Pig vs Goat?

Question

What would be better to get as a backyard pet? Which is more fun? Do you know of any websites where I can get information on owning a pig or a goat? I may end up showing so please give me websites where I can get information on that! Thanks alot

Answer 1

Both are great fun to own, and if they are kept properly and cleaned out often neither smell to bad, (the exception being an entire male goat)

Pigs will root round in the yard, and can make quite a mess, they are fairly easy to contain if you use electric sheep netting. A tame pig loves to be scratched and you can play with them.

I agree with a previous answer, if you want to show, choose a goat, so much easier to show an animal that you can halter, and they are fun to train.

For more info on showing and keeping pigs have a look at these two links.
http://www.thewonderpigs.com/raising.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5782_show-pig-showring.html

For Goats, check these out:
http://216.120.158.109/youth.taf?_function=topic_detail&topic_id=380&project=142
http://www.goatsgalora.com/AboutOurGoats.html

Good luck, and enjoy whichever you choose to buy

Answer 2

Goats can have a pungent smell. A friend had one, a male, he ran around lose in the yard. Sometimes he try to fight us, just grab a horn and steer him away.
I had a pig, very clean and fun. My horse would lay with the pig and they sun together. People would say, they had never seen a pig so clean.
Both can be shown, but, I would prefer the pig. Your State and County Fairs have the information on showing, what required. Also, talk with the Agriculture Teacher at a local high school, they know a lot about showing and may help you find a good animal for this.
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~pazzani/4H/Pigs.html#showmanship
In the Blue Pages of the phone book. Look in County Offices and find "Cooperative Extension Office" these people have all kinds of stuff and most is free. They can help put you in contact with Fairs and provide free information on raising your animal.

Answer 3

If you live in the city I would check to see if you can have either animal where you live, if your found to have an animal that isn't allowed where you live then the law can confiscate the animal. In my opinion I like goats better than pigs as they aren't has hard to care for. Pigs will burrow under fences and they smell if you don't clean them every other day! As for showing it's MUCH easier to show a goat rather than a pig as you can't put halters on pigs they just roam free in the show ring and you guide them with a show stick. I'd say go with the goat.

Answer 4

I showed pigs and they're WONDERFUL animals however I'd never keep mine in the backyard. They're destructive.

Goats are more destructive and can have a mean streak. They eat EVERYTHING including the roots of your grass so that you'd have a barren backyard eventually.

Neither make a good backyard pet but if I had to choose I'd pick a pig. They're smart and fun and trainable like a dog.

Answer 5

I can't offer any personal experience about owning swine. I have 4 goats as backyard pets and highly recommend them. They behave like (quiet) dogs, greeting me when I come home, begging to be petted. My bucks are wethered ("neutered") but the doe is intact. The herd of 4, ages ranging from 3 months to 3 years get along extremely well. They play head-butt and king-of-the-mountain daily. They are a herd animal, and will be unhappy if kept in singles. Get two or more at the same time.

They are very clean. The urine is somewhat pungent, but the droppings are similar to rabbit pellets. They sleep together in their goat shack, and gather there during rain. (They HATE to be wet.) They get along well with my dog, chickens, and turkeys. These are small Nigerian dwarf goats, so as fully grown, weigh about 35 - 40lbs (about the size of a collie.) They require no maintenance as long as they have an area to play. Otherwise, their hooves may need occasional trimming.

They don't root, but they nibble on grass without eating it down to the roots. They enjoy fresh tree leaves and happily stand on their hind legs to gain more reach. I keep 4 goats on 3/4 acre and could easily get by with half of that area. I supplement their free-ranging with chicken scratch ($6/50 lbs) and provide a mineral/salt block.

For me, they are like a very friendly, playful dog without the bark. No piles to scoop, low maintenance, easily handled and easily fed. My dog needs to take some lessons from them.

You can find all sorts of goat info at the link posted below.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Rabbits are somewhat more beneficial messy to safeguard in my opinion, and that i recognize for particular that rats will be potty experienced. i love rats because you may carry them round on your blouse, yet I wager you would possibly want to do this with guinea pigs for a lengthy time period. Rabbits are warmth, vast, and fuzzy tho...dang. i'm rethinking this. Any rodent, guy, searching on what you opt to do with them. Rats are sturdy animals to maintain out of the cage and draw close out with on your own turf. i imagine rabbits are tremendous for fiddling with outdoors contained in the exterior or in a fenced section (like a poultry pen). No clue about guinea pigs.

Answer 7

pygmy goats are fabulous pets. They are sweet, even tempered, and love attention. I've got two, and they think that they're dogs (though they can't be potty trained, so don't even THINK of bringing them indoors).

There are so many pygmy goat clubs and shows, it's impossible to list all of them.... but they are a really fun pet, and great for backyards. No need for a lawnmower.

Hope that helps.

Answer 8

I would choose a goat. I have 2. They make really cute noises. Pigs are loud and smell no matter what!
Pigs will eat ANYTHING! My neighbors have 2 of them and they don't have a lot more grass. If you wan't an animal that is fun, sweet, cute and productive, I would choose a goat. If you wan't a more smelly, easy to train, and would eat anything it is able to see, I would choose a pig. I have done research on them and heard that they don't have any natural predators.