Pigs and chickens

[Otis7]

I read a comment or two about people's pigs killing chickens, which wasn't something I thought I had to be concerned about. Obviously all animals are individuals (and anything with teeth can bite), but I was curious of individual people's experience with the two animals. Out chickens free range when we are home, and are shuffled back to their coup when we leave the house. We only have five, and are very attached to all of them. Wed like a pig, but I'd like to know about the frequency of altercations.

 

[elevan]

We've had 3 pigs. 1 attacked and badly injured one of our horses. Our chickens (and cats) frequently get into the remaining pig's pen and eat with her without incident.

As you've stated, all animals are individuals. Whether you have a problem or not will be greatly dictated by your pig's personality.

 

[bj taylor]

eleven, can you expound on that one pig that attacked your horse? what would possible provoke a pig to do such a thing? I so want to have two pigs in my fenced 3 1/2 acres w/the goats & chickens & cats. I don't understand pig mentality well enough to know how to create a place where everyone is ok.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've had pigs, chickens, goats, and mini-horses together. Before we butchered the last pigs the chickens would go in and out of the pig pen at will. The only problem we had was with a rooster who got stuck in their muddy wallow. While he was stuck one pig went after him, and without doubt, if I hadn't been there to rescue him, he would have been pig food. Our pigs never chased down a chicken to kill it, but they were not above going after an incapacitated one.

Occasionally, I would let the pigs out of the pen to roam the pasture during the day and pen them back up at night. If, by chance, I tried to feed the other animals while the pigs were out they would be kings of the feed pans - running off the other animals - EXCEPT for the mini-horses. They had a tussle the first time and the mini's let loose a barrage of hoofs that were right on target and the pigs never challenged them again.

I guess the moral of the story is that it is up to the individual animal.

 

[OneFineAcre]

A pig will kill and eat a chicken if he can.
Not saying they all will. But, they are capable of it.

 

[elevan]

eleven, can you expound on that one pig that attacked your horse? what would possible provoke a pig to do such a thing? I so want to have two pigs in my fenced 3 1/2 acres w/the goats & chickens & cats. I don't understand pig mentality well enough to know how to create a place where everyone is ok.

One day the pig just took a lunge at the horse and ripped open the horse's rear leg severing the muscle. There appeared to be no provocation for the attack, it just happened. After that the pig seemed to have "snapped" as he would lunge at any animal or human. He was intact and he was around 6 years old. He was a gentle pig before that, I let my kids play with him. I just can't say for sure what changed with him that made him attack. We ended up putting him down and a neighbor took him for meat (we just didn't have the heart to eat him ourselves). My advice would be to not have intact animals as hormones likely played a large part in this incident.

 

[Parsnip]

From my experience, pigs will basically chew on anything they can get their mouths on.
Whether it's part of the barn OR a chicken, I doubt they care.

That's why I was told never to feed my pigs meat scraps!
Once they get the taste for it, they will injure other livestock.

I would be cautious when putting pigs in with chickens, I'm not even sure I'd do it.
Pigs would be better with other pigs