How about this? Pigs?

[scbatz33]

I do believe it was the pig who said "All animals are created equal. Some are more equal than others."

Orwellian connections aside, pigs can be very very dangerous. We lived on a farm in FL that had a herd of wild boars. They would eat anything and everything. They would attack if you weren't careful. I have heard stories of them eating small animals and attacking people.

 

[redhen]

Pigs WILL protect other members of their herd that they live with...
I know that my pigs came after me when they thought i was hurting their buddy, Olivia. (i was only giving her eye medicine but she was being a drama queen...

..)
They both came charging at me very agressivly... and Hammie tried to swipe me with his tusk... (he learned a little lesson that day...

...)
So yes..they will protect the animals that they LIVE with...

 

[Horsea]

Quote:
Well, guess what. Our close-by, next-door neighbour got a bunch of wild pigs! If they should escape this way, I don't know what the hell I am going to do! Run for the house, I guess! We don't have a gun, as they are discouraged in Canada (you really have to undergo thorough investigation before they let you have one; there's licensing, registration, police research into your character, lots of expense involved, blah blah blah. Boy, if they only knew that when I was a kid my dad let us play with guns!)

For critters that will "eat anything", I'll go for a goat!

 

[KaityKatt26]

I have never owned a pig but do have 3 goats. I have a picture of my Nubian X laying down in the little shelter with the chickens roosting on top of him! My cats are always in the goat field hanging out looking for critters and the goats never bother them. The oldest Nubian X is not neutered yet, and so he can be quite fiesty! He weighs close to 200lbs and I am the only who will deal with him, and he has 80 pounds on me so I use a dog pinch collar on him. He did once trample my mom's bf. He is okay, no injuries, but again no one will deal with him except for me. The other 2 boys were banded when we got them at a week old and we bottle fed them. They are like dogs and will do anything for attention and a good rub between the horns! We have not really had a problem with them other than my Apline getting frustrated by little kids and throwing his head back. I had a good bruise from him for about 2 weeks. They are not guard animals in the least. We have much bigger animals that can easily take them down if they got over the 6ft fence. The best defense against any predator is a good fence and a good coop.

 

[chkn]

My dad said in the old days they used pigs to "clear out the swamps."

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

If you take a body of any kind lets say a Deer carcass and stick it in a hog pen with lots of hogs they will eat every last thing but the skull and I hear if thats broken up they will eat it also. I would vote out pigs. Donkeys kick and trample dogs, and cats. they go into a blind rage and just trample them to death. Will the donkey protect your flock? No Idea will the donkey Keep wild dogs and cats out? sure will. to protect my flock I use aussie shepards, How ever there not even 100% safe when We were training our duck and turkey herd dog He was such an over achiever He always wanted to work with or without us. thus being said he Herded some baby ducks and chicks into the wall then suffocated them when he couldnt figure out why they wouldnt go forward anymore. My best advice is get a good working or herding dog like collie, pyronese, shepard, ect. raise it from a pup with your chicks. they will be the best guard of your flock. imo

 

[andythescot]

It's little known fact that pigs kill more people each year than sharks... Freaky, I know.

 

[Debbi]

I used to work with a friend who had a 200 ewe flock of sheep. Come lambing season, coyotes and pigs were the first ones on the scene to snatch the babies. We saw pigs attack the coyotes to get to the lambs first! These were domestic pigs left to free range on the farm. Only cure was to put all the sheep up in the barn lot just prior to lambing, and put the sheep guard dog in with them (Komondor). The other guard dogs (Pyranees and a Komondor cross) stayed outside the perimeter to keep the predators back from the immediate area. Pigs can be savage, and from a distance, before we could get to the ewe giving birth, these pigs would rip the newborn from the mother, then attack the mother as well. Once something is down, especially if there is any blood involved, the dinner alarm goes off for them. I had saved a sow from this farm that the farmer was going to let die, as she had "swine arthritis". She was pregnant, so asked him if I coud take her home. Yes, but she will die. Well, I doctored her with erisypilis (sp?) vaccine, antibiotics, and made her get up and eat/drink every day. She got stronger by the day, and hated to see me come, cause she knew I was going to make her move. One day, she knocked me down, and had me pinned in a corner of the stall, and proceded to ram me with her snout and take nips as she did. this was a 400+ lb. sow. No doubt in my mind, if my Australian Shepherd had not been there, I would be no more! That little dog jumped into the stall, and latched onto the sow's nose and would not let go!! I got up and out of the stall, the dog let loose, and the sow backed down. She had a litter of 6 healthy piglets, and they were all sold. RIP old Blue, that old gal saved my life that day! She lived to an old age of 10, would've lived longer if she hadn't "caught" that truck! The next two pigs I raised from babies, were extremely smart. Always trying to get out of their pen. Cattle panels wouldn't even hold thm in, they'd lift them with their noses!. So, I strung an electric wire on the inside of the pen to keep them from doing that. Within a week, they had figured out, if they would pile up dirt and debris from the inside of the pen onto the wire, it would short out! Smart and crafty, and a few months after that, very tasty!

 

[koop]

One poster earlier on mentioned that pigs give chickens diseases that transfer to people, its the other way around, chickens can transfer diseases to pigs that transfer to people.

I had a pig once, I caught it outside at a barn I worked at, I had to kick its legs out from under it as it was running around a corner, they are that fast even as piglets. Anyway he was the best pork chops I have ever had, way better then any chicken, so yes there is a really good reason to have a pig

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
*redhens taking notes... dispose of personal property OFF of my property...*

That sounds like an episode of criminal minds from a couple years back.
Scarily it was based on the true story of a Pig Farming serial killer in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. He was killing street people from Vancouver.

Imp

Sex workers actually.... he just aqpplied to overturn his conviction... the courts said "piss off"

Disturbing!