Free-range Pigs- The Danger.

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7squeakers.

7squeakers.

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We have talked a little on another thread about piggies roaming free in the garden. I know that there are people out there that let their pigs run loose in their gardens, and keep watch over them to protect them from cats and dogs. I have been thinking about other sources of trouble. I wanted to warn you about the danger of birds of prey. Unlike cats and dogs, birds of prey move REALLY fast. YOU WILL NOT SEE ONE COMING! It will only take a split second for a kestrel or sparrow hawk, or some other bird of prey, or even a Crow or magpie, to swoop down and snatch one of your pigs. You will not be able to stop it unless you are standing over your pigs. Even if a bird swoops and misses, it will spook your pigs and they will scatter. So those of you who let your pigs run loose, please take care. Perhaps think about getting a large wooden or metal run to keep them safe in? I hope this is taken in the spirit it is given. I would hate to think of anyone's piggie ending up as a birds dinner.
 
Good advice. I had two of my piggies in the garden for a treat with my parents out there and myself just indoors - it looks out onto the garden- and the two were covered in their cage with metal bars. As I headed outside to bring them in I noticed a bird of prey floating very high above in the sky right above my garden. I knew if there was no shelter over them I would have lost one of my piggies that day.
Its better to be safe than sorry.
 
A great warning to put out there.

My piggies can't free range in my garden as our fence is raised off the ground but we also have birds of prey around here so I couldn't take the risk even if it wasn't for the fence.

There was a story on here a few years ago where a member left her piggies alone in an open topped run whilst she ran inside to answer the phone and as she was coming back outside, a bird of prey was flying off with one of her pigs and that all took place with in a matter of seconds :(
 
Claire W said:
A great warning to put out there.

My piggies can't free range in my garden as our fence is raised off the ground but we also have birds of prey around here so I couldn't take the risk even if it wasn't for the fence.

There was a story on here a few years ago where a member left her piggies alone in an open topped run whilst she ran inside to answer the phone and as she was coming back outside, a bird of prey was flying off with one of her pigs and that all took place with in a matter of seconds :(
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That's awful :no:,I was thinking of letting my pigs roam free range but have definitely changed my mind after seeing this thread.
 
I made a run out of thin angle iron welded together &made the sides &lid out of quite a small square wire mesh.
In the winter clear perspex sides go up to stop the wind.

There are a family of buzzards that soar over my place often teaching the young ones to grab legs &spiral down. Usually screeching as they go.

But I did see a sparrowhawk speed by in/over the garden last week &the rooks were making a awful row.
It was over within seconds, The girls wouldn't have stood a chance if they had been free ranging :(

Better to be safe than sorry :nod:
 
I'm thankful I live nowhere near the birds of prey hunting grounds, the nearest ones are ospreys on Bassenthwaite lake 20 miles away. There is plenty of wild prey to keep them occupied. ;)
 
Thanks for the thoughts. Very good. We have buzzards over our garden most days and regularly have a red kit fly over as well as the occasional sparrow hawk. Although I would never let ours run loose around our garden (too many neighbourhood cats use it as a rat run and hunt the wild birds, have decimated our resident vole and frog population), our outside run is open topped. I have insisted my son supervise it at all times, but after reading this I will reinforce it to him.
 
We've had pigeons taken in our garden by hawks of some type. They're brazen about just sitting there with them and eating them on the grass.
 
Thanks for the warning, that's a terrible thought. I have opened the run and let them run free a handful of times with me present, but they don't enjoy it as much as I thought they would. They usually try to get back in the run! I think it's not really worth it now.
 
I dread this so mine will only go outside in a run with a mesh lid.... Cant imagine how dreadful it would be in a bird got a piggie xx
 
My garden is surrounded by tall trees and crows. I outlined the ridiculous procedure i go through each time i put my pigs out on the other thread - i just need some scary music playing and i could be tippi hedren :))
 
*shudders* free ranging sound like it's asking for trouble! Never mind ranging cats and foxes (and badgers here) I've no doubt a Corvid would harm/kill a guinea-pig (though I'm not sure they're strong enough to carry them off?) and all kinda' of BoP live around me; kestrels are too small to even try a grown guineapig but sparrow hawks - especially the females, peregrines, buzzards and red kites are all around my area and could be a danger. We even see the odd migrating osprey, though guineapigs tend to have too much fur for their taste! I also wouldn't trust the owls. A tawny could kill a pig left out too late and I have seen one in my old garden during the day which is very uncommon.

I get nightmares about my pigs, past and present, being loose in the garden!
 
When I lived in the North East my next door neighbour had an aviary with cockateils (sic?) in it.

I used to have my pigs out in covered runs but only when I was in the garden too because of neighbourhood cats.

On one occasion one of her birds was mortally wounded by a bird of prey grabbing it when it was standing right next to the wire.

And she had to replace the wire roof with hard plastic as the bird of prey used to swoop down and slam into the top. It buckled and bent the wire trying to get her birds.

I'd never feel 100% safe to free range pigs in a garden unless I could build a giant run covering the whole garden.
 
we free ranged last night - as in we left our front door slightly open and our gates wide open ! then i started thinking about what if a cat or fox wandered and got the piggies ! Shame on me for thinking about the piggies and not the kids lol !
 
We are surrounded by fields and see lots of birds of prey, I even had a Sparrowhawk sitting on my car on the front drive.

I would never let my girlies freerange or indeed leave them outside unattended even in a run.
 
:D Thank you, everyone, for your great responses! :tu:
I too would like to be able to let my pigs free- range, but the dangers are just too great. Piggies themselves feel very exposed and vulnerable when left out in the open. Frightened piggies will just scatter in all directions, perhaps getting themselves into more trouble. Maybe finding a hole in your fence that you didn't know about and escaping from your garden. Or getting themselves trapped or hurt somehow. Best to keep them safe in a purpose-built run, and have peace of mind.
 
Jaycey said:
On one occasion one of her birds was mortally wounded by a bird of prey grabbing it when it was standing right next to the wire.

And she had to replace the wire roof with hard plastic as the bird of prey used to swoop down and slam into the top. It buckled and bent the wire trying to get her birds.

I'd never feel 100% safe to free range pigs in a garden unless I could build a giant run covering the whole garden.
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Just goes to show that even in a cage, they may not be completely safe. I used to keep Zebra and Bengalese finches at my last address. They were in a garden aviary. My next-door neighbour had three cats. One morning, I woke up to find all three cats sitting on and around my aviary. Some of my birds were dead and some had legs missing.
Another time, my pet rabbit, Sammy, a Netherland dwarf was left out in his run whilst I and the family went out. We thought he would be safe. When we came back, one of the cats had been trying to get him. He had bent the wire on the run all out of shape in his efforts to escape. Poor little fella was terrified
 
I have an ex work colleague who had free roaming guinea pigs in the back garden constantly, not just for exercise. I was fascinated by the way he had set it out and that this piggy was thriving. However one day he said there were rumours of badgers nearby and then a few days after that he mentioned that the piggy hadn't reappeared for his veggies and they could only assume he had been taken. I don't think my anxiety levels would cope with anything like that
 
:eek: It's bad enough these day, when your piggies are in danger of being attacked by rats, when in their hutches or cages, without putting them in the way of more danger by letting them roam your garden freely. I'd be distraught if one of my girls was taken by a predator. I don't think I'd ever relax again!
Suzie, my avatar, used to live with a rabbit in her previous home, and the rabbit got taken by a stoat! Her owners decided to rehome her, rather than wait for the stoat to come back again. I myself have had a stoat in my own garden, though, thankfully, all my girls were inside at the time. Just a few days before, I had been looking after a neighbours two pigs who lived in a big hutch, which we had moved into my garden. The stoat was sniffing around where the hutch had been standing. He even came up to the kitchen door, as if asking to come in!
 
Thought of this thread the other day when DH took these over our garden.image.webpimage.webp Not sure what the bird is or what it caught, it was a long way off...
 
That is definitely not a buzzard - they are far too slow for start! Could be a merlin or a hobby or a sparrow hawk that's really on it's game! Would have to look closer at the picture when I get home!
 
Perhaps, but it does look just like the buzzards we have rather than the sparrowhawk, and size wise merlins, hobbys and sparrowhawks are smaller. Sparrowhawks don't usually catch prey at height. They usually ambush from a bush and will chase but give up if their prey goes up high (or at least the one that visits our garden does). I do know it isn't anything like a red kite. We have those too. Spoilt for birds of prey but not good for piggies. I'm interested in what you come up with when you get home. Thanks ☺
Guineapigfeet said:
That is definitely not a buzzard - they are far too slow for start! Could be a merlin or a hobby or a sparrow hawk that's really on it's game! Would have to look closer at the picture when I get home!
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Had a closer look and it's pretty sure not a merlin and def not a hobby (wrong tail markings) I'm 99% sure it's a sparrow hawk. 100% not a buzzard though, they are scavengers if they can help it and swallows and the like are just too much effort, the under body markings and wing shape are off too. I have asked my mum who's better at them than me, but she's not got back to me yet! Very exciting to see in any case
 
Never knew buzzards are scavangers even though they are always scavenging anything the ploughing tractors churn up where we live. I just thought they were just being opportunistic. You have me intrigued now. Very rare it being caught on camera. Wonder if it's a harrier?
 
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They eat worms like red kits do :-) I hadn't thought of harriers, my mum has just text - she thinks female hen harrier! - she is checking with some actual experts and will get back to me! That really is super exciting !
 
After all the harrier excitement, the expert say he thinks it's a sparrow hawk. Small chance of goshawk but it's not really chunky enough.
@Tigermoth really super shot! So lucky to have watched and captured a successful hunt!
 
Fascinating! My husband caught the shot, he is a plane spotter and so is good at long lens fast shots.

I've never seen a buzzard round here, I've seen lots of sparrowhawks though so that would fit. It was a long way off so size tricky to determine.
 
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