It's pretty crazy how different two hives can behave, even right next to each other. You can have one that gets really angry while the other is completely calm. One thing to keep in mind is that people assume bees need flowers, but depending on where they live, some bees get the large majority of their nectar/pollen from trees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Northern_American_nectar_sources_for_honey_bees

One the pig/cow thing, that is definitely something people do. Pigs are really good at packing on weight, but feed costs money. They eat most things humans do, so you can feed them all sorts of kitchen scraps, wormy apples, or whatever you can get your hands on.