Safety with Livestock and small Children

[Suey73]

I am absolutely floored by the lack of concern and safety shown by some people.  I was raised with Livestock  both hogs and cattle.   I have been chased over gates by cattle and hogs.   I've also been attacked by a sow.  I was on my back in a nice green pasture with 500 pounds of mean red spotted sow over me.  She looked like an alligator to me.   Luckily Tom was not hurt when I saved him  so he could save me.  We ordered  a farrowing house with 32 farrowing crates the next month.   Ladies and Gentlemen,  you NEVER should allow young children in a pen after a pig farrows  NEVER!  Only a child big enough to jump a gate in a single bound.    A pig in another pen could squeal and the new mother could be up and in attack mode in a split second.    I don't care if she was a pet,  I don't care if you think you know your animals.

Raising livestock is not all rainbows and unicorns.   Hogs, and cattle can be protective and MEAN.   Yes,  I'm an old lady, but a very experienced old lady.   DO NOT show me or anyone else pictures of your young child in the pen with a brand new litter of pigs!   Be warned  if I see another such picture .... I'll be in attack mode. 

[mike se il]

Where did you see such foolishness?

[Suey73]

The Facebook page.    I warned one woman with a private message. And I was told she knew her hogs.   It was a few months ago  but at least she did take the picture down.   The latest one shows a child  laying on top of a new sow with littler.  When I looked last night  wayyyyy down no one had posted anthing under her picture.  I want to rip her a good one. 

[mike se il]

My Dad taught me at a very young age two things to be very cautious around were bulls and sows with pigs.  And you had a better chance of survival with the bull

[turkey feather]

Of course you are correct, sows are not predicable!

I saw where three sisters in Canada were killed in a farm accident. Do you know what happened ?

[SDFarmGal]

I too hated seeing the pic of the small child laying on the "pet" sow!  She may have been a pet but now shes a momma and can change in a flash.   What happened to teaching Farm Safety?  I watched a 8 year old get tapped on the head with a grain auger going to dump on a Semi when his dad stood there and watched.  Not cool!  Farms are not a play ground for your kids...even when you are raising them on the farm and they live there....They still need to be taught to respect the animals and taught that you need to be safe!  There are places that kids should never be left unattended!  If a kid is on our farm with or with out their parents, we do not hesitate to speak up about what is and is not OK and are firm with our rules.   I have a horse who is very sweet, but...He is also a 1100 lb animal and can hurt a small kid who is not being safe.  No kids in the barn with out one of us...If you get caught ...be ready to hear about it!  Even just trying to feed him grass that you "picked for him" he can bite your hand unintentionally....Teach them safety that they can take with them for the future!!

[manureseller]

Thank you Suey for putting words to what I have been feeling.  I too grew up with hogs and we were very careful around sows and even finishers.  Dad didn't want us in a pen until we were old enough to jump the fence if needed.  We learned how to use sorting boards early and often and Dad routinely did chores with a hammer in hand because he had a sow come after him.  Even the pictures of the new borns in the milking barns or cattle barns checking cows make me cringe.  1 head butt or crow hop from a mad mamma can do so much damage.  I know that accidents happen way to often but some of that is our responsibility to help make it NOT happen.

As for the farm accident up in Canada that killed 3 sisters.  It sounds like they were playing in the back of a canola truck as it was being unloaded and got sucked down and sufficated.  I cringe because as a kid we played in loaded wagons and empty wagons all the time.  Dad would yell at us to not do it when he caught us but we were young and stupid and darn lucky to not be seriously injured.  It sounds like a very tragic accident and my prayers to the family.

[momdev]

What was she thinking? I've had gilts turn on me. If you've ever seen a gilt or sow savage their young, you instantly know that kids do NOT belong in a pen with piglets and the mama - or as some call them "bacon" and "bacon bits". Seriously, these are 300 pound and larger animals with a fierce mothering instinct!

[Kay/NC]

Oh, gad! I have " insulted" another one over there.  She is all up in my puppy's potty training breaks now.... 

You girls need to mosey over and follow the fray.  I am dumber than mud, as always....

[SLC]

I missed the FB picture as usual..    I agree with everyone here.    There is nothing more fierce than a sow with new piglets.. I don't care how tame she was as a pig.   Cows and bulls are the next thing.  Some of the worst cows are old show heifers as they have had that respect for space tamed out of them.   They will not hesitate to turn on the hand that fed them when they have a new baby.  This is the hard part for kids to understand - how their good friend of last year has turned into pure evil with a new baby.   We do cull on disposition but even so, we expect them to be protective for the first week or so.     I had an encounter with a mama goat last spring that caught me off guard.  I was on the other side of the fence and reached over to grab one of her kids.  It bleated when I picked it up and she hit the fence so hard it shook.   So new moms.. you never can tell.