What do you do with your dead (chickens, ducks, quail, etc...)

[blackandtan]

I also have been known to taxidermy excess roos...they turn out beautiful and sell really well!

 

[The Phantom]

I also have been known to taxidermy excess roos...they turn out beautiful and sell really well!

Cool! Any pictures?

 

[room onthebroom]

I just thought of another! Once I did a necropsy on two peacocks for a neighbor and rather than bury them I called a guy that does taxidermy and he took them.

I assume that a peacock that's not going to be taxidermized would have its feathers removed to keep or sell. (Can you imagine the giant hole or fire pit you'd need for a full feathered pea?) Also, stupid question, but would a males tale feathers spread out while in rigor?

I will sometimes do taxidermy if it is a quail or pheasant. I have never done a chicken. Who else voted that they do taxidermy??? If is a weird death I will get a necropsy. Otherwise I will bury them or throw them in the trash.

I also have been known to taxidermy excess roos...they turn out beautiful and sell really well!

3 votes for taxidermy... That is pretty cool!

 

[dpenning]

I double/triple bag chicks or juvenile birds, and trash them. Older/beloved birds get buried. I lay 2 branches on top of the grave in a cross, as a memorial, and also to verify that nothing dug it up.
I haven’t processed any for eating yet. Illness or accidental deaths only, so we haven’t eaten any of them.
Trapped predators get shot and tossed out in the woods.

Excellent thread Room! I hadn’t considered incineration. Might have to think on that. I have an outdoor fire place.

I would think burning feathers would stink pretty bad. Not sure I would want to do that in a fireplace.

 

[blackandtan]

No the tails usually contract at the time of death..I have a peacock in the freezer right now and I can't imagine how much space he'd take up if the tail was all fanned out!

 

[WVduckchick]

Since I primarily am interested in Guinea Fowl. I was considering at one time rather than plucking, skinning.... A whole pelt processed can be sold to fly tie people.... so I went on some Taxidermy sites... Oh wow what a process.

Last time I looked The fly tying sites sold whoole pelts ranging from Guinea Fowl to Peacocks....

Packing in Salt or borax. Is only Part of the process... When you get done you essentially have made leather out of the pelt.

I decided I am not so dedicated.... LOL... Though I may give it a try... I still want to keep feathers for Art projects...

Mostly collected during molt.

deb

I really want to try fly-tying. Hubby had all the equipment at one time and gave it all to a friend.
But now that I’m raising cream legbars, i really want to learn.

Totally! I do just bird taxidermy and my parents do mammals. Here is a picture of a bufflehead I did.
View attachment 1536963

Beautiful. I’d also be interested in that article!
I mounted a couple of wild turkey fans myself, but I didn’t do whatever I needed to do to the base of the tail, and they rotted.
We have mounted a few deer skulls though.

I would think burning feathers would stink pretty bad. Not sure I would want to do that in a fireplace.

It’s an outdoor fire pit, just a small square brick base. Not really a true fireplace. Has grates over the top, we did boil the deer skulls on it. That truly stinks to high heaven.

 

[dpenning]

Well when what you raise is what you eat . You are used to putting animals down . So if they get down bad sick and there is no hope . Chickens if they are injured like a broken leg I give them to anybody at the flea market that wants a free chicken . Bad wounds they get put down . Could call out a vet but that cost money . I bury the horses dogs cats and rabbits they are pets. My kids have had me build more than one pet coffin .I call the rendering plant for the cows. The chickens feed the wildlife. Possom coons and such . I learned at a very young age killing animals is a way of life for farm and rural raised people like me . If a cow broke a leg straight to the slaughter house and in the freezer . I remember @ dan26552 posted he saw bacon when looking at the new litter of piglets Farmer Dan What other people do is their business . I had one customer that buried so many horses around the old cemetery on her farm , when they subdivided the farm. They called one road horse cemetery road .I dug the grave and buried every one of them horses . @room onthebroom figured I better post on the dead chicken tread too.

What does a rendering plant do with an animal that is what I’ve heard referred to as DDD (down dead or dying)? I guess technically they could find their way into the pet food supply?

 

[Molpet]

What does a rendering plant do with an animal that is what I’ve heard referred to as DDD (down dead or dying)? I guess technically they could find their way into the pet food supply?

yes and that is why there have been a bunch of pet food recalls for euthanasia drugs in pet food

 

[The Phantom]

I really want to try fly-tying. Hubby had all the equipment at one time and gave it all to a friend.
But now that I’m raising cream legbars, i really want to learn.



Beautiful. I’d also be interested in that article!
I mounted a couple of wild turkey fans myself, but I didn’t do whatever I needed to do to the base of the tail, and they rotted.
We have mounted a few deer skulls though.



It’s an outdoor fire pit, just a small square brick base. Not really a true fireplace. Has grates over the top, we did boil the deer skulls on it. That truly stinks to high heaven.

Did you salt them or dig out the fat? That is normally why they will rot.

 

[WVduckchick]

Did you salt them or dig out the fat? That is normally why they will rot.

I just cut at the base of the tail. I think I sprayed some clear polyurethane on the stub to try to seal it. The feathers didn't rot, just the bony area that I kept. I think. Its been a few years, but I might be able to find a pic.