what to do with deceased birds in winter?

[cmom]

deenamr. I see you have been lurking in the background for a few months.

Quote:
I agree with you. I would bag them up too and put them in the freezer until they could be properly burried.

 

[vermontgal]

Any small animal vet will offer cremation services. However, it may be expensive.

Based on illness, I am not sure that I would want to put into a freezer that you use for food. I believe viruses can survive being frozen; medical researchers have recently recovered some of the 1918 flu virus from frozen bodies of people that died of it. I happened to look this up recently because I was very ill after insulating my tenant's attic, and I had pulled out some old newspaper clippings and a medicine bottle from early 1919, while the 1918 flu was still running through the U.S. So I wanted to know under what conditions that virus could survive. Frozen, yes. Attic conditions, no.

So I would think it is better to burn vs. freeze. And not compost.

 

[unionwirewoman]

Maybe you could just take it to the dump ?

 

[motherbear]

You could give your county/city animal control office a call. They may offer the service at less expense than a vet, or they could refer you. Good luck!!

 

[LynneP]

If you know someone with a manure pile who does not have a flock, they may allow you to bury under one edge...eventually the bodies compost and even the bones are good for the soil. It's always good courtesy to sprinkle the carcasses with ground limestone or a coop/stable product - keeps odors down until composting is well under way.

 

[Poler]

Place in plastic trash bag, and place in trash can...?

 

[patandchickens]

You're usually not allowed to dispose of animal carcasses in municipal garbage. Not to say it isn't sometimes done. Just sayin' it may not be legal.

I wouldn't put sick bird carcasses out where wild birds could get into them.

What Lynne says about composting is actually a pretty good option providing you can find someone with a big enough hot enough pile. There is information available on the web if you google -- this is a major way that commercial poultry farms dispose of dead birds, the technology of it is pretty well worked out.

Good luck (and sorry you're having to go thru this),

Pat

 

[MicMoo]

We live in an urban area and have curbside "yardwaste" pickup in our city every other week. I don't know if it's legal, but we've put dead critters into the yardwaste can for the city to compost.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Quote:
probably not legal.

My mom isnt using her freezer, so if anything happens to one of the girls during the winter she will be brought there til spring. Then buried like the rest of our pets

 

[funkychickenowner]

I would just bring way up into the woods away from the house and let nature do its course just like we do with the remnants of our deer carcasses after hunting season