# Pigs and Goats as companions?



## tmfinley (Feb 25, 2008)

I posted this on the pig forum, but figured I might get a few more responses here. Will a pig and a goat make good companions for each other? 

I just sold all of my goat bucks and have an area perfect for pigs. I am getting some feeder pigs in December, but figured I could also get a couple now since I have the room and I have a source of close to free food. 

The problem is the only place I can find any feeder pigs only has 1 left. I don't want to keep only one pig with no companion. I do have one buckling I wouldn't mind keeping or a wether also. Would either make a suitable companion for a pig or would a pig make a suitable companion for a goat, or not? 

The pig is about 50 lbs now. 

Tiffany


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Pigs are dirty and like making messes. They are omnivorous too.
Their pens smell like pigs! Poo is nasty!

Goats are herbavours. They have neat marbles for poo. They dont like mud and messes all over.

I wouldnt mix the 2.
I had pigs and I can not see them with goats.

Pigs also are not a herd animal. They are fine alone.

The only thing a pig as in common with a goat is that both can be found on a farm.


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## Slats (Jul 17, 2008)

RiverPines said:


> They are omnivorous


Pigs catch and eat live chickens. I figure they wouldn't turn their snouts up at a goat either. Especially in a caged environment where the goat will be easier to catch.



RiverPines said:


> They are fine alone


I agree. I've raised a few feeder pigs and they were more than happy being alone.


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## tmfinley (Feb 25, 2008)

Hmm... well I tend to think of pigs as a herd animal and wouldn't feel right raising one by itself. 

The area I they would be in is a bit larger than 1/2 an acre and we live on sugar sand so the mess wouldn't be inescapable for the goat. 

I know pigs can be aggressive, but if they are put together when the pig is young I wonder if they will be ok with each other.


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## Slats (Jul 17, 2008)

tmfinley said:


> Hmm... well I tend to think of pigs as a herd animal and wouldn't feel right raising one by itself.


To each their own. If you decide to run the two together don't be surprised if one morning you go out to feed and you see a pig and go looking for a goat that's no longer there.

As RiverPines said "They are omnivorous"

I said "Especially in a caged environment where the goat will be easier to catch." Pigs are still omnivorous outside of a caged environment and are opportunists. It's in a pigs nature. Most likely the goat will buddy up to the pig and the pig will take the opportunity to make a happy meal out of it.

The pig nuzzles the goat with it's snout, the goat doesn't run, then chomp chomp. Easy pickin's.


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## Feathers-N-Fur (Dec 17, 2007)

How well fed will your pig be? Mine don't bother the chickens that run all over their pen, or the goat kids that are being weened in the sow pen. I even had a kid get her front legs caught in a tree. I have no idea how long she was stuck. If one of the pigs had wanted to eat her, they would have. My pigs have no problem letting the goats and chickens eat out of their feed troughs with them, they don't share with each other very well though. The pig people will tell you that pigs are very social, every bit as much as the goats. If you have 2 pigs they will grow faster because of the competition for food. I don't think that will carry over to a goat. But just as companions, I think it would work out as long as your pig isn't going hungry. They understand who their buddy is. The risk is there, but I don't think it is a very big risk.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We had young pigs housed in a pen next to the sheep pen and a couple of lambs got too close to the fence. They pulled the lambs right through the fence and ate them.  And these were young pigs. Maybe 45-50 pounds pigs. No. I wouldn't house them together.


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## tmfinley (Feb 25, 2008)

Ooh, sorry that happened to you, but that was exactly what I was looking for here. Some real evidence for or against.

Thanks,
Tiffany


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

my pigs (potbelly type) and goats just pain dont like each other. I dont think they would be companionable even if they didnt eat each other.


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## Kshobbit (May 14, 2002)

Please do not put pigs and goats together. My story is too awful to tell here.


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## Lada (Jun 7, 2008)

If you have the space to separate them, then do that. Yes, some pigs can socialize with other animals, but they're just like people and any other animal...some of them are nice and some aren't. I grew up on a small pig farm. Some of our pigs were just sweeties and some of them I was soooo glad to see get on that truck. I'd hate to see you get a mean pig and lose a goat or chicken or whathaveyou.

A pig will do just fine as a singleton. If it turns out to be a nice piggy, YOU can be it's buddy and bring it apples and it will get up and stick it's head up for you to scratch behind its ears. They don't herd naturally...they're not a herding animal and won't miss or need other pigs.


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

I have my 145 pig in the same pen as my goats but it is 3000ish sq feet of space. They dont bother one another except at feeding time. The male goat will butt the pigs butt to try and be pushy. They are the same size. 

I believe feeder pigs that are well fed and with ample space can share a pen with anything. Mine eats in the same barrel as baby chicks and he doesn't even eat them. The only time i had problems with pigs eating animals was when slightly bigger pigs found a broody hen with her chicks and they ate the chicks but nothing any bigger than that


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

sorry that was 145 lbs ..f orgot to add lbs to it


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

I did want to add though, pigs have no problems being alone either.


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## desertshi (Jul 23, 2008)

Pigs ARE herd animals. If you let them roam free they gravitate to eachother and follow eachother around just like goats, horses, cows etc. They play with eachother just like any other animal as well. Just keep an eye on them, if either gets aggressive, be prepared to seperate for their saftey. Goats are very prissy though, if mine get caught out in a drizzle, they stand on ANYTHING to not stand on the ground that is getting wet. LOL.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Pigs are not herd animals. Herd animals need a herd in order to survive.
A pig can survive just as easy alone or in a herd.

Pigs may be social but their is a big difference between social and a herd animal.

A herd animal needs others as a necessity. 
Social wants others as a want, not a need.


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## Lada (Jun 7, 2008)

RiverPines said:


> Pigs are not herd animals. Herd animals need a herd in order to survive.
> A pig can survive just as easy alone or in a herd.
> 
> Pigs may be social but their is a big difference between social and a herd animal.
> ...


Thank you. Think wild boars...those are the predecessors to pigs, and they roam and hunt alone.


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## BlueHeronFarm (Feb 9, 2007)

Our goats do not like our pigs. The pigs are too big, too ungraceful and too - well, piggy.

Our LGD likes pigs- and they seem to like her. When the pigs get loose, they roam together.

If I were you, I would wait until you can get a pair of pigs. But that's just my .02.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Lada said:


> Thank you. Think wild boars...those are the predecessors to pigs, and they roam and hunt alone.


Many may say the domestic pig is different, but they are not that different from the wild counterparts. They are still omnivores and they are a predatory species.
Goats like their wild counterparts are still herbivores and prey animals.

Goats recognise predatory animals buy the eyes. Front set eyes are on a mammal say predator. Side set are prey. 

Why mix a predator with prey and an omnivore with a herbivore? Just not logical not practical to me.


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## desertshi (Jul 23, 2008)

RiverPines said:


> Why mix a predator with prey and an omnivore with a herbivore? Just not logical not practical to me.


People mix preditor with prey on most farms. Think about it...guardian dogs...they guard sheep, goats and other farm "prey" animals, but they are still a dog and are still, then, preditors!! Just a thought....

Also, I strongly believe that animals that are by nature social, which pigs are, should not have to be alone. Wild pigs do live in groups. But just like any deer hunter will tell you, sometimes you can find one alone, that doesn't mean that a deer isn't a herd animal. 

If someone decides that two animals of whatever species can make good companions, and not hurt eachother, by all means DO IT! Like I said before, just watch them and decide for yourself if they are going to get along or not. You will know pretty soon. If not, no big deal, just make sure you give that piggie lots and lots of pets and scratches!! That is my $.02


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## desertshi (Jul 23, 2008)

one last thing, if anyone doesn't believe me that pigs are herd animals, check this out 
http://www.animalcontrol.com.au/pig.htm scroll down to *feral pig biology* This will show you I am not making it up!


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We've kept many a hog alone and it really doesn't seem to bother them one way or the other.


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## DownHome (Jan 20, 2006)

Pigs are suseptible to worms as much or more than a goat. If you are raising your pig to butcher you shouldn't need to worm it in that amount of time, but it could introduce or perpetuate a problem that you would have in your goat for a long time.

A pig may be happy with a goat for a companion (if it didn't eat it), but I don't think a goat would be happy to have a pig for a companion. The dirtyness of a pig would be a big yuck factor to a goat.

We've had a pig with another pig and by himself. Judging from his response to both situations he was much happier by himself then with the other pig. He did just fine on his own. He was always happy to see me coming with a treat.

I'd vote for the goat with goats and pig with pigs.

gl
downhome


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

desertshi said:


> one last thing, if anyone doesn't believe me that pigs are herd animals, check this out
> http://www.animalcontrol.com.au/pig.htm scroll down to *feral pig biology* This will show you I am not making it up!


Yeah including a herd of one! 


> Feral pigs are often found in groups of sows with their piglets, juvenile pigs or as individual adult boars. The group size can range from one solitary boar to herds of over 100 pigs or more.


They can survive alone. 
Herd animals rarely do for long.
And if you want to use that web page for a pig info source:


> Feral pigs are opportunistic omnivores, feeding on anything from grains, fruits and plant material to newborn lambs and carrion from dead livestock, changing their diet depending on availability of food types.


opportunistic omnivore..domestic pig with sleeping goat that has leg too close to pigs mouth. The goat may not get eaten, but it can be bitten and severely.


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## desertshi (Jul 23, 2008)

Herd animals CAN survive alone. Of course they are safer and happier in a herd. Which I think applies to pigs. As I mentioned before, if you let loose a group of pigs they move with eachother, as herd animals do. 
I don't think anyone is debating whether or not they are omnivours. I think opportunistic really can apply mainly to an animal that is not well fed. If you skimp out on what they SHOULD eat, they will look for something else that looks good. Just like a guardian dog, whose predicessors were carnivours (these days they eat rice and all sorts of veggies in their dog food). If you forget dinner, it may begin to see some steaks walking around him! lol. 
On the pig forum, where this question is also posted, many have said that their pigs allow other animals, goats and chickens included, to eat right along side them, and never bat an eye. 
I personally think that animals should have company. When I got my first two pigs I got two. If I hadn't I am sure she would still be happy because I would have made sure they had a friend or that I was out there everyday, not just to feed but to rub on them and scratch them (I do anyways, they LOVE it) They have gotten out into the goat pen and never done anything. Again, I think it is a pig by pig and a goat by goat basis. It is very important to think about everything though, like some people have said about the uck factor and everything...goats are prissy aren't they?! LOL.
Everyone has had their experience and has their opinions, but I think that we should all make informed statements. If you don't know something to BE fact, we should state it; say that we "have heard" or "think." Just my opinion...


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## lupiefarmer (Apr 30, 2008)

Okay, as someone on here put it a few years ago and we still laugh about here on our farm (the chickens don't!) - the pig sees a chicken walk by or run by in great distress and yells "BUFFET" and eats it. THe goats respect our pigs, the pigs look at our goats, chickens and chicks with an eye to filing for future reference, under dinner. We feed our animals separately. Our pigs have attempted on one occaison to have a chicken for dinner when she fell from or was pulled off her roost on the door to the pig pen. Her poor roo was screaming bloody murder - it was 10 or 11 at night and as far as he was concerned we could not get our boots on quick enough for either of them. The pigs, one of them has eaten baby chicks that wandered too close before. I certainly would not put any size goat in with a pig. As a 185 pound woman I had a gentle pig stick her head under me at my knees and pick me up to get me out of her pen. Not sure what the problem was still to this day but I wouldn't risk it. I obviously missed what she had been trying to tell me, so she moved me.

Our pigs have been housed together and alone - depending on the circumstances. Not once did I have a distressed pig because they were not around another pig. As a matter of fact, I introduced stress when I added the extra pig which is just plain logic. If you move up quietly to the barn and peek you will usually find a very calm contended pig who is sleeping and stretching and happy. 

Laurie (vtfarma)


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## tmfinley (Feb 25, 2008)

Thank you all for your replies. Well, someone came to look at the goats I had for sale today and really wanted the buckling I was thinking about keeping, so I guess it is a mute point for me now anyway. I am still thinking of getting the one and keeping a LGD with him most of the time. Maybe that will work.

Tiffany


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## jil101ca (Jul 2, 2007)

I have 2 wethers and 2 piglets. They are housed separately but turned out together in the same fenced off area. They all get along and have been seen sleeping cuddled all together. I don't get the whole "pigs are dirty" thing. Mine do their business in 1 corner of the stall and will not eat any food that has gotten dirty off the floor. They like to root outside but by no means are they dirty. The only time they smell is when I am cleaning out the bathroom corner of their stall. Maybe I just got lucky....


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## BlueHeronFarm (Feb 9, 2007)

tmfinley said:


> Thank you all for your replies. Well, someone came to look at the goats I had for sale today and really wanted the buckling I was thinking about keeping, so I guess it is a mute point for me now anyway. I am still thinking of getting the one and keeping a LGD with him most of the time. Maybe that will work.
> 
> Tiffany


Heh. works around here...









Also -we used to free range our pigs from time to time. They never bothered the poultry or any of the other animals.

Today we had ours out to eat acorns. They went right past our guineas - including 6 keets - without a second look.


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## tmfinley (Feb 25, 2008)

That is good to know. We have a Great Pyr that will be back with the pigs. I hope they get along well too.

Thanks,
Tiffany


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## billygoatridge (Feb 12, 2004)

I'll have to agree with jil101ca. I can only dream of my goats going in one spot. I guess in a way they do. After being outside all day thats the first thing they do when they go in the barn is go to the bathroom. I wouldn't put a small goat in a small pen with big pigs. But if you put a small feeder pig in a pasture with goats they will get used to each other and be fine. You'll probably have to lock the pig in a stall a time or two a day to eat to keep the goat from overloading with grain. We've also got a 10 year old sow that's been in a pen by herself since she was two. She does fine.


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## NostalgicGranny (Aug 22, 2007)

We have 2 potbelly pigs in with our goats and chickens. Other than the kids standing on the pigs backs everyone gets along just fine.


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## OGQueenKitty (5 d ago)

RiverPines said:


> Pigs are dirty and like making messes. They are omnivorous too. Their pens smell like pigs! Poo is nasty! Goats are herbavours. They have neat marbles for poo. They dont like mud and messes all over. I wouldnt mix the 2. I had pigs and I can not see them with goats. Pigs also are not a herd animal. They are fine alone. The only thing a pig as in common with a goat is that both can be found on a farm.


 My question is slightly different....what about a mini pot belly pig and a pygmy goat? Miniature pot bellies are very clean and he poops in the same corner of his pen which is the farthest corner of his large fenced pen and barn. It's very easy in the spring when it's time to add fertilizer to the garden , scooping all the poop from one spot lol his best friend was a chow lab mix dog for 5 years, but our dog passed away of old age last year. The cat hangs out there every now and then but she's on the out there to catch mice not to be some pig's companion. My mini pig has quite the quirky attitude and I think a pygmy goat would be a great companion for him.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

OGQueenKitty said:


> My question is slightly different....what about a mini pot belly pig and a pygmy goat? Miniature pot bellies are very clean and he poops in the same corner of his pen which is the farthest corner of his large fenced pen and barn. It's very easy in the spring when it's time to add fertilizer to the garden , scooping all the poop from one spot lol his best friend was a chow lab mix dog for 5 years, but our dog passed away of old age last year. The cat hangs out there every now and then but she's on the out there to catch mice not to be some pig's companion. My mini pig has quite the quirky attitude and I think a pygmy goat would be a great companion for him.


I'd be incredibly reluctant to do that. 

Goats are prey. Pigs can be aggressive, no matter how sweet and loving they can appear. 

It just isn't prudent, IMO.


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