The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: reedos on June 20, 2012, 11:11:06 am
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I have a mystery to solve - I've been working away for a few, my OH has been looking after the aniamls. The day before I was due back she told me she'd lost one of our 12 week old piglets. :o She'd looked everywhere, there was no break in the fences, no gaps, the electric fence was working but no pig.
I've come home, done a thorough check of all the fencing - can't find any problems whatsoever, the Mum and her other 3 piglets are fine, showing no signs of attempting to escape, are very wary of the electric fence.
There is neither hide nor hair of him! Have wondered whether it's died overnight for some reason, but where would the corpse go - if a fox took it surely there would be some sign of something.
I don't think it's likely that a person nicked it - I picked the piglets up to move them yesterday and boy did they squeal - it's enough to wake up the dead.
Any ideas anybody?
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Hope they haven't eaten it. it is possible. I don't think they would have killed it but might have taken advantage of the corpse.
I really hope the piglet is found safe though.
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Firstly would supect Monsieur Reynard (fox) but at that age there would have been one helluva fracas and unless your OH is deaf as a post or you live off site, you would have defo known about it. He may also have as you say keeled over and died and a big dog fox would certainly take advantage of a free meal but how if all your fences seem ok. I would double check your fences as they may look ok but have you pushed and poked and pulled to see if theres any entry/exit type flaps, pigs can easily lift fences, wriggle under and the fence drops down and looks like its undisturbed.
:fc: he'll turn up non the worse for his adventure.
bestest mandy :pig:
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Hi hope he does turn up,but i had a similar thing happen either it had died or got so fast asleep that the sow layed on it. The sow will usually dipose of anything undesirable in her space and i know she ate it because i found a bit of leg bone she had missed.Hope this is not the case with you
Good luck in finding it
Arl
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Sounds very Foxy to me.
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Sadly I think it is much more likely to be a human; the pig could have been injured/killed in the plot, then wouldn't make a noise when it was removed ~ we have more problems with human intruders down here than anything else, from silly school children to vicious, mindless young men. Unless you have Kunnies, 12 week old pigs are fairly big and surely would be large and strong enough to fend off a fox. But like everyone else I really hope it has just escaped and that you find him soon - Tamsaddle
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What a worry :( I hope he turns up safe and well!
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Well he's not reappeared - two ducks have vanished in the last couple of days as well so it looks like the fox is visiting. Which has prompted a tightening of the ring of steel - well wire and electric fencing around all my animals - yesterday I went round it all, testing, reinforcing and generally moving stuff about the paddocks. Hopefully it'll deter him/her enough to go somewhere else for lunch
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That is awful :(
Were there no feathers etc from the ducks to indicate a struggle?
Are they going in the day time or at night?
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Human hair and human urine is supposed to be a good fox deterrent so put a few locks of hair(ask at hairdressers) in some old tights and tie along fence and take a pee near your paddocks!
They are cheeky blighters.
mandy :pig:
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We had an escapee recently - about 10 weeks old though and it stayed away overnight (broke through the electric fence and field fence) but came back the next day in with its friends and no problems since (touch wood) - so if it had gone the liklihood is it would come back - so maybe the sow has eaten it if it died. Sorry :0(
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we lost a lamb for a good day once but found him stuck behind a big bale and the wall, but he never shouted for help.
we also lost a horse who had wandered into the dense copse in his field and couldnt find his way out. (yes he wasnt v bright, highly embarassing for him !)
we also lost 2 heifers who jumped into neighbours field.
they were all found safe and well.
this year we have lost 2 ducks, a turkey and 2 hens to foxes. with the hens there were stacks of feathers but no sign of the others.
we have lost a couple of chicks who have been put outside and the hens have literally ate the dead bodies before i could get to retrieve them.
hope u find him xx
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Still no news? :(
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Nope I'm afraid he hasn't turned up :(
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there was a newborn piglet on facebook that was found in the road, apparently fell from lorry on way to abattoir. why would u send a full-term sow to slaughter?
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this year we have lost 2 ducks, a turkey and 2 hens to foxes.
oh no...we found the turkey today sitting on one egg in the bushes .....shame its not fertile.
:D :wave:
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Well he didn't turn up and two ducks went missing. I'm away again and somebody has nicked 8 ten week old chickens and their feeders, so it looks like thieves. Beccy is really unsettled, she thinks she may have disturbed the buggers last night and is worried that it happens when I'm not home.
We don't live on our field, live about 100-150 yards away with houses in between. I'm trawling the internet for bear traps - what security does anybody else have? The police helpfully said we needed to rehouse the animals until we could make the field more secure, but didn't say how we did that!
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our police told us to get cctv. they didnt offer to pay for it tho. u can padlock the hinge end of gates, but then u only need wirecutters for the fence if ur determined.
very sad as chickens r v portable. xept 6ft fencing, what can u do. mains electric fence?
>:( >:(
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If you cannot be there 24/7, I would install security cameras and take the footage to the police. Or, since you have electric, you can hike up your fence where it's too tall for anyone to simply walk over it.