Hello again Miss Dottie may I ask your opinion on something again please? We have some wild mushrooms pop up in our back yard from time to time and I'm always on the look out for them as I don't know any thing about them being poisonous or not and worry I might miss one and Diesel eats it. Have you ever come across this before?
It's one of those questions that you might get different answers on, but I believe that mother nature has given our pigs the good sense to know the good or safe mushrooms from bad or poisonous ones. They are pigs after all. They eat to live and love to eat.
Where I live here in central FL we get the garden variety mushroom that pops up now and then and none of my pigs bother with them (see picture above). In fact I have watched them eat around them. I have also lived in the beautiful mountains of Idaho where several varieties of mushrooms grew. Some were for eating (morel mushrooms) and some not. Again, my pigs didn't want anything to do with any variety...good thing we never went truffle hunting.
Mushrooms from the store are fine, and the pigs here prefer either the ones from a can or that the fresh ones be cooked either in water, olive oil, or butter! They don't like them raw. Who said pigs aren't picky eaters.
There is no reason to panic when mushrooms pop up in your yard, our pigs instinctively know to stay away from the poisonous ones. However, if you feel better checking your yard for mushrooms before your pig goes out please do. Remember these pigs have survived on their own for MANY years in the wild without our help. I am a firm believer that mother nature has instilled in them which plants are safe and which aren't...which mushrooms are safe to eat and which are poisonous.
Are wild mushrooms safe for pigs is the question on one forum. There is a man the comes around and picks them all, dries them and sends them to Italy as presents for his family. Two of the answers are: I've found with our Kunes, they seem to be very careful about what they eat - they seem to know not to touch bluebells or foxgloves for example. I'm guessing if this guy is picking them, then they'll be OK unless he's fallen out with his family. 😉 Another reply; we have a lot of wild mushrooms here and the pigs aren't ill.
Pigs know what to eat in their foraging. It is a very hungry pig who will eat any wild food that is unsafe.