# can pigs and chickens share a space?



## miss mo

I have gotten conflicting answers, will my 2 feeder pigs and chickens be able to share an area?  Do they need to be separated, will the pigs kill the chickens?  Thanks, I am new to pigs and chickens but love this site and BYC--a wealth of information.  Thanks in advance.


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## ohiofarmgirl

welcome!!!

generally the answer is no. 

our pigs shared the extreme lower hen yard and a few of my saucy buckeyes would get in their pen...and there were some wild chases (run hen run!!!).  our pigs never got any of our hens but it wasnt for lack of trying.

here's what happens:  eventually the pigs will figure out the chickens are yummy....and yep they can kill them. the hens will be drawn to the feed and think its the best thing going... until one of the pigs grabs them. this wont happen until the pigs get a bit older and by then the hens (and maybe you) wont think it will happen. 

also - pigs will do just about anything to get to feed including what the hens are eating. unless you have electric fencing they can pretty much break out of any kind of fence. we were careful about where we fed the hens - so the pigs wouldnt think it was ringing the chow bell for them also. 

good luck!


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## miss mo

Thanks, this is what we were thinking.  Just hoping to keep the pigs out of the main barn.


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## ohiofarmgirl

depending on where you live.. if you are mostly past the cold season, pigs dont need much in the way of shelter. they need shade to be sure and somewhere to make a wallow.

i tell people to put their pigs as far away as possible, they really are stinky and when the wind shifts... whoohoo thats a powerful stench. we usually end up using 2 or 3 long hoses... they are that far from the house. 

i hillbillied together a 3 sided shelter from pallets and its worked to keep them dry. you can also check out bruntyfarms post on pigs over on byc in the meat chicken section. he did a great job of putting together a shelter that kept them safe for this winter. 

my buddy runs his pigs out in the pasture. with electric fence of course.  this last summer we put ours in a huge patch of poison ivy (no it doesnt hurt them) and they destroyed most of it! yay pigs!


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## stanley

I keep 9 sows and a boar, my chickens have the run of the pasture with them. I only had one sow which I bought as a replacement along with her two sisters who chased/ate the chickens. She is now sausage to go with my eggs. Her sisters never did eat the chickens


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## HartRice

My children have raised hogs for the fair the last four years. We actually use the hog panels for fencing and I have muscovy ducks and chickens that have alwasy been able to somehow get in with the pigs no and then. We have never had a problem with the pigs going after the birds but maybe we have been lucky. Hope it works out for you.


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