There's been a lot of death around the farm this weekend...
One was planned and one was not.
We had planned on butchering our Pekin ducks this weekend and that went according to plan.
Coming back from church and finding our favorite pig with his neck ripped open was not.
I know that there is life and death on a farm, but my heart hurts to think that pig was in pain. He had to have been. He was laying outside the pen, so he must have gotten out. He was in the pen with the other three before church and something happened in the meantime. I'm not even kidding when I say it looked like someone tried to cut off his head from the top down. We looked and looked for a clue as to what happened. Jon blamed Max right away, which I knew he didn't do. I've seen Max with blood on him and there was not a single drop of blood anywhere to be found on him.
We eventually did find a few drops and smears of blood around the females and into the bull pen. My guess is that he got caught on barb wire trying to go under, panicked and ripped his neck open. Jon thinks that a stray dog or coyote got to him. We won't ever know, unless I can get Max to speak human.
Like I said, I know there is life and death on a farm, but seeing an animal in so much pain was difficult. The most difficult part was we only had a shotgun, instead of a .22. Thankfully our neighbor had the gun and my husband was able to put him out of his misery. That helpless feeling was overwhelming at times last night because I COULD NOT MAKE IT BETTER. You may think I'm too attached to a pig, but this guy was special. He was always the first to run up to you for a rub and was just a friendly guy. Next time, if there is a next time, we will be more prepared.
I'm sorry. That sounds really traumatic. :(
I don't think it was a stray dog or coyote. My guess was either Max or one of the other boars. But, as you said, none of them had blood on them. We may never know.
It's too bad that he had to suffer. I just wish we could have butchered him. I was going to try to dress him but I figured that he was injured long enough that the meat would be pretty tough.
Sometimes the arrival of death to an animal of interest is a real surprise. Perhaps there's a cautionary lesson in that.
Two years a go a brand new mare of mine was zapped dead by lightening just after she proved to be a really good horse on trail. Just out there grazing and zapped.