What do you do with your chickens when they die?

[Angel07]

We either use them to set traps if needed or chuck them on the bonfire. Our family isn’t allowed ‘favourite chickens’ (I have one anyway but she’s not getting a burial when she dies.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

All of my birds are pets, so they get buried out in the yard. Normally under the orange tree where they liked to hang out when they were living.

 

[nuthatched]

Either driven out to the woods and dumped or in the garbage bin, our ground is too hard to dig deep so it's a big deal to bury our real pets but chickens get a simple moment of silence and take a trip out of town either way. Even my favorite chickens aren't pets.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

I bury them under fruit trees or the perennial plants like Peony. One pullet, the first bird I lost, loved blueberries so much - it's the only thing she was willing to eat at the end of her life. So, she body went to the blueberry after her soul left for the rainbow bridge.

 

[Saaniya]

I am sorry to hear that. I am trying to make my rooster my friend. Its going okay so far.

Yes pls they are the best pals trust me and they love unconditionally my teetee was a 4.5 years old leghorn shy type rooster very gentle I wish someday I meet him and raise him again

 

[-Flash-]

We once had a bird die while we were away, the caretaker disposed of the body. Probably trashed it.

Lucky he/she got rid of it! Once -last year- I came back from holidays and one of our wonderful hens was dead, had been for 2ish days. She stunk. Poor Cheeky...

 

[629522]

We have a spot out in the pasture under some trees. Unfortunately we have quite a few, a lot of chicks that didn't survive and my sweet Colonel Mustard. One day I want to plant a rose bush or chick weed. But it will have to be fenced to keep out my gelding.

 

[Sally PB]

All of mine will be buried when their time comes. In the garden, by the fruit trees... They gave me their lives, I want to give their remains back to the soil.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I live on a wooded property with very rooty soil, so there are only a few areas that can be dug down into to bury birds. Because of this, I reserve those spots for the particularly special birds so that I have a memorial site for them.

The rest of my birds are cremated so that their ashes blow out over the woods they spent their lives free-ranging in.

On very rare occasions, when the weather won't cooperate or I just don't have the time to supervise a cremation, I will hike the remains to the very back of the woods, as far away from the coop as possible, and leave them there for the wildlife to consume. I'm sure that our predators are well aware of where the chickens are, but I'd just rather not have them associate the area anywhere near the coop with a source of food.

 

[BestLittleHenhouseInGV]

Hello ya'll

Since I recently lost 2 of my favorite chickens for unrelated issues. It got me to thinking...what do you do with your chickens when they die? Do you bury them? Throw them in the trash? Eat them? I am curious. I have started a chicken cemetery it seems. That is definitely not my future plan. I was just curious to know what everyone does with their chickens when they die.

Thanks!

We used to bury ours, but found the foxes dig them up and spread the bones around. Harrowing.