What to do with chickens after they pass

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I’ve lost 4 chickens and two of the four were buried. The first was the Cornish cross pullet that I rescued from slaughter who passed away at 9 months of age while I was on my graduation trip and my father buried her for me. The second chicken that was buried was the only silkie pullet that lived longer than her siblings who died less than a week after I got them and I wasn’t really attached to those 2 so they went in the garbage. Most of my pets have been buried whether it was a special pet fish, a hamster, parakeets, guinea pigs, or chicken.

 

[eatwhatyougrow]

Mine get buried in the garden beds, I always have one each year that is resting so it goes in there.

 

[BantyChooks]

My concern with this method is drawing scavengers and predators closer to the coop, after which they might take a taste for live chicken. I suppose this doesn't worry you much?
The ground freezes here in PA too, so I am not able to bury them in the winter time either. I was always able to bury them in South Alabama.

Everything around already knows there's chickens and knows they're edible. Predators aren't dumb. If I started having issues I'd reconsider, but it's been 4 years and daytime predator attacks are few.

I toss them pretty far away from the coop, though.

 

[Then I Will]

Everything around already knows there's chickens and knows they're edible. Predators aren't dumb.

I toss them pretty far away from the coop, though.

Well, of course they're not dumb. It's just a food trail keeps them coming back. It's like leaving a sack of tuna on my porch and then expecting the feral cats to not hang out there.

 

[BantyChooks]

Well, of course they're not dumb. It's just a food trail keeps them coming back. It's like leaving a sack of tuna on my porch and then expecting the feral cats to not hang out there.

Yes, I see your point, and it's a very good one. It would probably be an issue if you have enough chooks that you have more than a few die per year.

Still, perhaps a more apt description would be running a catnip growing operation, and then sticking a few plants outside now and then. Cats would probably end up at your door either way, 'cause they're not smart enough to only check once a year!

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Yes, I see your point. Maybe if you have enough chooks that you have more than a few die per year.

I assume you leave them as far from your coop as possible

 

[happyhens1972]

I love mine dearly and would be heartbroken to lose any one of them but once they've gone, it seems a tragedy to waste them so I would give mine to the resident pair of buzzards that sit on our paddock fence each day, watching for opportunities. They cannot get to the live chickens so I have no concerns about encouraging them to the area. When I had to cull cockerel chicks recently, the buzzards appreciated the meal. If they died of anything I considered to be of risk to the buzzards, then I would burn the bodies. It is illegal in the UK to put them in the trash and I would be concerned that anything buried, would not remain so due to foxes, badgers or rats.

 

[BantyChooks]

I should note that so far I usually sell birds at ~2 years of age, which means that I have very low mortality rates for # of birds I keep.

I assume you leave them as far from your coop as possible

Not quite as far as possible, since I don't feel like walking across 10+ acres through uncleared brush, but they're a good distance away.

 

[Sublight]

I put them in the trash can. I dotn care what killed them.
Diseased - I want that gone off my property
Predator - What if it is diseased? I want it gone off my property.

The chicken is dead, it wont complain. At that point the alive chickens are my #1 priority.

 

[JurassicBawk]

I've got 2 acres that back up to woods with tons of owls and hawks, so if/when my quail die I take them back there and offer them up to the wildlife as they are small anyway. I only have 4 large chickens and if/when something happens to them I will probably put them in a bag, in a box, in the trash. I lost my 2 young bantams this year and that is what I did with them. I used to bury everything, but after having my dogs dig up and bring back a beloved chewed up guinea pig, I've reconsidered.

I used to run a dog rescue, and we've lost 7 in the last few years due to illness or old age since we kept the "hard to adopt" ones. If we had to have them put down I used to take them home and bury them, but the last few have been 75+ pounds and we let the vet send them for cremation. I still have the memories and their collar/tags, but don't have to worry about digging a massive hole and the other dogs disturbing it.