If i get a pig will it eat me?

[Calliopia]

The reason we do pot belly pigs for meat is I have a fighting chance against the pot belly if something goes wrong. Not so my dad's 250-300lb horkers. I stay away from those puppies. Yes, they're a heritage breed, yes, they're cool, yes, he's doing a service to the planet by keeping and breeding them.... not me man.



If you want to keep pigs go with some thing small. You can still get meat off of a pot belly or a guinea hog. It's not as much and it's not as efficient but I've found it to be a lot less dangerous.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I have a different view than most people. I really like pigs, and I think they'd make fine pets IF you raise them right. They ARE smart, smarter than an average border collie (which are smart dogs). Pigs can easily be trained. If you want a pet, I'd recommend getting a piglet and start training it young, just like you'd do with your dog. Pigs are very curious (because again, they're smart) and they use their mouth just like a puppy would use its mouth to explore things.

I worked with pigs in college and never had an incident, not saying that it can't happen, but pigs arent' all mean vicious animals. We used to raise ~10-12 feeder pigs (around 40 lbs) twice a year to market weight and I'd frequently go in the pen with them and hang out. We've got pictures of me and a friend in their laying with them while they're napping.

I worked several years at the birthing center of our state fair, and we'd get sows in that we didn't know and didn't know us. They were all nice gals and we never had any issues, though we did know to watch out because a sow that's about to deliver (or a sow that has piglets) can be VERY protective.

I guess I like them so much because one of my favorite professors was the pig king, I'm telling ya the man knew everything there was to know about pigs. He used to have to do studies on them and he'd have to draw blood from the pigs fairly frequently. He trained his pigs to stand to get blood drawn and in return they'd get a drink of grape soda.

So, IMO, pigs are wonderful IF they are trained to act like nice pigs. You can't expect an adult pig to be nice if it's not been raised as a pet.

And, yes pigs can be dangerous, especially in groups. When I was in 4-H, one of the boys in my 4-H club had to fight off his group of hogs when his grandfather had a heart attack and hit his head when he fell down. So, they definitely can be dangerous, but they're not savage monsters.

 

[patandchickens]

Oh for sure they are omnivores, meaning they will happily kill and eat critters they are able to catch. They do on rare occasion kill people who fall into their enclosure, and have certainly been used for disposal of dead bodies (a particularly disturbing recent example being the hog farmer out in B.C. who killed like 40 or so women and disposed of the bodies by this method)

But I do not know as that makes pigs especially more dangerous than, say, an aggressive bull or ram -- who may not want to *eat* you after they've broken your back and poked holes in you and trampled you to death, but by that point it is not going to matter to you a whole lot what their dinner plans are.

Basically if you keep YOU (and the kids) out of the pig pen, and the pigs IN the pig pen, nothing is going to happen to you

Pat

 

[jhm47]

As many of you can tell, I've been an EMT for 22 years now. I've seen quite a few things here in our rural area. This has made me very safety conscious, and I don't hesitate to tell people to dehorn their cattle/goats/sheep. I'm also very adamant about people who have little or no experience with various farm animals to be VERY careful with them.

IMHO, the OP is clueless about pigs. She likely has no safe place to keep them, has no idea about the proper care of one, and is better off without them.

I grew up raising almost every farm animal there is, with the exception of goats, and have been injured myself many times when I was careless and let my guard down for an instant. In fact, I'm just now recovering from an incident where one of my very tame cows rammed me into the side of my trailer and injured my wrist quite badly. This happened in a split second, and the cow was not trying to hurt me, but she was so much bigger and stronger than I am------well you get the idea!

So---for those of you who are considering getting pigs, cows, sheep, whatever, be careful. Do everything possible to ensure your safety and the safety of your loved ones. And, good luck!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

But I do not know as that makes pigs especially more dangerous than

most herd animals (which are most farm animals) are at some level afraid of people. sure intact male animals may not be - especially in rut. but most farm/prey animals have more flight than fight.

but as far as i can tell, pigs ARENT afraid of people like a goat or a sheep. like aggieterpkatie said, they are curious which gives them a certain fortitude that other farm animals dont have.

and they are very very very strong. i think chunkydunk was the one who said a hog can move 3x's its body weight without even trying.

thats why they are more dangerous - especially for folks who dont have a lot of experience. and it isnt as easy as "get good fencing." Freemotion, Bourbon Red, and we had a terrible time keeping our pigs in the fence this summer and we arent newbies.

Ninny, i hope you know that we arent picking on you. at lot of folks have a disney view of farm animals and sometimes it just isnt the same as being with them every day. i'm sure you'll do whats right for your family - and will take our input to heart.

 

[freemotion]

Especially since you have children. I don't let kids near my pigs. The risk is just too great, and pigs can go from snuggly to mistaking a finger for a fat, juicy grub in a heartbeat.

I'm not saying don't get pigs. I have them and will again. I'm saying don't put anyone at risk, and build a stinkin' fortress for a pen that includes strong fencing AND electric.

Another thing with pigs is their low profile. They see us from the knee down, and those two little sticks with shoes aren't that intimidating. They can also tip us over quite easily, since we are top-heavy. Imagine a linebacker diving for your shins.

 

[Ninny]

ohiofarmgirl
i know your not picking on me. You guys just gave me more amio agasint the DH and his i want a pig. Ill be sticking with my goats.

 

[freemotion]

Goats are naughty enough! I love my goaties!

 

[limette]

I have my first pig and although I don't think she'll eat me, I am on guard around her. She is only 10 weeks and is very strong and heavy. I go in to her paddock but don't let the kids in because she'd knock them right over.

She is extremely friendly, always running up to the gate when anyone is in visual range. She loves to be scratched and will squeal until you give in. I love having a pig around and will be getting 2 more in the spring.

 

[Theo]

During the summers I was in college, I worked for my grandparents on their farm in Iowa. They raised cattle and corn, but once in a while grandpa would raise some pigs. My grandmother hated it, because it was hard work and dangerous.

Hard work, because the pigs were constantly chewing through the wire, metal and boards of their enclosure. Dangerous, because grandpa would have to climb into the pen to fix it. He never took his eyes off the pigs. He never let me in the pen except once. A pig sniffed my booted toe, then bit it. Took me one second to fly over that fence, and grandpa never let me go back in to help him.

Pigs are not pets. Their behavior is unpredictable. Yes, they are as smart or smarter than dogs, but unlike dogs they were not bred to be companions to humans.

In my opinion, f you don't have experience raising large livestock, do not start with a pig.