[thestephens]

just had a query from someone interested in our piglets (kune kune) but has a terrible problem with a badger that has got various hens and ducks and wondered if the badger would go for the piglets, what do you think? she will be closing them in at night. i have never heard of badgers going for pigs.

[Tudful Tamworths]

A sow I bought in almost killed a badger which got into the barn and was intent on stealing a piglet. They will definitely have a go - as will foxes.
I'd also be worried about the possible risk of bTB. Talking to a very high profile pig vet today who said he's seeing more and more cases of pigs infected with bTB due to contact with badgers. He says the biggest risk comes when pigs visit the perimeters of fields where badgers scent-mark their territory.

[primrosepig]

We have found foxes will take piglets from their arks from birth to 7 days. We recently had one who took piglets from 2 newly born litters- on 4th night my stockman managed to kill it from long range with it's head sticking out of the ark !! He then walked across 2 paddocks collected it from the ark and neither the 2 sows or piglets in the ark stirred !!
The only time I know a badger has had a piglet is several years ago. I noticed a group of 3 or 4 week pold piglets playing with something which they were tossing in the air. At first I thought it was a football so walked across to have a look only to find half a piglet cleanly cut through.
Liz is quite right about pigs with BV TB. Our herd has been shut down since April 2010 when a sow sent for slaughter tested positive for the disease. Despite almost 1200 pigs passing through the abattoir from our 2 holdings they refuse to lift the restriction !!
Our immediate neighbour's alapacas came down with the disease in early 2009 and because these animals are as good at spreading the disease as a badger we have been penalised heavily for living next door to them. She herself was diagnosed with the disease in April this year and a lady living within 1/2 a mile from us was found to have it some 4 years ago- eventually traced back to badgers urinating on the grass in her garden - her dog had the disease and was put down and her teenage daughter had antibodies.
The Health Protection Agency refuse to test anyone with BV TB to try and establish the type it is- all parts of the country have their own strains which can help to establish where it came from . My neighbour who runs the Alpaca TB support group insisted they test her and it was found to be the one for our area. The Government line is few people get the disease yet in 2010 almost 40 people were diagnosed with it. On the basis that the drugs have awful side effects which can result in patients needing a liver transplant one human case I feel is too many !!
Whilst ours undoubtedly came from a badger- view is our sow probably came across a dead one and had a munch the catalyst was the arrival of the alpaca's.

[princesspiggy]

i heard of a badger taking young piglets.