Maybe it is a smoke screen, put in something likely to be found and something that won't. Everyone pats themselves on the back for finding the obvious one...

Why not just include the thing that won't be found and call it a day?

Including a red herring to invite extra scrutiny doesn't seem wise if you're trying to hide something.

Step 1: Get 3 pigs. Step 2: Number them 1, 2, and 4. ...

This seems highly likely.

You've probably meant: if they had chosen something much subtler we wouldn't be talking about it.