Will Pigs Eat Chickens?

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chicken mama 0908 said:
I want to let my chickens have access to the pigpen so they can have more room. Will a pig eat the chickens? We do not have the pigs yet, but I want the chickens to have access to the area the pigs will use and am wondering if I can safely let the hens into the pigpen after it is occupied by pigs.
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No the pigs themselves will not eat the chickens. I think that would be okay to let them roam in the pig pen!
 
chickens105 said:
No the pigs themselves will not eat the chickens. I think that would be okay to let them roam in the pig pen!
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Great! I don't want to house them with the pigs, I just want to let them enjoy the extra space during the day.
 
I respectfully disagree. Pigs will eat anything they can catch. They're a big part of the reason that wild turkeys and whitetail deer populations are being affected in areas where wild pigs are naturalizing- they eat the eggs, hens on nests, fawns and any young deer they can catch. I worked on a farm when I was a teenager where they had a hog pen and the hogs would catch and eat barn cats. If given the opportunity, they will eat chickens, too.
 
Well, my coop has a very safe yard. The pig pen is going to be next to the chicken yard. I was going to cut a closable chicken door in the wall between so the chickens could go into the pig pen if they wanted, but the pigs wouldn't be able to get into the chicken coop, or yard.
 
chicken mama 0908 said:
Will a pig eat the chickens?
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Yes and no..

They (some) will if they get the chance.. at least mess a chicken up if not consume it. Eating certain things.. is partly at least a learned behavior, so it won;t be a problem until it is.. I've not had a chicken eaten yet (a lethargic one with limited mobility was brutalized before I got to it).. but as stated in post 5 pigs like eating.. period.. and they can be quite brutal.

My two (pet) pigs have very different attitudes towards different animals (and people).. and see the chickens as direct competition for feed and affection.. anyone caught off guard may get hurt or worse...

My piggy pasture is big enough (half acre)..

Also.. depending on the size of "pen", pigs are quite destructive and there won't be anything for the chickens to "forage".. Several known internal parasites will pass between species, possibly compounding any flock/herd issues.

Basically not really recommended (depending on goals, set up, risk tolerance).. How much space do your chickens currently have and how many of them? How big will your pig pen be.. how many will be using the space?

You already sound determined though.. and your mileage WILL vary! Best wishes for wise choices! :fl
 
A friend of mine lives on Maui and she lets her pigs out in her backyard (in a fenced in area). They don’t care in the slightest about the wild chickens, only when they are stealing the pig’s food. However the pigs were raised around chickens their whole life, although it depends a lot on the pig’s temperament.
 
The pigs will be out of their yard most of the day eating blackberries, which we have an infestation of. I was planning to shut the chickens out of the pig pen at night. I have twenty-one chickens and a large yard for them. I just think they would enjoy the extra space.:love
 

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