer than experienced sows. Peak is typically parity 3-5.
- Nutrition — flushing (increased feed 10-14 days before breeding) can increase ovulation rate
- Breeding timing — double mating during standing heat maximises conception
- Boar fertility — older or overworked boars produce fewer viable sperm
- Disease — PRRS, parvovirus, leptospirosis can cause reproductive failure
What to record: For every farrowing: total born, born alive, stillborn, mummified. The app tracks per-sow averages and per-parity trends so you can see which sows are improving and which are declining.
Days to Market
What it is: Total days from birth (or weaning) to the target market weight.
How to calculate: Date sold − Date born (or date weaned)
Kenyan benchmarks (to 90 kg market weight):
| Days from Birth | Rating |
|---|---|
| Under 150 | Excellent |
| 150-170 | Good |
| 170-200 | Average |
| Above 200 | Poor |
Why it matters: Days to market determines your annual capacity. If pigs reach market weight in 160 days, you can run 2.3 batches per year in the same pen space. At 200 days, only 1.8 batches. More batches per year = more pigs sold = more revenue from the same infrastructure.
What drives days to market:
- ADG (the primary driver — covered above)
- Weaning weight — heavier piglets at weaning reach market weight faster
- Health during the grow-finish phase — sick pigs grow slowly
- Feed disruptions — even a few days of low feed intake slows growth
How the three KPIs connect
Born alive determines how many pigs you have to sell. ADG determines how quickly they reach market weight. Days to market determines how many batches you can run per year.
The math for one sow:
- Born alive: 10 piglets
- Survival to market: 90% (1 death)
- Pigs to market: 9
- ADG: 0.65 kg/day
- Days to market: 155 days
- Market weight: 90 kg × KES 350/kg = KES 31,500 per pig
- Revenue per litter: 9 × KES 31,500 = KES 283,500
- Litters per year: 2.3
- Annual revenue per sow: KES 652,050
Change ADG to 0.5:
- Days to market: 200 days
- Litters per year: 2.0 (less pen turnover)
- Revenue per litter: still KES 283,500
- Annual revenue per sow: KES 567,000
- Loss: KES 85,050 per sow per year from slow growth alone
Tracking these KPIs
Born alive: Record at every farrowing. The app calculates per-sow averages and trends across parities.
ADG: Weigh pigs at regular intervals (every 2 weeks is ideal, monthly is minimum). The app calculates ADG per pig and per batch.
Days to market: Record birth date (or weaning date) and sale date. The app calculates automatically and shows batch comparisons over time.
Three numbers. Three records. The difference between a piggery that makes money and one that does not.
Track your swine KPIs at shira.farm.