# Awkward Question



## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

What do you do with dead goats? I know my uncle takes his dead animals to a place that has loins and tigers (no, not the zoo) so they can cut up the dead livestock to feed to the wild cats. What options are available for disposal and what is your preferred method?


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

Haven't had to dispose of one yet, but fastening it in an area where I could use it as coyote bait would be an interesting option!

I have another question about dead goats, but will start my own morbid thread instead of hijacking this one.

Bob


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I would just bury them ... if they were here long enough to pass away I would consider them pets.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

My goats are considered pets and get a buriel.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

If the meat is safe, I would eat them. Otherwise I bury them. But even with Nigerians it takes a pretty big hole.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Umm , I would bury them .


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

We've only lost one and it was in the middle of winter so we put her in a feed bag and through it away...


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

I would salvage the meat if I could, otherwise I would compost the remains, rather than just bury them.


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## kristinatucker (Jan 3, 2012)

We lost a goat to bloat and took her to Nashville where the state does a free autopsy. You dont get the body back after that. If I didnt take her there though I would bury here at her home here.


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## LJH (Aug 27, 2012)

Mine are pets and when the time comes, they'll be buried in our pet cemetery along with all our other furchildren who've passed. Regardless of cause of death, once I've named an animal I don't eat it. 

There's a pet crematorium not far from here who will also do small livestock, my friend took her pet pig there after she died and has the ashes in an urn.

Most of the ranchers I know will dig a hole in the pasture, right next to the animal, and bury it there. (Pretty much everybody around here has a backhoe.) A few have a 'dead pit' and fill as necessary.


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## HamiltonAcresBoers (May 9, 2012)

We have a bad predator problem so we can't burry. We have to burn or throw away. /:


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## LJH (Aug 27, 2012)

HamiltonAcresBoers said:


> We have a bad predator problem so we can't burry. We have to burn or throw away. /:


Wow! What kind of predators? We have coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats and the occasional bear and have yet to have a grave disturbed.


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## HamiltonAcresBoers (May 9, 2012)

LJH said:


> Wow! What kind of predators? We have coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats and the occasional bear and have yet to have a grave disturbed.


Mountain lion have become a big issue here. I'd never seen a cougar in Kansas until I saw one killing a doe and stealing her kid on our property. They've been coming around more and more.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

With kids, I put them in strong plastic bags, store them in the freezer and then dispose of them either on garbage collection day or in our biohazard bins at work (these are emptied once a fortnight). Same with placentas. 

With big ones, I used to take them to a friends place and put out in the bush to let nature take care of them. Cant do that anymore, I have burned them before (much easier than burying) and this year I sadly had to bury one of my girls, first goat I've had to bury.


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## fd123 (May 29, 2012)

Unfortunately ive had to bury 2 so far. Ive yet to have anything attemp to dig them up. Id think if you bury them 5ft or better like i do, the chance of having something dig them up would be "slim to none". The vet told me that it was state law to bury livestock a minimum of either 5 or 6 ft deep here in Georgia. ( i forgot the exact minimun depth that he told me!) But i havent researched the law to verify because , it makes good sense to me to bury as deep as possible anyway..


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## dobe627 (Oct 16, 2007)

We bury too


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

Without a backhoe, most of us ain't gonna be digging no 5ft hole!!!!

Bob


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## MOgoatlady (Oct 23, 2012)

thankfully havn't lost a goat yet, but when we lose an animal we harvest what we can off of it (meat and skin usually) and leave the rest for nature to take care of. I personally believe it is more natural than burial.


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

I'm actually surprised no one else has mention composting. It can be done all year round, is relatively easy to do, and is safe and effective when done correctly, and the animal keeps on giving after its death. While you don't want to use the finished compost on your garden, you can put it on non-human-food crops (hay, corn, wheat, etc.) to fertilize trees, or spread on your lawn.


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## fd123 (May 29, 2012)

I agree with you Mogoatlady...I hate wasting food period!!! Of anykind because i know something could eat it...But i cant just throw them in the woods behind the house for the fear of attracting predators around my livestock... Ive stopped throwing anything in the woods since ive gotten goats...
And come on Bob...i didnt say i was digging threw rocks...im ONLY 40 (still got plenty of STAMINA) lol.... so maybe thats it..??..where ive dug 5 ft holes..i must admit that the ground was "KINDA" soft....lol...


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

I too bury my dead animals. Alas, the ground here is a thin coating of soil over limestone, with the occasional granite mixed in for fun (yay glacial action). I've found that I dig a hole as deep as I can by hand, deposit the animal, cover with soil, and then gather slabs of rock to cover the hole with. Since I can't get deep enough, the rocks are insurance against things digging them up. 

I managed to find a small granite boulder with gorgeous pink quartz mixed into the matrix of the rock. That is on Twix's grave, along with limestone slabs.


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## MollyLue9 (Oct 14, 2012)

caprine crazy said:


> What do you do with dead goats? I know my uncle takes his dead animals to a place that has loins and tigers (no, not the zoo) so they can cut up the dead livestock to feed to the wild cats. What options are available for disposal and what is your preferred method?


And bears oh my? Sorry I know it's a serious topic.


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

Stacykins said:


> I too bury my dead animals. Alas, the ground here is a thin coating of soil over limestone, with the occasional granite mixed in for fun (yay glacial action). I've found that I dig a hole as deep as I can by hand, deposit the animal, cover with soil, and then gather slabs of rock to cover the hole with. Since I can't get deep enough, the rocks are insurance against things digging them up.
> 
> I managed to find a small granite boulder with gorgeous pink quartz mixed into the matrix of the rock. That is on Twix's grave, along with limestone slabs.


You saw em do that in all them old westerns didn't ya!

Bob


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

If it was one of our meat goats, if it were safe to eat we probably would- sorry just a fact. My little ND would just be buried. As for coyote bait I think it would work if you used a call also, otherwise it seems it would be more of a chance of them coming across it. 
As for putting some rocks over it, that a good idea. My hubby burried a wether carcass, and not deep enough!, and the stupid neighbors chickens kept scratching the ground and partially uncovered it.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

Arkie said:


> You saw em do that in all them old westerns didn't ya!
> 
> Bob


It sure does work great! I understand why people do it! Thankfully I have a tractor to help me pickup rocks that I couldn't otherwise move without a big team of oxen, hah!


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## MOgoatlady (Oct 23, 2012)

right now we put small animals, such as the ones my husband traps, at the very back edge of our property, and he is also setting out raccoon and coyote traps out there. when our calf died we were lucky enough to be able to take it to my father-in-laws bone pile (he keeps cattle). you may talk to someone around you that keeps large animals and see if you can use their disposal.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

We used to have to Bury or burn, but our land fill started allowing the disposal of small livestock(sheep/goats) and cats/dogs, so know we take them to our land fill(dump).


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I love just about all my goats, I would go out and bury them, then they coyotes would dig them up so then I would just put them in a special place since they would end up getting ate any ways. Then after 3 months of shoothing coyotes since they had the tast of goat I now burn them. If its summer and cant burn then I take them to our other place 30 miles away and drop them off. I was asked by a friend if he could have the dead for his cattle dogs, and as much as I am heart broke when one does die even if its a new born I think I would rather them go to some kind of good use then feed those nasty coyotes (can you tell I have a strong hate for them lol)


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## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

Burying wouldn't be the best choice in my case because my goat is a big Boer and we don't have a backhoe. I should mention that my goat isn't dead or on her last leg. I just like to be prepared. I have thought about composting and burning. Could you burn out in the open or would it have to be contained? Would it just be easier to send the body to a crematorium?


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## LaZyAcres (Aug 25, 2010)

Though it is an awkward question, I'm glad you asked because I haven't really planned for that and haven't lost a goat yet, thank God. I don't have a skid loader and don't think with our ground (clay) that I'd be able to hand dig past 3 feet so I'm going to investigate the pet crematorium idea. I know there is one locally but don't know their rules yet. As for the other occasional deaths that occur, like mice, moles, birds & rabbits, those I toss out for nature to do its job.


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## MOgoatlady (Oct 23, 2012)

In my mind its good that you are concerned about it long (I hope) before the fact. In the event that something does happen you will have a plan, and not have the added stress of the unknown as well as the loss. Good luck with however you choose, and may it not come to pass for a good long while!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I agree mogoatlady, it is one of those things that are not on the top or our list to be thinking of. We have had a handful of people that have had horses that passed and here you can not bury a horse, and can get into big trouble for the smell, when they find this all out they end up calling us so they can put their horses on our place. I have only had to burn on large goat, I have only lost 3 does ever, but they way I burned her was pile brush on top of her, A LOT OF BRUSH. Most of the burning has been kids . Maybe you could do what the horse people have done and just find someone that has the space to bury your goat there. But again if you dont have a tractor and you hand dig it, its just a waist of time and energy because something will end up getting her in the end.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Well , I feel that burying the animal gives you a finality and a sort of respect to the relationship you had with it.
Its what I feel comfortable doing and it also gives me a sense of peace with burying. 
I agree , something will eventually get at the body , but out of site out of mind and also , I wouldnt want to see a predator eating away at my beloved animal , even though they are dead and long gone.
That just gives me a horrible feeling to even think about.
Just my honest opinion.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

^^^^No I totaly agree with you.....My main thing about not burying is the fact that I dont want anything to have the tast of goat. Last year I lost a few older does and some kids when we had a cold spell, I never lost a kid to coyotes before they got the tast of goat off my dead. As much as I would love that piece of mind to know that my beloved it buryed, I have to think about the live ones. Also if you dont have a large piece of land and you have to see where your animal has been buryed and you look out one day and see your animal have ate weeks later, it breaks your heart all over again.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I completely understand . I dont have any real predators here , fox , thats about it .. So I can understand why you cant bury and not having the room to bury too.
You have to do what you have to do , bottom line.
And your right , it would break your heart all over again , once is enough IMO


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## GoatsLive (Jul 1, 2012)

Arkie said:


> Without a backhoe, most of us ain't gonna be digging no 5ft hole!!!!
> 
> Bob


It's possible, it's just hard work. I'm in a wheelchair, but when I lost my wether last year, I spent all night digging a 6 foot deep, 2 foot wide and 5 foot long hole to bury him in. It was a great way to work off the grief of losing him too.


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## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

Thank you all for your replies. I'm thinking that cremating would be the best choice for us. We have lots of coyotes here and they've been coming up pretty close lately. And neither I or my parents want to take all that time to dig a big hole.


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

In the words of Clint Eastwood (in the role of The Outlaw Josey Wales) "Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms".

No desire to be buried personally, I've requested cremation, then dump the ashes in my favorite lake.:thumbup:


Bob


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Note to self , no fishing at any of Bob's favorite lakes :thumbup::dance:


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## LJH (Aug 27, 2012)

Arkie said:


> In the words of Clint Eastwood (in the role of The Outlaw Josey Wales) "Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms".
> 
> No desire to be buried personally, I've requested cremation, then dump the ashes in my favorite lake.:thumbup:
> 
> Bob


One of my all-time favorite movies, parts of which were filmed within a stone's throw of my homestead.

And I'm with you on cremation although it's my second choice. My first is to be buried right here on my own land, which is legal in Utah but only if you use a concrete vault, same as regular cemeteries. Defeats the purpose in my mind, I want to return to the Earth not putrify in some concrete box. So cremation it is for me too and ashes scattered to the wind in my beloved wilderness.

Another huge issue for me is to, _as much as is legally possible_, minimize contact with the rip-off funeral industry.  Thread drift; sorry.

I've always had access to a backhoe - and now own one myself - so my pets go in the ground, nice and deep, and then I plant something beautiful over them. As previously mentioned, we've never had a grave disturbed by the wild creatures.


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## LJH (Aug 27, 2012)

GoatsLive said:


> It's possible, it's just hard work. I'm in a wheelchair, but when I lost my wether last year, I spent all night digging a 6 foot deep, 2 foot wide and 5 foot long hole to bury him in. It was a great way to work off the grief of losing him too.


My hat is off to you, sir. I'm not that tough but agree that hard work is theraputic when you're grieving.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

When my sweet Shadow (labrador of 10 years) passed, I helped my dad dig the hole. It sounds a bit morbid, but it really wasn't. It gave me something to do, and I wanted to help make Shadow's last place of rest. He sleeps beside the house ... it's good to have him there. I was able to bring him flowers and his favorite bone and ball are there. When I need to, I go there to cry. He was always there for me when I needed to cry ... and he still is.


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## MOgoatlady (Oct 23, 2012)

I am sorry, and hope I didn't offend anyone with my opinions. I have buried too many beloved animal friends in my life, including several I had to put down myself. I have also decided that returning an animal to the earth is best for me. I also believe cremation is a good method, as well as natural burial, and everyone should choose what is best for them, what their heart says is right.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I've only had stillborns so far (lucky!) but my son's mother-in-law is a science teacher.. so she takes any dead (small) animal or parts of larger ones to use in class. When we bought a locker lamb, I brought her 4 sheep heads... Her husband isn't quite as excited about them in the freezer... ha ha


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## ASTONs Dairy (Aug 14, 2012)

fd123 said:


> Unfortunately ive had to bury 2 so far. Ive yet to have anything attemp to dig them up. Id think if you bury them 5ft or better like i do, the chance of having something dig them up would be "slim to none". The vet told me that it was state law to bury livestock a minimum of either 5 or 6 ft deep here in Georgia. ( i forgot the exact minimun depth that he told me!) But i havent researched the law to verify because , it makes good sense to me to bury as deep as possible anyway..


I'm in South Carolina and it's 6 ft for large animals, I have buried dogs and a goat at 4' and nothing disturbed the grave


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## goat luver 101 (Jul 19, 2011)

We put them in bags and bury them nicely, but I have only had animals die in the spring and summer. We put big flagstones over the spot and no animals bother them. The ground might be too hard in the winter, so we would probably cremate them.


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## Crowbar032 (Dec 6, 2011)

If it's a pet, they get buried. Boomer (dog) and Coco (cat) are buried under a maple tree next to the hayfield. The two goats I lost to heat two years ago were creamated (burned). I intended to bury them, but my loader decided not to start that day. Luckily I already had a large pile of brush I had pushed out of a fence row to burn. I took both of them to the vet and they had medicine in them so I couldn't use the meat. Around here there is a fertilizer company that will haul dead animals, but you have to pay and I'm not sure how the pricing works.


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## animalfamily (Nov 23, 2012)

We've never lost an adult goat, but a couple of babies have not survived over the years. We also use feed sacks to dispose of them.

If they're here long enough to be named though, we always bury them.


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## WillowGem (Aug 3, 2011)

I've only had to bury one, an 11 week old Nigerian Dwarf.
He was only 10 lbs, so the hole wasn't very big...I planted flowers on his grave.
And any others that I lose, hopefully to old age, will also be buried.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

I looked up this thread because I had no idea what to do with the little twin that died last night. The ground is frozen for at least another month here, my compost pile isn't compliant and I don't want to get the permit to burn. So we did the natural burial in the top field, covered with compost and leaves/sticks in a large mound. Hopefully this will incorporate natural and composting in one.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I haven't lost anybody yet, but if it's a natural death, I will donate our goats' bodies to a local wild animal rescue to feed their big cats. I imagine if it's a disease related death we'll burn the body. Our soil is impossibly rocky and we have no tractor, so digging is out.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Find someone with a pig. The farm I worked on kept pigs for just this reason. They will eat everything but the top of the skull.


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## Argonaut000 (Aug 16, 2014)

I've either burned mine in a wood pile or placed them up in the hills for coyote bait. If you are in a smaller area though i'd think burning would be more sanitary than burying


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You can donate it to a vet school. You can put it in the freezer till you can dig a hole. Just other choices to have.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

On the farm I worked on, any dogs that came onto the property and we had no idea who they belonged to ended up in the trash can. Dont see why you couldnt do the same with the babies that dont make it. Though Id suggest wrapping them up in say a grain bag.


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## eqstrnathlete (Mar 16, 2013)

The chickens go in the trash, goats get buried.


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## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

So far, of livestock, I've only lost chickens. I took the carcasses waaaay away from where anyone lives or goes, and tossed them over the bank for the coyotes and bears to enjoy. I would have eaten those that weren't ill but had died violently, except, doesn't the meat have to bleed out, or else it will taste bloody? 

Not sure what I might do with goats if such a time comes. I like the idea of distant disposal for wild things to eat, in theory--but when the goats have names that they answer to.... It would depend on the season. Might light a pyre if the ground was frozen; might dig a hole during summer. Might say farewell and leave the carcass at the base of a mountain, reminding myself that a carcass eaten by a scavenger, is nature's way of cleaning up, and preserving other lives; and that scavengers and predators find dead mountain goats and bighorn sheep in similar locations.


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## audrey (Jul 17, 2012)

There is a big cat sanctuary a few hours from here. One can take their livestock to them, and they give you a the tax donation thing that I can't think of right now lol. They make you bring the live animal to them though, and they dispatch them and feed the meat fresh. They don't take already dead animals. Nothing wrong with it. If I lived within a short trailer ride (less than a half hour) I would have probably taken a couple of my crippled up old mares to them, instead of putting them in the ground. But we live very far and I could never make a 4 hour drive to take an animal to their death.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Just out of curiosity, how do you go about burning it? Do you add fuel? Does it smell really bad?


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## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

NYGoatMom, re: your question in post #59: When my friend's (75 lb?) dog died and the ground was deeply frozen, he made a pyre of both easy-starting and long-burning dry wood to a couple feet tall, laid the dog on top, maybe put his blankie over top (I don't remember), and put a lot of brushy wood over top. It was kind of snowy-drizzly that day, so he put a little diesel around the bottom of the pile, before lighting it. There were extra combustibles to add if the original amount wasn't sufficient. I guess it took a couple of hours, but it was a thorough burn with no remainders, not even bones, and there is now a nice boulder with a plaque and poem in the dog's memory, on the spot. In all, a very honourable send-off. When his other old dog died in the summer time, high wildfire danger time, the method of choice was burial. I don't recall any smell, but it was cold and the smoke was hot and going straight up. And, who would sit in the smoke in the first place?


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

TDG-Farms said:


> On the farm I worked on, any dogs that came onto the property and we had no idea who they belonged to ended up in the trash can. Dont see why you couldnt do the same with the babies that dont make it. Though Id suggest wrapping them up in say a grain bag.


My friend is a Nigerian breeder. That's exactly how she disposes of kids that don't make it - into an old feed bag and into the trash.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I drag them out into the woods for the wild life to eat.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Oh all mine are pets. I have only had two die(Adult) and they are in the pasture with the horse and dogs. They will be forever with us.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I must be weard I put the body in a barrel in the chicken yard.
The chickens love to eat maggots.


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## CanucksStar-17 (May 3, 2013)

We bring them across the road to the woods and let the coyotes eat them. They go to good use and even though they are pets it doesn't bother me because it is really no different then getting buried and they are feeding another animal.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

If we had the land I would leave them out for the wildlife. Where we are it is expensive to have a body disposed of so we bury them. And yes, it takes a big hole and we have adobe:GAAH::hair:


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Mine are pets, but what made them my pets is no longer there. The actual pet is gone to a better place, only the shell is left. I would rather their death means something. Their body provides food for other animals, the way nature intended.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Mine are producing pets and of 5 lost stillbirths, 4 lost does and 1 lost buck in the last 8 years, kids were buried and 2 does and buck. My matriarch Bootsie was cremated by the local pet crematory and the one I lost a year ago and still painful I very much regret the way I had to bury her in my composting manure pile with her kid due to the frigid temps preventing me from digging a hole and a vet bill that didnt allow me to cremate the way I did for Boots.


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