# can pigs eat poultry?



## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

We have lost a few chickens to our high heat index recently and am wondering if we can feed them to our pigs?

some of the folks tell us to do that, but am unsure, it doesn't sound appealing, but if it's good for them, hate to have the deaths be wasted.

if so, can we just throw it to them as is?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I've done it.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Yes. I would suggest cooking the chickens. I would rather not train them to kill chickens. Otherwise compost it.


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## Pam in KY (Jul 26, 2011)

My hubby says they used to throw the deceased chickens to the hogs all the time, unless it was something other than heat/predator that did the bird in.


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## Menglish (May 7, 2009)

I feed all my cull hens or unexepected dead birds to the pigs. For instance the other day one of my young muscovy ducks got too close to a dog. Stupid duck! Pigs enjoyed it immensely.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

My poultry, swine and mule all roam free on the acreage, so that's not something "I" would want to do! 

As was said, if you cook the chicken. the pigs won't eat your live birds.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Pigs eat anything. They would love your chickens.


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

our chickens do like to go into the pig pen and so far the pigs ignore them, wouldn't want them to start liking the taste of raw chicken, and yet don't want to clean and cook a chicken we don't get to eat..

we are about ready to process a batch of our broilers, so will have a big pot to cook up the leftovers and go that route for now.
thanks for the replies, we sure have alot to learn about pigs...


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## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

I think it depends on how hungry they are. I threw a dead chicken in to our pigs and they showed no interest in it. They eventually ate part of a breast, but then just left the rest. I had one pig that loved the livers, hearts, necks, etc. when butchering. He'd beg and whimper for them. The next pig didn't care for them at all and wouldn't eat them. All depends.


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## swollen tongue (Mar 9, 2006)

eat them yourself!!!!


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

we would eat them ourselves, but some died at night and we found them next morning, if it was winter instead of 100+ degrees I'd consider it.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

If the pigs are penned and a chicken flies into their pen, chances are good that the pigs would eat it. It's in the pig's territory.

With all my critters roaming free together, I doubt if my pigs would even eat a dead chicken.


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## Habitant (Jul 21, 2010)

When I butcher my chickens, my nursing sows pigs get everything I dont want. Other than the feathers which stay on the ground where I pluck them. Head, neck, legs, guts (aka pig spaghetti) all get eaten with great delight.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

I knew a farmer that got rid of the horses and mules that died on his place that way. That was a long time ago. I had his wife for math. I still remember her saying Charlie was a good provider. A bunch of us kids had been on a hike once and saw his pig pen. It wasn't pretty.


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## J.T.M. (Mar 2, 2008)

If you go to all the trouble of cooking it ,ya just as well eat it.My chickens visit our pigs all the time .We also feed the dead to the pigs.Chickens easily out run pigs also.....


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

I toss the few dead chickens I end up with to one of my boars, he just loves them. Some of the other pigs will eat them too, and others will ignore them. I don't have one die very often, so I give them to one I know will make use of it all.

My chickens free range the farm and eat with the pigs. Never had a problem with the pigs killing chickens, though I've had a couple people tell me they had.


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## rmrc (Aug 20, 2009)

Same here, my Black Copper Marans choose to be in with the pigs during the day, at night they go back to their secure roost. The pigs never bother them. I have however given the pigs plenty of chicken leftovers as well as turkey carcasses. I guess the pigs don't make the connection!


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

My pigs seem to know the difference between their roommate chickens and a dead one I give them.

Maybe the difference is that they're on a pasture, I dunno. But they get along fine with the chickens who share their bed and board. They eat together, sleep together, and root/scratch in the pasture together.

But if I throw a dead chicken in there, the pigs go nuts for it. When I had turkeys I had a couple of ding dongs that got wedged between 2 porta huts and beat themselves to death. I threw their carcasses in for the pigs and even the other turkeys ate some. But the pigs never turned on the live turkeys.

I'm pretty sure my pigs aren't geniuses, but they do seem to be able to differentiate between live animals and food. Same as the dog.


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## CarolT (Mar 12, 2009)

Same here. Pigs will scarf down a dead bird yet seen them walk right past a live one sunning itself... That's how I knew the bird wasn't dead as a matter of fact LOL Mine eat any dead animal (I DO NOT feed them pork) and haven't had them chase down anything, even the squirrel eating out of their dish. I know feral hogs will kill anything they can catch, so I know the potential is there... BTW, mine are potbelly pigs. LOL And one of them ate what was left of a calf after coyotes gutted it


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Pigs are as smart as dogs, and my dogs will eat chicken and still not bother my live birds.


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## pammy (Aug 15, 2011)

I have often wondered this...thanks for the many answers!


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

DH killed a young mean roo this am, he was killing our laying hens and chicks and I caught him in the act!

am glad I did or our new Komodor puppy would of gotten the blame, lol, so am going to throw that mean dead skinny roo to the pigs shortly and will see.

Our pigs are currently in a very large pen with our Bucks and they rolick and play chase together and our free rangers love it in that pen. They should be able to escape if the pigs decide to have a mcnugget for a snack.

If this brutal heat would give us a break for a day or so, we could finish out the fencing in the woods and they will be happy little porkers.

seems the consensus of the replies so far is that the pigs won't bother the live chickens..I'd rather have the pigs eat them than the dang *****, at least we will still get to the eat the chickens down the road by pork proxy, lol


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## CarolT (Mar 12, 2009)

If they're not used to eating things like that, slit the chicken open first. The guts will get them started. They don't always figure out it's good unless something gets them to taste test it  Ours usually get started when we process for the freezer, we give them everything and let them root through, that way they get the idea...

Of course, I would have processed the roo and just given the pigs the guts and feathers anyway LOL


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

i have tossed many dead birds to hogs over the years, never had a problem with it.


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## KOHL HAWKE (May 8, 2010)

mine do..eat all the chick deaths and the occ. horse/cow trampled chicken. snakes too!


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## mitchell3006 (Apr 1, 2010)

I toss all my dead birds to them and have had no problems with them eating live birds. I have some 4-5 week old chicks that stay in the pen with them. Good protein supplement.


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## sandc (Apr 26, 2010)

couple of years back I started missing chickens. Finally caught two hogs I had bought to grow out in the act. They would run the chickens into a corner and have them swallowed down in less than a minute. They went for a ride that day and came home in pieces. Funny thing is that they didn't pester the ducks that were in and out of their pen a lot and the ducklings even swam in their water while they were drinking. That was why I didn't suspect them at first


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I had one of my rabbits leap out of his hutch, while I was feeding all of them. Since the pigs were in the orchard, where the hutches are kept (electric wire in front of the hutches keep the piglets away from my rabbits). I started chasing the rabbit, hoping to catch it before the piglets saw. Too late, one joined in, pretty soon, all 3 joined in, so picture me chasing a rabbit, closely followed by three piglets (I can still run fast...). Finally, the rabbit stopped, exhausted from running, but 2 piglets beat me to him, and I had to grab him VERY QUICKLY just before one of them was about to take a nice big bite out of his back (had smelled him, decided he was FOOD). Both piglets wanted that rabbit badly, but I was able to scoop him up, and return him to his hutch, unharmed.


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

Lori,

that had to be a sight, lol

We were told that pigs will hunt/eat small critters, so the bunnies may be an instinct food as they are found in the wild. 

You must be some kind of fast to outrun bunnies AND pigs, lol


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

my chickens go in with the pigs all the time~ they seem to have an agreement~ if the chicken stops moving a pig will attempt to taste it, if the chicken jumps up the pig stops tasting it! It's kind of funny to watch actually, the pig area has some great areas to dust bath and some of the chickens will stop and have a nap in the sun....until a pig noses it! I've fed a LOT of chicken to a few different batches of pigs and I"ve yet to see a pig actually chase down and kill a chicken.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Ellie Mae said:


> Lori,
> 
> that had to be a sight, lol
> 
> ...


Adrenalin...:goodjob: When there is any crisis... I was out to "save my bunny!"


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## ONG2 (Sep 22, 2010)

Fed our 1st chicken to the hogs last night. She died of old age or something, but yep they sure liked their snack.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Common to feed chickens to pigs. I've never heard about a problem.
However, you should read up on Mad Cow and CWD so you'll understand the problems with feeding animals to animals you are going to eat. Might ask your Agriculture department if it is legal and if not, why not.

Never good to base important choices on a stranger's " Never kilt me." advise.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Never had a problem. The pigs get anything that dies, except another pig. That goes to the dogs. We have even went so far as to skin and quarter a cow that died while giving birth in mid-winter for them. We have free-range everything and some pigs in pens. The poultry are everywhere. You can't stop them. The pigs don;t kill live things.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> Never had a problem. The pigs get anything that dies, except another pig. That goes to the dogs. We have even went so far as to skin and quarter a cow that died while giving birth in mid-winter for them. We have free-range everything and some pigs in pens. The poultry are everywhere. You can't stop them. The pigs don;t kill live things.


Pigs will kill rodent and small animals, if they can catch them. It also depends on how hungry they are. I snatched my runaway rabbit just in time, before one of our pigs was about to take a bite of him. I saw him sniff and then open his jaws for a big bite.


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## June M Goritz (May 22, 2018)

Menglish said:


> I feed all my cull hens or unexepected dead birds to the pigs. For instance the other day one of my young muscovy ducks got too close to a dog. Stupid duck! Pigs enjoyed it immensely.


My concern is more with the pot bellied pigs digesting the raw chicken bones (a local meat plant located some out of date chicken quarters and is donating them to my ranch). So: Are pot bellies able to process the raw bones successfully without any complications?


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

pressure cook them to soften the bones. Also, do you want your pigs to get a taste for raw meat? You might be on the menu next.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

It's better to feed raw bones rather than cooked bones.
They are less likely to splinter into long shards.

The meat could also be chopped to prevent long pieces that could cause choking.


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## June M Goritz (May 22, 2018)

Bearfootfarm said:


> It's better to feed raw bones rather than cooked bones.
> They are less likely to splinter into long shards.
> 
> The meat could also be chopped to prevent long pieces that could cause choking.


Love IT - TU for confirming. J


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## ridgerunner1965 (Apr 13, 2013)

I was always under the understanding that feeding raw meat to pigs was what caused trichinosis?spelling?

maybe poultry meat does not harbor it?

I know fully cooking pork will eliminate any such diseases.

did I just imagine the feeding raw meat thing and trichinosis?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/gen_info/faqs.html



> *Am I at risk for trichinellosis?*
> If you eat raw or undercooked meats, particularly bear, pork, *wild feline* (such as a cougar), fox, dog, wolf, horse, seal, or walrus, you are at risk for trichinellosis.


There's very little risk involved in feeding them commercially raised chickens.
It's mostly found now in wild game.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

Trichinosis is a good disease to have around. It kills people that are not cultured enough to cook their food before eating it. This helps along evolution. Any mammal that eats a rat or mouse could have trichinosis. Commercial pigs could eat rats or mice, in feed. No matter what the USDA or CDC says.


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## greenboy (Sep 5, 2005)

_They eat poltry with feathers and bones and everything. They eat anything and everything they are amazing animals. I don't eat them because the bible call them impure. So I only see them running in the mountains I don't bother them and they don't bother me. Sometimes they eat some of my sweet potatoes but that's all._


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