Backyard piggery: pens, layout, permits and costs
Pen sizes, waste and permits from DA standards.
ReserveA backyard (smallhold) piggery has 1–10 sows or up to 100 heads (PSA, 2023). Each finisher of 81–100 kg needs at least 0.85 m², a sow with litter 7.40 m² and a boar 7.50 m² (PAES 401:2001). Build east-west, slope floors 2–4% to a gutter and keep the pens at least 25 m from drinking-water sources. You need a locational clearance; up to 100 heads is not covered by an ECC, and farms with 20 sows or more register with BAI. Feed is the biggest cost. Start your first batch with healthy weaned piglets from Ronda, Cebu.
Pen sizes per pig
| Pig | Minimum floor space |
|---|---|
| Up to 10 kg | 0.11 m² |
| 11–20 kg | 0.20 m² |
| 21–40 kg | 0.35 m² |
| 41–60 kg | 0.50 m² |
| 61–80 kg | 0.70 m² |
| 81–100 kg | 0.85 m² |
| Gilt up to mating | 1.00 m² |
| Gestating sowStall 0.66 × 1.8 m | 1.20 m² |
| Dry sow | 1.80 m² |
| Farrowing penSow and litter | 7.40 m² |
| Boar penShortest side 2.5 m | 7.50 m² |
Source: PAES 401:2001, Table 1; boar pen side: DA AO 41. Farrowing crate sizes and sow care: pig farrowing guide.
Layout and drainage
Orientation
East-west, downwind of the house so odours blow away from it (PAES 401).
Roof and walls
At least 1 m roof overhang, gutters for rain, side walls at least 1 m high (PAES 401). Our family’s welder makes steel roof trusses for piggeries.
Floors and pens
Non-slip, 2–4% slope to the drain, away from the trough. Up to 25 pigs per pen; partitions 0.9 m for 25–100 kg, 1.0 m for sows, 1.2 m for boars (PAES 401).
Water and feed
One drinking nipple per 12–15 growing pigs; trough space 15–35 cm per pig by size (PAES 401). Store two weeks of feed.
Permits and distances
| Rule | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Locational clearanceFrom the city or municipality | Every new piggery; backyard only in rural areas |
| 25 m from drinking-water sources | All sizes |
| ECCDENR-EMB | Not covered up to 100 heads (CNC possible); IEE checklist 101–4,999 heads |
| BAI registrationBureau of Animal Industry | 20 sows and above |
| Discharge permitClean Water Act | If wastewater is discharged |
Sources: HLURB R-674 s. 2000, EMB MC 2014-005, DA AO 41, RA 9275. Ask your municipal agriculture office and environment office what applies in your town.
Manure and waste
| Pig | Manure per day |
|---|---|
| Finisher, about 67 kg | 4.38 kg |
| Finisher, about 89 kg | 5.80 kg |
| Gestating sow | 3.97 kg |
| Sow and litter | 14.73 kg |
| Boar | 4.91 kg |
Source: PAES 414-1:2002, Annex B. An anaerobic lagoon is at least 1.8 m deep. A biogas digester for 10 pigs of 36–55 kg is about 2.6 m³ (PAES 413:2001).
Costs and the business plan
Feed is 65–80% of production costs (DA). The DA’s 2022 roadmap puts feed at ₱5,524.26 per pig from birth to 90 kg (DA Hog Roadmap). The piglet is the next cost: see the piglet price in Cebu, then work out your own batch with the fattening cost per head calculator and compare it with the live hog price.
A DA business plan covers six parts: general information, executive summary, market, management, technical aspect and a financial plan with projected income and cash flow (DA format). Smallhold farms hold most of Cebu’s pigs: 322,252 of 451,498 head on 1 July 2026 (PSA).
Read next: how to raise pigs, hog feeds and African swine fever. Selling to lechoneros? See lechon pigs and the lechon price. Gepanaga’s Farm opens in April 2027 in Ronda: reserve weaners or stock a whole pen through wholesale, with a vet health certificate for every batch.
Questions
What is a backyard piggery?
PSA counts a smallhold farm as 1–10 sows or 1–100 heads (2023). DA AO 41 calls a farm with fewer than 20 sows a backyard piggery.
How big should a pig pen be?
At least 0.85 m² per pig of 81–100 kg, 7.40 m² for a sow with litter and 7.50 m² for a boar (PAES 401:2001).
What is the size of a farrowing pen?
7.40 m² for a sow and litter in an individual pen; a crate is at least 2.10 m long for a 120 kg sow (PAES 401 for the pen, DA AO 41 for the crate).
Do I need an ECC for a backyard piggery?
Not up to 100 heads: such farms are not covered and may get a CNC. From 101 heads an IEE checklist and ECC are needed (EMB MC 2014-005).
What permits does a piggery need?
A locational clearance from the LGU, BAI registration from 20 sows, an ECC above 100 heads and a discharge permit if wastewater is discharged.
What is the biggest cost in a piggery business?
Feed: 65–80% of production costs (DA Hog Roadmap).
Sources
- PAES 401:2001, Housing for Swine Production
- PAES 413:2001, Biogas Plant
- PAES 414-1:2002, Waste Management Structures, Liquid Waste
- DA AO 41 s. 2000, Code of Practice and Minimum Standards for Pigs
- HLURB Board Resolution R-674 s. 2000, Locational clearance of poultry and piggery
- DENR-EMB MC 2014-005, Revised guidelines for coverage screening
- Republic Act No. 9275, Philippine Clean Water Act (2004)
- PSA, Revised farm classification for swine (19 Jul 2023)
- PSA OpenSTAT, swine inventory, 1 July 2026
- DA, Philippine Hog Industry Roadmap 2022–2026 (2022)
- DA, Simplified Business Plan format
