Ask most Nigerian pig producers how their herd is doing and they will tell you how many pigs they have. Ask a profitable one and they will tell you their feed conversion ratio.
That difference is the whole business. Feed is 65 to 75 percent of the cost of producing a pig. Everything else on your P&L combined is smaller than what you spend on feed. So the real question is not “which feed makes pigs grow fastest.” It is “which feed turns the most naira of input into the most kilograms of saleable pig.”
Those are not the same question, and confusing them is the most expensive mistake in Nigerian pig farming.
This guide covers what actually drives weight gain in pigs, how to read a feed specification properly, the management factors that quietly cap growth no matter what you feed, and how to run the numbers on your own herd. It includes our full pig feed specifications and current prices, so you can check our claims against our labels.
Quick answer: Rhosey Feeds manufactures a complete pig feed range covering creep, starter, grower, finisher, gestation and lactation, in 25kg bags, from our facility in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with distributors in Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Delta and across Ogun. Call or WhatsApp 08138311211.
The Three Numbers That Decide Whether You Make Money
If you are not measuring these, no feed recommendation in this article will help you, because you will have no way of knowing whether anything worked.
1. Average Daily Gain (ADG)
Kilograms gained per pig per day. This determines how long a pig occupies your pen, eats your feed, and delays your revenue.
The arithmetic is blunt. Taking a pig from 30kg to 100kg means adding 70kg. At an ADG of 600g that takes 117 days. At 750g it takes 93 days.
Twenty-four days per pig, per batch. On a continuously stocked 200-pig unit, that difference is roughly an extra batch and a half per year through buildings you already own.
2. Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
Kilograms of feed eaten per kilogram of weight gained. Lower is better. This is where feed quality converts directly into money, and it is the number most Nigerian producers never calculate.
3. Cost per Kilogram of Gain
FCR multiplied by feed price per kg. This is the only figure that lets you compare two feeds honestly.
A cheaper bag with a worse FCR is more expensive per kilogram of pork. Producers optimize the price of the bag when they should be optimizing the cost of the gain, and the two frequently move in opposite directions.
Worked example. The first one, Feed A costs ₦600/kg and delivers FCR 3.6, while Feed B costs ₦690/kg and delivers FCR 3.0.
- Feed A: 3.6 × ₦600 = ₦2,160 per kg of gain
- Feed B: 3.0 × ₦690 = ₦2,070 per kg of gain
Feed B is 15 percent dearer per bag and 4 percent cheaper per kilogram of pork produced, and the pigs leave the pen sooner. Across 70kg of gain on 100 pigs that is ₦630,000, before counting the value of the freed pen space.
What Actually Drives Faster Weight Gain
Energy density powers growth
Pigs eat to meet an energy requirement. Metabolizable energy (ME), in kilocalories per kilogram, is what fuels growth once protein needs are satisfied.
Nigerian commercial pig feeds built on maize, soybean meal and wheat offal typically land between 2,900 and 3,300 kcal ME/kg. The critical issue is not hitting a specific number so much as not diluting the diet with cheap high-fibre fillers.
This is where a lot of cheap feed in this market fails. Heavy inclusions of palm kernel cake (roughly 2,175 kcal/kg) and brewer’s dried grain (roughly 1,980 kcal/kg) cut the bag price and cut the growth rate at the same time. The pig tries to compensate by eating more volume, but gut capacity is finite, so past a point intake cannot rise far enough and growth simply stalls.
Those ingredients have a legitimate role in gestating sow diets, where bulk and satiety are useful. In a growing or finishing diet they cap the performance you are paying for. Rhosey pig feeds are formulated on maize, soybean meal and wheat offal with added fat, not on high-fibre fillers.
Amino acid balance matters more than crude protein
This is the most misunderstood point in the Nigerian feed market.
Crude protein on a label tells you how much nitrogen is in the bag. It tells you little about how much muscle the pig can build. What builds muscle is a supply of specific amino acids in the right ratios, in digestible form.
Lysine is the first limiting amino acid in pig diets. Once lysine runs out, the pig cannot use the remaining protein for growth no matter how much is present. The excess is deaminated and excreted, which wastes your money, generates metabolic heat the pig must shed in an already hot climate, and raises ammonia in the pen.
After lysine come methionine, threonine and tryptophan in typical maize and soy diets. Proper formulation supplements crystalline amino acids to hit those targets precisely, rather than pushing crude protein upward and hoping to get there by accident. Every Rhosey pig feed carries supplemental methionine and lysine for exactly this reason.
The practical implication for you as a buyer: do not choose feed on crude protein percentage alone. A well-balanced diet will beat a badly balanced diet carrying a higher CP number on the bag.
Phase feeding
A pig’s nutrient requirement changes continuously as it grows. Young pigs need high amino acid density relative to energy because they are laying down lean tissue fast. Older pigs eat far more per day and need proportionally more energy.
Feeding one general-purpose “pig feed” from weaning to market is the most common structural mistake in Nigerian pig production. It underfeeds amino acids early, which permanently limits lean growth, and misallocates cost later.
Water is the most overlooked growth input
Feed intake is limited by water intake. A pig that cannot drink enough will not eat enough, and no formulation can override that.
Growing pigs need roughly 2 to 3 litres of water per kilogram of feed. A finisher in Nigerian heat may drink 10 to 15 litres a day. Nipple drinkers should deliver around 0.7 to 1.0 litres per minute for growers and finishers. A partially blocked nipple, low line pressure, or too few drinkers per pen will silently cap growth while you blame the feed.
Check flow with a measuring jug and a stopwatch, quarterly. It is the cheapest growth intervention available to any farm.
Mycotoxin control
This deserves particular attention in Nigeria. Aflatoxin contamination in locally sourced maize is common, driven by field conditions, harvest timing, and poor drying and storage.
Mycotoxins suppress feed intake, damage the liver and gut lining, depress immunity and reduce growth, and they do it invisibly. There is no obvious clinical sign in a growing pig until the performance is already lost.
Managing this requires ingredient screening, supplier control, storage discipline and toxin binder inclusion. Farms mixing their own feed from market-bought maize very often manage none of it, and this is one of the largest hidden performance gaps between farm-mixed and properly manufactured feed in this country.
Feed form and particle size
Mash is the standard format for pig feed in Nigeria. The controllable factors are grind consistency and mixing homogeneity.
Grind matters: too coarse and digestibility falls, too fine and you risk gastric ulceration and dustiness. Mixing homogeneity matters even more, because premix is included at well under 1 percent of the diet. Achieving even distribution at that inclusion rate requires a properly specified mixer running a correct cycle. When it is not achieved, some pigs get a double dose of vitamins and others get none.
Selective feeding is the related risk with mash. Pigs will root through the trough and eat the palatable fractions while leaving fines and premix behind, which means they are not eating the diet you bought. Correct feeder adjustment and not over-filling troughs largely solves it.
Gut health and functional additives
Several additives contribute measurably where they are used properly:
- Enzymes improve digestibility of fibrous fractions and release nutrients that would otherwise pass through
- Acidifiers lower gastric pH in young pigs, aiding protein digestion and suppressing pathogens at a stage when stomach acid production is still immature
- Probiotics support gut microbial balance, particularly around weaning
- Toxin binders reduce mycotoxin absorption
- Antioxidants protect fats and fat-soluble vitamins from oxidation in tropical storage
Rhosey Feeds Complete Pig Feed Range
Full specifications and current prices per 25kg bag. Grade A and Grade B differ in ingredient specification, principally in the animal protein sources used.
| Feed | Price / 25kg | Crude protein | ME (kcal/kg) | Fibre | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creep Feed (Grade A) | ₦19,000 | 24.6% | 3,263 | 3.6% | 6.0% |
| Creep Feed (Grade B) | ₦18,250 | 24.0% | 3,200 | 3.6% | 6.0% |
| Starter Feed (Grade A) | ₦17,500 | 20.5% | 3,203 | 3.4% | 6.0% |
| Starter Feed (Grade B) | ₦16,500 | 20.1% | 3,050 | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| Grower Feed (Grade A) | ₦17,250 | 18.1% | 3,142 | 3.4% | 5.9% |
| Grower Feed (Grade B) | ₦16,500 | 18.0% | 2,922 | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Finisher Feed (Grade A) | ₦16,000 | 18.7% | 2,942 | 3.8% | 3.6% |
| Finisher Feed (Grade B) | ₦15,500 | 17.3% | 2,897 | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Gestating Feed (Grade A) | ₦15,000 | 17.2% | 2,474 | 5.0% | 3.4% |
| Lactating Feed (Grade A) | ₦16,500 | 19.9% | 2,949 | 3.6% | 3.6% |
All pig feeds are formulated on maize, soybean meal, wheat offal, calcium supplements, premix, methionine, lysine and animal protein sources. Creep Grade A carries three major animal protein sources; Creep Grade B carries two.
Prices are ex-Abeokuta. Distributor locations carry a small logistics uplift, detailed further down.
Reading this table as a buyer
Two things are worth noticing, and they apply to any feed brochure you are handed, not just ours.
Fibre is low across the growing range, between 3.4 and 3.8 percent. This is what a diet without heavy PKC or brewer’s grain inclusion looks like. Compare this against any competing brochure before you switch on price.
Fat is where Grade A and Grade B separate most visibly in the starter and grower phases: 6.0 versus 3.7 percent in starter, 5.9 versus 3.6 percent in grower. Fat is dense energy. That difference is the main reason Grade A carries higher ME, and it is the main reason Grade A pigs typically move faster. If growth rate is your constraint, this is where the money is best spent.
The Feeding Program Stage by Stage
| Stage | Weight range | Feed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-weaning | Birth to 8kg | Creep Feed | Introduce from around week 2 to familiarize piglets with solid feed before weaning |
| Weaner | 8 to 30kg | Starter Feed | The highest-risk phase in the whole cycle |
| Grower | 30 to 60kg | Grower Feed | Intake rises quickly; check feeder space |
| Finisher | 60kg to market | Finisher Feed | Largest total feed consumption of any phase |
| Breeding: gestation | Dry and pregnant sows | Gestating Feed | Controlled intake to avoid over-conditioning |
| Breeding: lactation | Farrowing to weaning | Lactating Feed | Maximize intake; sow milk output drives litter weaning weight |
Whole-cycle benchmarks for a well-run herd: market weight of 90 to 100kg in 150 to 180 days from birth, whole-cycle FCR of 2.8 to 3.2, post-weaning mortality below 5 percent. Many Nigerian herds take 8 to 10 months to the same weight at FCRs above 4.0. Closing that gap is rarely about exotic inputs. It is phase-appropriate nutrition, water, and consistent management.
Transition between phases gradually over 5 to 7 days, blending increasing proportions of the new feed. Abrupt changes cause digestive upset, scouring, and an intake dip that costs several days of gain.
Creep feeding is the highest-return intervention in the cycle. A piglet moves from highly digestible milk to solid feed while its enzyme profile and gastric acid production are still immature, under social and environmental stress at the same time. Familiarizing piglets with solid feed before weaning materially reduces the post-weaning growth check and lifts weaning weights. This is the single change we most often recommend to farms whose numbers are not where they want them.
Checkout our full product range here
What Feed Ingredients Actually Cost
Current indicative ingredient prices, so you can see what sits behind a bag of feed.
| Ingredient | Price / kg | Crude protein : ME |
|---|---|---|
| Maize | ₦450 | 9 : 3,434 |
| Sorghum (feed grade) | ₦350 | 9 : 3,200 |
| Soybean meal | ₦800 | 42 : 2,700 |
| Groundnut cake | Market rate | 45 : 2,640 |
| Fishmeal | ₦900 | 65 : 2,860 |
| Meat meal | ₦1,300 | 55 : 1,750 |
| Wheat offal | ₦500 | 17 : 1,870 |
| Rice bran | ₦350 | 15 : 2,800 |
| Palm kernel oil | ₦3,000 | Energy source |
| Lysine | ₦4,500 | Amino acid |
| Methionine | ₦6,800 | Amino acid |
| Threonine | ₦5,000 | Amino acid |
| Pig premix | ₦3,500 | Vitamins and minerals |
| Limestone | ₦120 | Calcium |
| Bone meal | ₦260 | Calcium and phosphorus |
| Salt | ₦300 | Electrolyte |
| Toxin binder | ₦5,000 | Mycotoxin control |
| Acidifier | ₦5,000 | Gut health |
| Probiotic | ₦8,500 | Gut health |
| Enzyme | ₦15,000 | Digestibility |
Notice the spread. Maize at ₦450 and soybean meal at ₦800 look like the whole story until you reach methionine at ₦6,800 and premix at ₦3,500. The micro-ingredients are a small share of the mix by weight and a disproportionate share of what makes the feed work.
Compound Feed Versus Mixing Your Own
Many Nigerian producers mix their own feed believing it is cheaper. Let us be straight about the arithmetic rather than hand-waving.
The raw ingredient cost of a grower-type diet, using the prices above at roughly 60 percent maize, 20 percent soybean meal and 13 percent wheat offal plus micro-ingredients, lands somewhere in the region of ₦530 to ₦560 per kg. Our Grower Grade A sells at ₦690 per kg.
So the on-paper gap is real, roughly ₦130 to ₦160 per kilogram. Anyone who tells you self-mixing is never cheaper is selling something.
What the gap has to cover:
- Milling and mixing cost, labour and power
- Mixing accuracy at premix inclusion rates below 1 percent
- Ingredient screening for aflatoxin, moisture and adulteration
- Buying scale, since a mill buying maize by the truckload buys better than a farm buying by the bag
- Formulation expertise to balance amino acids rather than copy a percentage recipe
- Batch-to-batch consistency, which is itself a performance factor because pigs respond badly to diet variation
- Shrinkage, wastage and storage losses
The honest conclusion. A large, well-capitalized operation with a nutritionist, laboratory access, a properly specified mixer and real buying scale can capture that margin and should. If you have all of those things, mix your own.
If you have some of them but not all, what usually happens is a diet that costs 20 percent less per kilogram and converts 15 to 25 percent worse, which is a losing trade that stays invisible until somebody calculates FCR.
The test that settles it on your farm: two matched groups, same genetics, same start weight, same housing, same management, different feed. Weigh in, weigh out, record feed consumed, calculate cost per kilogram of gain for both. Whichever wins, wins. No marketing claim from anyone, ours included, should override that result.
Management Factors That Cap Growth Regardless of Feed
You can buy the best feed in Nigeria and still get poor growth if these are wrong.
Heat stress. Feed intake falls as temperature rises above the pig’s comfort zone, and in Nigerian conditions this is a year-round constraint. Mitigate with ventilation, roof insulation, shade, wallows or sprinklers, adequate drinker capacity, and by shifting the main feeding into the cooler hours, early morning and evening.
Stocking density. Overcrowding reduces intake, increases aggression and tail biting, and raises disease pressure. Finishing pigs need roughly 0.7 to 1.0 square metres each depending on final weight.
Feeder space and adjustment. Badly adjusted feeders waste 5 to 15 percent of feed onto the floor. Check adjustment weekly and provide enough feeder space that subordinate pigs are not excluded.
Parasite control. Internal and external parasites divert nutrients and depress growth. Maintain a deworming schedule suited to your system.
Health and biosecurity. African swine fever remains a standing threat to Nigerian herds, and biosecurity is the only real defence. Vaccination and health management protect the growth you are paying for.
Genetics. Improved genetics convert feed better and deposit more lean. Feeding a high-specification diet to poor genetics produces an expensive fat pig. Genetics and nutrition have to be matched.
Weighing. You cannot manage what you do not measure. Weigh a representative sample regularly, not only at sale.
Twelve Mistakes That Slow Pig Growth
- Feeding one general-purpose diet from weaning to market
- Buying on price per bag instead of cost per kilogram of gain
- Ignoring water flow rate and drinker numbers
- Accepting feed diluted with heavy PKC or brewer’s grain inclusion
- Skipping creep feed and taking the full post-weaning growth check
- Abrupt feed transitions between phases
- Storing feed badly, allowing mould growth and vitamin degradation
- Overcrowding pens
- Over-filling troughs, which encourages selective feeding and waste
- Never calculating FCR
- Switching feed brands constantly, so no result can be attributed to anything
- Treating every growth problem as a feed problem when it is a water, heat, or health problem
What Faster Growth Is Actually Worth
Run this on your own herd. Figures below use our Grower and Finisher Grade A pricing at a blended ₦660 per kg.
Scenario: 100 pigs grown from 30kg to 100kg. Total gain required: 7,000kg.
| Current program | Improved program | |
|---|---|---|
| FCR | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| Feed required | 23,800 kg | 21,000 kg |
| Feed cost at ₦660/kg | ₦15,708,000 | ₦13,860,000 |
| Cost per kg of gain | ₦2,244 | ₦1,980 |
| Feed saving | ₦1,848,000 | |
| ADG | 600g | 750g |
| Days on feed | 117 | 93 |
| Days saved | 24 per batch |
₦1.85 million saved on a single batch of 100 pigs, and 24 days of pen time released on top. The days compound separately: faster throughput means more batches per year through the same buildings, raising annual output without any capital spend.
Feed cost per pig across that 30 to 100kg window works out at roughly ₦140,000 to ₦157,000 depending on conversion. That figure alone is worth knowing before you set a selling price.
Where to Buy Rhosey Pig Feed in Nigeria
Head Office, Abeokuta Adjacent Peakolam, Camp, Off Alabata Road, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Adeyemi Oluwaseyi, 08138311211 (call or WhatsApp) Same-day delivery available within Abeokuta.
You can also checkout Our distributor network- Distributors
| Location | Distributor | Address | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lagos | Mr. Miles Moses | Oluwaga Bus Stop, Ipaja, Ayobo Road | 08101598237 |
| Ibadan, Oyo | Mayster Farms | The Complex inside Former Lagos Garage, beside Ladegboa Filling Station, Ojoo | 09121680220 |
| Ijebu Ode, Ogun | Mr. Olatunji Victor (ABTOS) | Ijari, behind Ijari Mosque | 07032927620 |
| Ifo, Ogun | Mr. Falabi Abiodun | Fabma Farm, Lagos-Abeokuta Express Road, Iyana Ilogbo Bus Stop | 08033088695 |
| Osun | Mr. Hassan Inioluwa | Okuku Town | 07017444855 |
| Akure, Ondo | Mrs. Taiye Afilaka | Ondo Road | 08163000000 |
| Warri, Delta | Ocheseasa Agro (Madam Antonia) | Off Okorodudu, opposite Amazing Grace Redeem Church, Enerhen | 09024431370 |
Logistics uplift by location: Ifo ₦0. Ijebu Ode up to ₦250. Ibadan up to ₦750. Osun up to ₦1,500. Akure up to ₦2,000. Delta up to ₦2,500. Several distributors offer commission or subsidized logistics on bulk purchases, so it is worth asking.
Not near a distributor? Order direct from the Abeokuta head office on 08138311211 and we will arrange delivery based on order size and distance.
Bulk and commercial pricing is available for larger farms. Call 08138311211 for a quote.
Free Feeding Program Advice
Every farm is different. Age, breed, health status, housing, production goals and local conditions all change which program will give you the best result.
Tell us your herd size, current feed, and where your numbers are now, and we will recommend a specific program at no charge. If you do not currently know your feed conversion ratio, start there, and we will help you benchmark it.
Call or WhatsApp 08138311211.
Become a Rhosey Feeds Distributor
Pig feed is underserved in most Nigerian feed distribution networks. Poultry dominates shelf space, while pig producers, who buy in larger per-animal volumes continuously across a 150 to 180 day cycle, are often left sourcing inconsistently.
For agro-dealers that is an opportunity:
- Predictable repeat volume. A pig consumes roughly 200 to 240kg of feed from weaning to market. A modest commercial unit is a standing order.
- Low seasonality compared with crop inputs.
- Sticky customers. Producers who find a feed that performs do not switch casually, because switching resets their performance baseline.
- Multi-product basket. Stocking the full phase range means one customer buys four or five products from you rather than one, and most pig farmers also keep poultry.
We offer registered distributors and agro-dealers special pricing, territory arrangements, reliable supply scheduling, and technical support you can put in front of your farming customers.
Distributor enquiries: 08138311211 or rhoseyfeedslimited@gmail.com
Common Questions
What is the best feed for fast pig weight gain? A phase-appropriate compound feed with adequate energy density, low fibre, and correctly balanced amino acids, particularly lysine. No single feed is optimal across all growth stages, which is why a phase program of creep, starter, grower and finisher outperforms feeding one general-purpose diet throughout.
How long does it take to raise a pig to 100kg in Nigeria? A well-managed herd on a proper phase feeding program reaches 90 to 100kg in 150 to 180 days from birth. Many Nigerian herds take 8 to 10 months, and the gap is usually nutrition, water and management rather than genetics.
How much feed does a pig eat from weaning to market? Roughly 200 to 240kg from weaning to 100kg depending on conversion efficiency, or around 275kg including the starter phase.
What is a good feed conversion ratio for pigs? A whole-cycle FCR of 2.8 to 3.2 is a solid commercial target. Finishing pigs run higher than weaners because maintenance requirement rises with body weight.
How much does pig feed cost in Nigeria? Rhosey pig feeds range from ₦15,000 to ₦19,000 per 25kg bag depending on stage and grade, which is ₦600 to ₦760 per kilogram. Creep feed is the most expensive per bag and the cheapest per pig, because piglets eat very little of it.
Is higher crude protein always better for pig growth? No. Crude protein measures nitrogen, not usable amino acids. A well-balanced diet will outperform a badly balanced one carrying a higher CP figure. Excess protein is excreted, wasting money and generating metabolic heat that is unwelcome in a hot climate.
What is the difference between Grade A and Grade B feed? Grade A carries a higher specification, principally in animal protein sources and fat inclusion, which lifts metabolizable energy. Grade A creep feed uses three major animal protein sources against two in Grade B. If growth rate is your binding constraint, Grade A generally returns the difference.
Can I mix my own pig feed instead of buying compound feed? You can, and a large operation with a nutritionist, laboratory access, proper mixing equipment and buying scale may do it economically. Raw ingredients for a grower-type diet cost roughly ₦530 to ₦560 per kg against our ₦690. That gap has to cover milling, mixing accuracy, aflatoxin screening, formulation expertise and batch consistency. Run a controlled comparison and judge on cost per kilogram of gain.
Does palm kernel cake slow pig growth? At high inclusion in growing and finishing diets, yes. PKC carries around 2,175 kcal/kg against maize at roughly 3,434, so heavy inclusion dilutes energy density and caps growth rate. It is better suited to gestating sow diets where controlled intake is desirable.
Why are my pigs not gaining weight on good feed? Check water flow and drinker numbers first, then temperature and ventilation, then stocking density, then parasite and health status, then feeder adjustment and waste. Growth problems are blamed on feed far more often than feed is actually the cause.
How should I store pig feed? Off the floor on pallets, away from walls, in a dry ventilated store, rotated first-in-first-out. Feed absorbs moisture in humid conditions, which promotes mould and degrades vitamins. Buy to a schedule matched to consumption rather than stockpiling.
Do you deliver, and do you offer bulk discounts? Same-day delivery is available in Abeokuta, and we deliver to other locations by arrangement. We have distributors in Lagos, Ibadan, Ijebu Ode, Ifo, Osun, Akure and Warri. Bulk and commercial pricing is available. Call 08138311211.
Talk to Rhosey Feeds
If you run a commercial herd and you do not currently know your feed conversion ratio, that is where to start. We will help you benchmark it, then show you what a properly structured phase program does to it.
Rhosey Feeds Ltd Adjacent Peakolam, Camp, Off Alabata Road, Abeokuta, Ogun State Call or WhatsApp: 08138311211 Email: rhoseyfeedslimited@gmail.com
Send us your herd size, current program and performance figures, and we will come back with a feeding recommendation and a quote.
Performance benchmarks in this article reflect commercial swine production targets and are provided as general guidance. Results depend on genetics, housing, climate, health status and management. Feed prices are current as at July 2026 and are subject to ingredient market movement.