What do you all do with dead animals/skins/offal?

[Andy Carson]

I am probably going to be skirting around some minor legal issues here, but here goes. I am trying to figure out what to do with dead animals and parts that I keep running into. Dead groundhogs, dead raccoon, chicken heads, chicken guts, etc. I used to bury them (which I suspect is partly illegal) but then my dog got into the habit of digging them up and dragging them around the yard. I also tried to put them in a 5 gallon bucket with holes in it so the chickens could eat the maggots. This works ok, even though I still have bones and skin to get rid of, but my wife thinks this it the grossest and most embarrassing thing that she has ever heard of. Reguardless of how much this does or does not make sense, I have decided to forgo this concept for the sake of marital bliss. So, I went back to burying these parts put big rocks on top of the hole to keep my dog out. This works better, but is not entirely satisfatory. I hate going back into the same pile before everything degrades, which means I end up with several little piles of rocks, which is not what I wanted. I doubt a few carcasses are goign to make a big difference, but I also don’t really like burying things in the ground when I drink the water from under it. Again, a few animals aren’t probably goign to matter, but it is turning intot a steady (though small) stream of carcasses and it gives me pause. I thought about dumping the carcasses on the edge of my property where it’s more wooded for wild animals to partake in, but thought better of it because I don’t want to attrack predators. Some I can I get rid of in the household garbage, but the stink and insects it attracts in this heat is astounding. Also, it’s a bit much sometimes. I am looking for more efficient ideas. Any thoughts/techniques to share?

[Tim Harrigan]

You can compost it. Google mortality composting and see what comes up. Quite a bit of work on it at MSU.

[Carl Russell]

I bury most stuff in the active manure pile…… chicken carcasses, poultry slaughter offal, and other small stuff. Recently we had to bury one of our 500+ pound sows….. it was a hot day, late, last minute thing, so I just dug a hole with the bulldozer and pushed a pile of dirt over her, but we do intend to get more prepared for carcass composting.

Most small carcasses and poultry offal decompose in a matter of months. It is far superior to burying in the soil, and if you have fresh additions then it covers the scent, and so far I have not had a dog problem.

Carl

[jen judkins]

I compost as well. I have occasionally had a dog find a chicken leg or other body part, but pretty infrequently and usually because I did not bury it deep enough or turned something up when I turn the pile. Donn Hewes shared some photos of a percheron he composted a few years back. I have composted cats, hog parts and chickens successfully. I tend to haul the rodents and predators out into the woods for fear of disease…probably unwarranted, but we have fox and coyote very close by and I figure if I keep their bellies full, they are less likely to shop in my barnyard.

[Oxhill]

We tossed a dead coon in the hay field in the morning and it was being picked clean by no less than eight buzzards by the early afternoon! It amazes me how fast they can find a fresh carcass!

[Andy Carson]

i think I’ll try composting this stuff too. I can put a small piece of fencing around the mound to keep my dog out, if needed. It seems to be a simple process.

Andrew, your story reminds me of the first time I trapped a raccoon. After I killed it, I put in on a stick in the misguided belief that a dead raccon will be a deterant to other raccoons. This does not work very well, at least for me, but it does attract turkey vultures. I chased them off, though, because I had chicks in a pen with an open top at the time. I doubt really that they would fly into such a small area, but the risk wasn’t worth it. I buried that coon shortly afterwards, which started this whole story.

[Big Horses]

If it’s something big, (like a horse) we put it on top of a nearby mountain…. circle of life. If it’s smaller (calves), we put them about a mile from the house at the hayshed. The “locals” (coyotes, wolves, eagles, cats) will keep them cleaned up quickly.
John

[Gabe Ayers]

Lots of good ideas here. I will add that we process 500 chickens a summer, and have from time to time, had to compost dead calves or lambs. We use aerobic composting, and it is amazing how effective it is. In less than 10 weeks, we can turn all the offal from 225-250 broilers into nearly finished compost. The feathers and bones take a bit longer, but not much. Of course, the speed is greater mid-summer when temps promote excellent conditions for decay and bacterial/fungal growth. We use a heavy dose of pine shavings for carbon and the offal provides lots on nitrogen. Lots of oxygen from turning and a little water completes the recipe. A bin made of concrete trash blocks works well for us, and a sturdy lid will keep most critters out. This material is, by far, our best compost (better than the pile that has household food waste) and we use it all on our garden and pasture.
-Brad

[near horse]

Composting is considered the “legal and desirable means” in many states. I picked up a video form the recyclers who were at NEAPFD last time I went – think it was from Cornell. Tried it with my quarter horse nad amazing at how fast all soft tissue was gone.

Brad – what’s a concrete trash block?

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