Disposing of the deceased

[OHbluecoop]

ok folks have you ever thought of composting them? We have a large pile of sawdust and whenever we have a death - and believe me its tragic my DS silver spangled hamburg roo named buddy died dec 6th with lots of tears. However, i have convinced the kids that where there's life ther's death- we all die sometime. Lets put it to good use - if we compost it it heats up and gets rid of any disease it might of had, in the sawdust it seems to take care of the odor ( 3 dogs and the haven't dug them up yet) We even did this with our prize Jersey heifer 2 years ago that died (I cried all night about that one

worth well over $3000 not counting the calf that was in her: th if they have souls which i have mixed feeling on that one, they don't need their bodies anyway

 

[Galaxie_Man]

If it is one of the regular pets, it has probably been euthanized by my wife at work, due to illness or old age/quality of life. The body is then picked up by a company called In-Serv, that does cremations. If you want, they will package the ashes in a decorative tin and return them to the owner. We have all of our dogs on the bookshelf in our bedroom. As far as the chickens have gone, 3 were cremated in this way after the dogs killed them and not returned, and the other three that died were necropsied and disposed of by the University of Connecticut. When we lived at our old house and my daughter was young, we had the obligatory pet cemetary in the flower bed under her bedroom window for the assorted small pets she had.

 

[lacyloo]

I have a pet cematary on the edge of our woods, this is were our , dogs, cats, or special animals go , are latest was a few months ago, we lost our goose to a bobcat.
I have never had a animal dug up before.

 

[eggchel]

My dead birds go in the city compost bin. Their compost pile is gigantic and they will take all types of yard/garden waste, any type of food (including meat and bones) and all paper associated with eating (napkins, paper towels, egg cartons, paper plates/cups, etc) plus dog and cat feces! My little compost pile cant handle most of that stuff so I just put the cage droppings, some of the coop shavings, and some grass trimmings in it. Everything else, including dead birds, goes to the city pile.

However, I wouldnt use any of the compost that the city produces and offers back to us because it might be full of pesticides and who-knows-what.

Chel

 

[SpottedCrow]

My Turtle, my Frog and my baby Crow all got dug up, so I double bagged Tom and Slifer with some food and treats for their journeys and put them out in the trash...after saying some prayers. I couldn't have beared seeing them dug up too...

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

When my rooster Chico was killed by a raccoon, we put the remains in a wood crate and then placed him on a roaring fire in our burn barrel. Although we were very sad that day, we both looked at each other & smiled when a plume of white smoke went up, & there was a smell of bbq chicken in the air. I didn't want him to be dug up if we buried him, so thats why we cremated him. I saved a bone that is with a feather of his & his picture. He was the only roo I've ever had.

 

[spottedtail]

For chickens, cats, and smaller animals, a hole bored by an auger works well. About five feet deep... or more.
The deceased animal lies at the bottom and is covered by 8 to 10" of well-tamped soil. Then the next animal...and so on. If the hole isn't full yet, it can be covered with a large flat stone to prevent accidents.
Fill the top 12" with soil only. Then fasten a wire mesh over the filled hole.
Together, the vertical hole and wire should combine to foil diggers and save burial space.

spot

 

[MandyH]

Big pets get a special grave dug for them at/near their favorite place here on the farm. Like our old ewe sheep had a favorite spot she always laid in the shade under the tree after she got old and I buried her there with a cross at the head of her grave. Small animals like rabbits, chicks and chickens get thrown on the burn pile where we discard all our paper, wood materials and shavings from cleaning out pens and brooders. We live out in the sticks and I do not like to wake up and see last nights burial scattered across my yard. Also it is just easier to burn everything fairly often and keep predators and the stink away.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Disease (and the proper disposal afterwards) deserves due consideration and there are state regulations and laws which (deservedly so) need to be observed with some...you can get a lot of help and advice on this from your local state extension office. Personally thankgoodness I have not had to deal with such. We have a little pet cemetary... We buy a tin box slightly larger (my children choose) and surround the bird with kitty litter in it (need I explain?) after wrap all in (trash bag plastic) placing stones on top and then bury it a couple feet under.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Our backyard has been the burial ground for hamsters, cats, dogs and two chickens. It is a wonderful tribute to their little souls to have their resting places be somewhere they knew in case they might still be wandering around. I spend so much time in the backyard that it wouldn't hurt my feelings to be cremated and scattered out there after I die!

We have always buried our furry little friends. The cat, Sarah, that we had for 14 years is buried behind the shed and I could swear that I feel her get on the bed some nights and curl up beside my leg...
Darlene