Disposing of carcasses....

[eric]

I have noticed quite a few posts lately about cows/calves dieing lately. As this is probably inevitable as long as one chooses to raise animals, I have a question for you guys with smaller tracts of acreage? What do you do with the dead animals? I assume that you guys on large acreage just dig a hole and bury them or drag them to the back and let the wild animals get em, but what about us guys on 20 or so acres, near the city who can't just let em lie. Is there a place that picks them up, such a rendering plant or something? Is there any value in the dead animal? I dont have a large enough place where I could bury a large animal and it not be noticed by the neighbors. Hoping it never happens, but being a realist I know it is a possibility.

 

[fit2btied]

Our home is on a 16 acre tract that we typically use for our heifers so they are easier to watch. We have buried a calf here before but on larger animals we call a rendering company out of East St. Louis. It's been several years since we lost a cow so prices may have changed but they used to charge $10 for an animal pickup. Their truck is so heavy they will not pull into your fields so you have to drag the animal to the gate so they can winch it. They have directions to our place, we put the money in a coffee can with a lid and leave it close to the animals head, they take the carcass and money and leave a receipt in the can. They run their routes on an as needed basis so it might be 2-3 days before they are coming our way - in the summer that could pose some smell and fly problems or could even bring in the coyotes, but that usually doesn't happen. This is by far the most convenient means of disposal for us. On our leased land, the coyotes would have the carcass already gone if the rendering truck took 3 days to get there.

 

[Anonymous]

The local waste management, as much as they hate to, come and pick up the dead carcass with a fee of course. Sometimes it will be three days before they come and pick it up (for what reason they wait so long I don't know...they say they will be "right there in a day or so" or "a truck is coming your way soon today"...can't they be honest? I wouldn't recommend digging and bury any large animals because it attracts predators in the area...... A calf or lamb is fine to bury on property because they are too small for any predator to care (or smell).

 

[dun]

The local "Dead Large Animal Removal Service" i.e. rendering plant, charges 30 bucks and won't take anything over three days dead.

dun

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Just bury the darn thing! If the hole is big enough and you cover it right, nothing to worry about.

 

[Craig-TX]

We just drag them off to any place that's out of the way and not in a seep or slough. What the buzzards and coyotes don't do is taken care of by decay. Some take longer than others, depending on the time of year. Besides the bones, the hide lasts the longest.

Craig-TX

 

[dun]

In the desert we would dig a hole about 10' wide 10' deep and 30' long. We referred to it as the "dead hole". Anything that died in the drylot went in there, along with offal when we butchered, trash, garbage, etc. We'ld put a layer of dirt on top and just keep filling till it was full. Worked great. In this area a hole a foot or two deep is considered a major accomplishment.

dun

Just bury the darn thing! If the hole is big enough and you cover it right, nothing to worry about.

 

[jfont]

IN YOUR CASE, HAVING THE CARCASS PICKED UP FOR $30.00 BUCKS IS WORTH IT IF THEY CAN DO IT IN A REASONABLE TIME. IF NOT, I'D BURY.
EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE ALOT OF ACRES THER IS ALWAYS ROOM TO BURY A CARCASS. THEY DUG A 6'X9'X6' DEEP HOLE IN MY YARD JUST TO INSTALL A SEWAGE PLANT. NOW IF YOU DON'T HAVE ACESS TO A BACK-HOE, I'D MAKE SOME PHONE CALLS BEFORE GRABBING A SHOVEL.
IF THEIR ARE NO RESTICTIONS ON YOU ABOUT RAISING CATTLE IN YOUR AREA I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY YOU COULDN'T BURY THEM THERE.

 

[eric]

I am thinking the rendering plant is the way to go. No, I dont have a backhoe and I really dont want anymore animals buried here if I can help it, we already have a graveyard for the dogs and a rabbit and a cat. $30 seems like money well spent. Will make a few calls today and be sure someone in my area can do this. Hopefully I wont ever need their services, but one never knows!

 

[dun]

Check with dairys in your area. They're the ones that would generally have the best chance of having used the rendering plant.
The 30 bucks to have one hauled off, or the 50-100 bucks they receive for a downer cow. That's the reason downers ended up going to the sale barn.

dun

I am thinking the rendering plant is the way to go. No, I dont have a backhoe and I really dont want anymore animals buried here if I can help it, we already have a graveyard for the dogs and a rabbit and a cat. $30 seems like money well spent. Will make a few calls today and be sure someone in my area can do this. Hopefully I wont ever need their services, but one never knows!

 

[Anonymous]

One of our cows died this last weekend. We have only 6 acres. We thought about digging a hole but that would have taken forever being that it rained the whole time. I called the local zoo to see if they would take it to feed the gators or tigers with and they didnt want it. I called the local dump and they said they would take it for free as long as i was a resident of that county. So we dragged the dead cow by truck to the front of the property and had a trailer and had a neighbor bring over his tractor with a hoist/boom on it and got it up on the trailer and took it down the next day to the dump. They said that they just needed a call before we came so they could have the hole dug.

 

[Anonymous]

Couple weeks ago I had one go down. The only carcass removal in the phone book said $50 for anything smaller than a dog $175 for large animals. I call the livestock auction, they gave me company that picks up for $20 and drop offs are free.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

Most states have regulations regarding the disposal of animals. In Arkansas you can bury them but they have to be at least 4 feet deep.(Aound here you had better have a backhoe). :cboy:

 

[Anonymous]

Here in Ky there is a company that picks them up for $30.00 and if you take the receipt (up to 3 a year)to the local Ag office(I think) they will reimburse you for the pick-up

 

[k bar b ranch]

some of the old timers down on our familly farm said they used to burn them. i dont know if you can do this anymore but thats what they did in the thirties forties and fifties.

 

[Tc]

here in clawhammer tn i just call the dead large animal number an they come haul it off.i drag it to the road ,they winch it up on a big truck .no charge.~~~~~~~~~~~Tc