A New Predator....PIGS!!!!

[justusnak]

Well......with all the precautions I have been taking....I guess it was not enough. Today...the pigs were able to get the little BR. I didnt hear the commotion at all. I went out at 5:30pm, and my 3 little BR ladies greeted me looking for treats. I checked waters....feed...and went back in the house to finish my blackberry jelly. Went back out at 7pm, to gather the last of the eggs...and walking by the hog pen...I noticed they were eating something....on closer inspection...I noticed they each had a chicken leg. un I did a quick head count, only to NOT find one of my ladies....the BR.

STUPID PIGS!!!!!!!!!

I guess tomorrow, I will go out and buy MORE chicken wire, to completely cover the hog pen....so NO chickens can get thier head in. I swear...I have watched these pigs "bait" the chickens. They will get a mouthfull of feed...and walk to the fence...spitting it out...so the hens try to reach in and grab the feed...and the hogs snap at them!!

I cant waite to get these pigs butchered!!!!

RIP my sweet little one....I will miss you....and your sweet chattering.

 

[Jennyhaschicks]

Oh no. I am sorry. I just posted about my pigs almost getting a few of my chickens this past weekend. I guess we should get some wire and cover our pig run too.
Pigs are what they are. PIGS!

 

[justusnak]

Definately have to " chicken proof" the hog pen. UGH!! I will be putting chicken wire around the pen, over the 1x3 fencing....and I guess chicken wire OVER it as well. Jeesh, what a pain! DH will NOT be happy with this new job! LOL

 

[sara]

I feel your pain, my dumb pigs got one of my chicks who escaped the pen. I've just had a bad chicken week, so it was really hard to take. Soon I'll have a new grow out coop, so hopefully these kind of things wont happen.

 

[ams3651]

wow this is suprising to me. my dad has raised 100's of pigs when i was a kid, they are very curious but never had a mean one. We always carried a board or bat in case they tried to mob you but not mean. We also had maybe 100 in each pen. Wonder if its in the breed that some are meaner than others? At least now others can learn from this. Hope you can solve the problem...and I hope that pig tastes good.

 

[sara]

Mine aren't mean, they will just eat anything in sight. I just keep reminding myself how yummy they will be

 

[fivebigreds]

Hogs are very much meat eaters . We had a goat to get hung in the wire of the hog pen once and before i could get to the wire cutters and get it loose they had killed and was eating it. i lost allot of grown ducks to pigs and chickens . A hog will kill and eat anything it can over power, a sow will turn around and eat her pigs as she gives birth to them sometimes.

 

[WVDan]

That's serves as a reminder for me. I recall having seen hogs devour an unsuspecting chicken that happened to get into their pen. It's an rarity, but when a hog (or hogs) get the bloodlust, they can be frightening. I would keep my chickens away from the brutes. And then again, you should see what my former flock of chickens did to a rat that tried to cross their outdoor pen...flattened it like a frisbee. So I guess every creature is both predator and prey at some point.

 

[Hotwings]

I really think pigs are getting a bad rep here. I have known chickens to live with pigs and nothing bad happened. My friend Denise made it a point never to feed her market hogs any meat at all. Her pigs were well fed and had access to the outdoors. My dog is absolutely crazy over baby pigs and I have had him in a pen with some. He was never allowed to be in with the sow though. The pigs I knew were Denises and these pigs were used to humans. I myself like pigs and think they are pretty smart.

 

[redhen]

i just have to say that..i have a pot belly pig..and i let him in my yard with the ducks and chickens..and he has no interest in them at all..,except thier food..and if he found an egg i know that he would eat it...but he has not shown any interest at all in them...and if he was going to attack them..he definatley would have right away...so i really believe there is a differance in more wild type farm hogs and even some more wild pot belly pigs...but my pig is an inside pig..family tame..and i really think that is the BIG differance in why some pigs will attack chickens for food or dominance....with pigs YOU have to be the dominant pig....in everything, EVERY area..(or they will consantanly challange and attack things)..even in thier pen area...they get VERY protective of their area..and will attack anything they think they can handle..if it gets near the pen...maybe thats why they attacked the chicken?(it got to close to thier pen area)....but since they are just feed hogs it is a bit of a differant situation...unless they come after you..which they will eventually..so get cooking!!

...good luck....poor chickens!..

....Wendy