Predator Pig - caught and ate a squirrel

[Jea]

Our female pig must have had a lucky day because she was in her back paddock (which is a brushy area that we've opened up to give the 3 pigs more space) and came running out with a squirrel in her mouth (only the tail was hanging out.)

We tried to get it off of her, but she wasn't letting it go, and she ran into the brambles and ate it.

Is this normal behavior for a pig? I was surprised because we've seen wild rabbits run through the pig yard before and they didn't even seem to notice them.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yep, totally normal behavior. A pig will eat anything it can catch, and everything it can root up, and anything you drop in front of it. The only thing I've seen my pigs turn their noses up at is citrus fruit.

 

[Mini Horses]

Mine ate citrus too!! Just not first. Was concerned about my chickens cause I've had them eat those years back, big hogs. Guts, feathers and all!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've never seen mine kill a chicken, but they will sure clean up any casualties - ugh.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Very interesting...we have five roosters that have been living with the pigs in their pen for three weeks....no missing roosters ...yet

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I think as long as the roo's can move they'll be fine. The only time I saw my pigs actually look like they wanted to kill a chicken was a rooster that was literally stuck in the mud, lol. I rescued him and all was well.

 

[farmerjan]

Hogs/pigs are omnivores. They will eat more plant type material, grains etc but will eat meat with no compunction. I have seen them kill and eat their own young... usually as they become frantic if a pig is squealing and say stuck inbetween fence boards or something, they will get "hysterical" and go to biting and killing the piglet. I have seen them kill an injured chicken before. They will go after anything they want to. Maybe the squirrel fell from a branch and was stunned... maybe another squirrel injured it in a fight.....but they will kill it if the mood strikes them and they can catch it. That said, most will not bother something that is not threatening their food, and is fast enough to stay out of their way.... and most all our domestic pigs are not exactly "starving" or having to rustle their own grub so not as food motivated to catch whatever they can find. They will also tend to go after something that is looking distressed or making alot of noise....

 

[Baymule]

We have tossed dead chicken snakes to the pigs. Treat!

 

[Ridgetop]

During the year of Devil Pig our 6 hogs killed and ate our female Chinese Crested goose. Chickens are also omnivores - I used to throw dead baby bunnies into my chicken yard and they gobbled those bodies up right away.

Anybody remember old stories about old time gangsters who disposed of their dead enemies by taking them to hog farms? No body, no murder.

 

[thethinkingweasel]

Very interesting...we have five roosters that have been living with the pigs in their pen for three weeks....no missing roosters ...yet

In our experience they won't kill the chickens, but they are happy to eat anything that's already dead. We use them as our garbage disposals for any chickens that wear out and randomly drop dead. And yes, they eat EVERYTHING else we give them ... the only thing I've seen them leave behind is raw onion. Which the chickens don't eat either...