If i get a pig will it eat me?

[theawesomefowl]

I still like pigs! And not just for the bacon! You aren't changing my mind!!
Even if they eat you, pigs also eat all of your kitchen scraps and turn it into bacon.

 

[carolinagirl]

I like them too....I just don't trust them. They are fantastic at disposing of garden excess as well as kitchen scraps and converting it into meat. And they are pretty cute too, at least for a while.

 

[foxywench]

ive been around a small number of pigs in my life...and honestly theres only 1 breed i could ever imagine trusting myself to own and thats the GOS.

i was raised with potbellies and GOS as well as a number of mixed meaties...
the mixed meaties i wouldnt even trust them as far as i coudl throw them...they seemed to be ok some times but other times just not nice.

the vpb, well they were funny "little" pigs (i personally dont belive in the teacup fads...im involved with dogs and i knwo what goes into making "teacup" anything...not safe, not healthy, and most grow just as big as thier "normal" sized bretherin...
the vpbs were generally "nicer' than the meaties but i still never trusted them enough to be in there alone with any of them, even when bottle fed. they were smart, most of them knew many tricks and even enjoyed human company...but i always said they had PMS, even the sweetest one would just have days where they wanted to bite your head off for no aparent reason.

the Old spots however, i dont know if it was just a case of good pigs, good well rounded raising, (both parent and bottle raised) but they never seemed to have a "bad day" they loved belly rubs and unlike other pigs id been around they actually seemed to ENJOY human company...these are not LITTLE pigs by any definition of the word, but they seemed to think they were. they were just like the vpbs, eager to learn tricks, and very inteligent, LOVED belly rubs ect.
again, dont know if it was the breed, the way they were raised or just good luck, and i wouldnt hav etrusted them with kids or "small" people simply because they were BIG piggies, but, of the breeds ive been aorund there the only breed id personally want on my farm...(plus they make VERY good back bacon and typically arnt as hard on the land lol)

honestly though, with you being "unsure" id deifnatly not suggest getting ANY pig...these are inteligent animals with strong instincts and WILL take advantae of situations if they think they can...and with someone they KNOW is afraid of them...well youd be trampled in no time...

 

[Drk_wlf]

My friend who is a veterinarian and has loads of info on everything animal related says there are stories of pigs eating the dead off battle fields during the civil war. I have 2 pigs, one who is over 500lbs, she can get pushing and mouthy at times when I go to feed her but she has never taken a chunk out of me. She was raised as a pet inside until she got to big and the family that had her gave her to us to use for breeding.

My boar is about 8mths old and we've had him sense he was a piglet. He is very playful and tends to throw his body around so I trained him to back up and wait until I put his food down.

I am also super careful not to give the pigs anything with meat in it. I was told that if they get a taste for meat that is when they start to get super aggressive.

Pigs are big animals and it is their size that makes them so dangerous, but I find their moods and behavior easier to read then my ram. I know when one of my pigs are in a mood and I need to not dally with feeding them, my ram will be happy one moment and the next he will be charging and I will be throwing myself over the fencing to get out of the pasture.

I love my pigs but they are definitely not pets and I have a healthy respect for what they are capable of, but I also have a healthy respect for the fact my dog could rip off my face if he so choose as well.

 

[theawesomefowl]

I LOVE GOS pigs! I'd love to get a GOS sow named...Primrose.

 

[horseymama2]

I haven't had pigs since I was a kid on the farm, but my DH and I are talking about it( that's why I'm browsing this topic). We don't have the fencing necessary yet. I always liked the pigs when I was a kid. I was only bitten by one once.... I was hand feeding an escaped sow trying to coax her back to her pen... She didn't mean to get me, their mouths are not shaped well for eating from you hand. We would bring baby pigs in the house and raise with a bottle when they would develop scours (diareah), and we really enjoyed them every time. The family favorite over the years was 'Sissy Pig' she was the runt of the litter and took longer to recover than most. She thought she was a member of the family, she would run to meet us in the driveway when she heard the school bus every day. She would come when called like a dog, and she loved to have her belly scratched! She would turn her tummy side ways until both feet on one side left the ground, then fall over grunting the whole time in sheer joy. Pigs are fun and interesting creatures. God help you if they get loose and don't want to get back in their pen, they have an advantage and are made to use their whole body for leverage. Sows can be very protective mothers, and demand careful handling and respect, but in all the years we raised pigs I was never frightened of them. For some one new to pigs I would get a weanling or two of a smaller breed to raise, this gives you a chance to get comfortable with them before they get to big. I am also planning to train mine to load while they are small so it will be easier to haul them to slaughter when the time comes.

 

[shawn MN]

THEY R NOT GOING TO EAT YOU!!!! They might nibble on your pants leg once or twice just to see what it is until they get to know you. Now if it was a big starving boar in the wild I wouldn't think twice of getting the heck away from it. He might not eat you but he would tear the heck out of your leg! Pigs are very friendly. Even pigs who live on huge hog farms. It's not unherd of ( more back in the day then now) that if you fell in the pig pen they would start biting you. But not so much now.

 

[Hillsvale]

I am also planning to train mine to load while they are small so it will be easier to haul them to slaughter when the time comes.

Ya, right....

We have a sow and a boar raised from babies (they are both just a year).... she let us sit in with her with her litter 10 weeks ago, we have caught her babies for castrate or sell... did she get a bit upset, of course she did... her babies was squeeling like the exorcist but she was quick to calm down. How would you feel if someone picked up you infant by the leg?

Our boar... we weighed him the other day is 550 pounds of snorting slime.... he is seperate from the sow while she has her babies and when you go into his pen if he can't see you (in his hut or off in the woods) he will come roaring through the woods and screach to a halt when he sees its you, god help a stranger I think. He can get agressive when he's randy but a smack in back of the ear works wonders... sometimes a push.

Pigs necks and snouts are extremely strong, they can pick a grown man up off their feet.... that being said,

Valuable tip #1 - don't turn your back to a pig when you are between it and the feed trough... you will be sitting on their back because they take the most direct route to the food.

Love my pigs... but they are NOT pets.

 

[animalfarm]

Although I hate the electric rope fencing, it decays too fast, I use one strand in the pig training area. It is very visible and they learn to associate it with getting zapped. I then tie a piece to a short stick and stick it in the back of my waste band behind me when carrying the pigs their food. They stay clear and respect my space without me ever having to do a thing. Because they have learned patience when following a bucket of food, I can lead them any and everywhere I want at feeding time and if I call pig, pig, pig they come running. They only hear that if there is food.

 

[CESpeed]

I agree that any animal will behave the way it is treated. I have great respect for animals and I have never had a serious incident. I am glad I came across this thread; it is very educational.

I was thinking of getting a bred sow but after reading this, I think I'd be better off with a baby so I make sure it's loved on from day one and less likely to be mean. This way, I'll know how it was raised.

The million dollar ?????: What is the youngest I could buy a pig without having to bottle feed it? Or would bottle feeding make it mroe connected to me and less likely to turn?