Wondering how well your Goats and Pigs can cohabitate together? Read on to learn more.
Goats and Pigs generally do not live well together. This reality is the result of several key differences between the two, including behavioral differences, differences in food, and differences in choice of shelter, among others. As a result, it is advised that goats and pigs do not live together.
Differences in behavior
Pigs are not animals that are known to be friendly with others; they are very biased towards themselves. Given this reality, it is almost inevitable that conflict will result between them and the goats they would reside with. This is especially likely given the dominant personality that pigs have, as they will even stand up to humans unless they are disciplined effectively and consistently. Given their size, it is not unlikely that they could seriously injure, or even kill if it is a young and weak a goat. Additionally, pigs have actually been found to eat small goats, which opens Pandora’s box in terms of all the potential problems that could result from that.
Clearly living with a pig causes a lot of problems. Goats, on the other hand, tend to be fairly peaceful creatures that have no problem keeping to themselves. Their only caveat is the fact that they will eat almost everything, which can naturally cause conflict to arise between them and the pigs they would live with. Outside of this however, they are easy creatures to live with, but pigs and their hard to get along with habits make this matchup an unfortunately difficult one, especially for the goat.
Differences in Living Preferences
I think we all have a clear idea of the difference between how pigs prefer to live and how goats tend to live. Pigs are notorious for loving to be dirty and unclean, whereas goats, although not particularly clean in their own right, tend to be much more sanitary. Pigs prefer muddy and unclean environments, whereas Goats prefer space for them to graze in addition to access to clean grass for them to graze on. This difference in terms of environmental preference inevitably will breed conflict between the two of them.
Additionally, goats tend to be rather rebellious, and love to sneak outside of their pins. Although this behavior is less common among pigs, it is likely that the behavior of the goats can influence that of the pigs, which can create a myriad of problems, such as fence damage. As a result of their differing preferences in terms of their living conditions, in addition to their natural behaviors that conflict with each other, in addition to negatively influencing each other, the living arrangements between these two animals are far from ideal.
Another problem that will occur is the goat’s natural desire to eat anything put in front of him, which will be very detrimental to their health. Pig feed, for example, has been shown to be toxic when consumed by goats. In other words, if you do not separate the goats and the pigs when feeding them, the consequences could literally be fatal.
Differences in Food preferences
Pigs, like us, are omnivores, meaning they consume both plants and animals. Pigs tend to eat a lot of oats, corn, and whatever grains are available to them. In addition to grains and vegetation, pigs will also consume rodents, and even small reptiles when provided the opportunity. Goats, on the other hand, are strictly herbivores: meaning they strictly eat plans. Goats prefer to eat Hay, Weeds, and other grains that they can find. Although goats and pigs have different diets, goats tend to be a lot less picky than pigs, and are willing to eat nearly everything put in front of them. This can be problematic, as they may try to eat the food meant for the pigs, which can cause a lot of conflict down the road
Common Parasites
Another issue with allowing goats and pigs to dwell in close habitation is the potential of spreading parasites. The unfortunate reality is that both of these animals are effected by similar parasites, meaning a parasite could easily spread from a goat a pig. With this reality in mind, it is essential that you keep these animals away from each other, as allowing these two animals to live in close quarters can be a parasites’s dream, and your greatest nightmare.
Cost of raising a Pig
Piglet Costs
The costs associated with purchasing a piglet have a lot of variation, as several factors play into the overall cost, including the quality of the piglet, and the type of farmer that is putting them up for sale. To provide a general idea of the cost, piglets can sell for as cheap as forty dollars when the season is in low demand. If you desire a nicer and healthier type of piglet, however, you can expect to pay over two hundred dollars for one. In other words, there is a near ten times variation in price depending on the season, level of demand, and quality of the pig being purchased. It is recommended to be patient and reasonable when making a purchase in order to save money.
Fencing
When raising a pig, fencing will be one of your most expensive costs, but also one of your most important. With this in mind, it is advised that you opt for a higher quality fence that may cost more, but will be more durable and experience less damage in the long term. For pigs, it is advised to use either a strong and thick fence, or an electric one, to prevent them from potentially escaping, or at least making efforts to. Expect to pay around one dollar per square foot of fencing, with a slighly higher price for increased quality.
Feeders/Feed
Over the long run, this will be your biggest cost, as pigs tend to eat a lot of food. When I mean a lot of food, I mean that five to six pounds of feed per day are not regarded as out of the usual. In terms of the price for feed, most brands will charge somewhere between ten and twenty dollars for a fifty-pound bag of feed, which equates to a ratio of roughly three-pounds of feed per dollar spent.
Shelter
In terms of providing shelter for your pigs, it can be easy to neglect them to decide to settle for something cheap in order to save money. This mentality may work just fine for other animals, but not for pigs, as they are known to cause a significant amount of damage to their environments. The number of pigs that you own will largely affect the price, but expect to pay anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars, to closer to a thousand, depending on the number of pigs being housed in addition to the quality of the materials.
Fuel
Depending on your given distance to where you buy your pigs, as well as where they go to get your checkups with a veterinarian, you will likely need to spend a decent amount on the fuel for these necessary trips. Ideally, the distance is not too far away, but the cost is still something to consider. There is a great deal of variation in terms of how far the distance is, as well as the cost of gas in your area and the gas mileage of the vehicle you are using.
Costs of Raising a Goat
Food Costs
Hay is a relatively cheap commodity, which is something to be grateful for. Depending on the season, you can expect to pay anywhere from one hundred seventy dollars to over two hundred per ton of hay, a very reasonable price relative to the massive quantity. To give an idea of what this will cost on an annual basis, we will assume that Hay prices are low, at a rate of only one hundred eighty dollars per ton.
We will also assume that a goat consumes roughly one thousand pounds of hay per year, which is an approximation based on current average goat consumption levels. Given these figures, the net cost of feeding a goat on an annual basis would be ninety dollars. To calculate the total cost, multiple this number by the total number of goats. This should give a good approximation.
Medical Care
This cost will be the product of several factors, including the health and age of the goat. Assuming the goat is healthy, the cost shouldn’t be very high. If there are medical complications, however, the cost can be in the thousands. Make sure to have consistent checkups to prevent any serious, and expensive, health complications from occurring.
Fencing
The general rule of thumb for fence costs is you will spend around two dollars per square foot of fence. Goats need a decent amount of room to graze, so a considerable amount of fencing will be needed, especially if you have a large group of goats. Expect to spend at least a thousand dollars, and up to several thousand depending on the size that is appropriate for your needs, as well as the type of material that best suits your given circumstances.