Livestock buial...

[Chuck K.]

Lately I have been getting quite a few calls to bury horses. I dont know if its from the heat or what is causing this. I usually I arrive with in 12hrs of the animal going down.

A lady called me yesterday asking if I could bury a horse the was old and died, I told her I would be there as soon as I got off work and loaded the tractor. I arrived right on time at 1830hrs.... Now what she did not tell me is the animal went down Sunday. I almost turned the job down luckly for me I was able to make a large hole upwind and carefully push the animal in and back fill it with out it popping.... Any advice on how to handle bloated animals about to pop?? I may simply start turning these down it was disgusting.. I cant figure out why someone would wait so long especially in this heat..

 

[Duffster]

Lately I have been getting quite a few calls to bury horses. I dont know if its from the heat or what is causing this. I usually I arrive with in 12hrs of the animal going down.

A lady called me yesterday asking if I could bury a horse the was old and died, I told her I would be there as soon as I got off work and loaded the tractor. I arrived right on time at 1830hrs.... Now what she did not tell me is the animal went down Sunday. I almost turned the job down luckly for me I was able to make a large hole upwind and carefully push the animal in and back fill it with out it popping.... Any advice on how to handle bloated animals about to pop?? I may simply start turning these down it was disgusting.. I cant figure out why someone would wait so long especially in this heat..

Inexperience?

 

[CenTex Chris]

Chuck, you're a good man for helping folks out like this, especially considering how unpleasant the job is. You deserve a big attaboy for doing it. We lost a large dog (100+ pounds) to a traffic accident a few years back while I was away on a business trip. In addition to how emotionally upsetting this family tragedy was for us, my wife had to deal with getting the old girl into the ground all by herself; through our neighbors she found a kind gentleman with a back hoe who came to her aid that same morning. To this day I don't know his name. It was such a relief that he was willing to come over and help out on such short notice. I guess he's cut from the same cloth that you are.

Anyway, we have two older horses of our own and the day will eventually arrive -- hopefully not for many years yet -- that we'll need the services of a back hoe again. Now that I've got my new tractor, I'm planning on getting my own BH for a variety of other projects, plus the inevitable equine burial duty sometime in the future.

It's never a good thing, but it's got to be done. From a fellow Texan, bless you for doing it.

 

[MMagis]

Really, three days doesn’t seem all that bad, though in this heat it’s not ideal. Some people simply don’t have time, or it’s not a priority. I know for a lot of horse folks it would be a priority, but for some of people horses are still just farm animals. Maybe they thought they had other means that then fell through? Hard to say. Regardless, I think your method was the way to go. Though it sometimes seems inevitable, having one “pop” is unlikely. If it ever happens, the smell is really the worst part. It’s not like you’ll have rotten guts landing on everything within 100’.

 

[rjkobbeman]

So, out of ignorance on my part, what is the preferred, legal way to dispose of a dead animal?

I had a dog die a few years ago. My father-in-law buried her in his property, but it didn't seem like the way it is "supposed" to be done.

Never thought about it until then.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Originally Posted by Chuck K.
............. I cant figure out why someone would wait so long especially in this heat

That she "waited" is an assumption.

She may not have known who to call until she finally contacted you, or she may have called several others who couldn't do it then

In this heat an animal can bloat in under 24 hours

Unless it's a livestock operation that has a LOT of deaths, most people don't have a "burial service" on Speed Dial LOL

 

[sweettractors]

When we have animals that die and bloat, they can be stuck with a knife and it is just like letting air out of a balloon. If you don't want to get that close, mount something srarp on the end of a long stick or rod. I buried a horse for my neighbor a few years ago and I did not realize how big a hole it took. It was a good 2 hr job with my backhoe. Ken Sweet

 

[Soundguy]

Like another user said.. and I'm sure you don't hear it enough.

You are doing a good service for your customers. that's a hard nasty job. I have livestock and i can sure tell you when i find even something like a big old hog that has died.. it's a bad job.. smelly.. and yucky..

In many cases.. i bet your clients are desperate.. may have called other people and not gotten a response.. or a deal fell thru.. or they might have been away and returned to find the animal like that. who knows. I know I have piled a load of dirt on an animal that was bloated, then picked it up.. even thrown a canvas tarp over them to prevent messy pops.

good for you for helping people out. maybee always carry an old tarp or bedsheet with ya in case ya get a round one.. will prevent splatter... oh yeah.. carry somce vics vapor rub with ya.. rub under the nose!

soundguy

 

[Bird]

I guess it may depend on how much land you have, but down in the country I had some neighbors who simply drug dead animals (usually cows or calves) to a back corner of their property and left them for the coyotes and turkey vultures to take care of. And judging by the number of bones back there, they had been doing that for a lot of years.

 

[DanD78]

So, out of ignorance on my part, what is the preferred, legal way to dispose of a dead animal?

I had a dog die a few years ago. My father-in-law buried her in his property, but it didn't seem like the way it is "supposed" to be done.

Never thought about it until then.

Not that I have disposed of a lot of animals but around here you bury the animal deep enough so the other animals won't dig it up and you can farm over it with out bringing up bones.

Don't make a big production over it and don't tell everyone what you have done. I am not sure if it is legal or not but I am not going to give anyone a reason to come nosing around.

Dan

 

[baronthered]

But reminds me of a video and pics of the whale that beached in Japan (I think). They managed to get it loaded on a semi flat trailer (hauling it to a site where some autopsy work could be performed), and when going through a downtown section, it blew. What a mess....tons of "stuff" on cars, people, walkways, streets and store fronts.

You asked... well not really. :laughing: :shocked: I actually won a trivia game with questions about this.

The original... Exploding whale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

YouTube - Destroyed in Seconds- Beached Whale Explosion

and: Taiwanese whale on truck that popped ooey gooey those that have an imagination like mine and can smell through the computer be warned :licking: :laughing:

Thar she blows! Dead whale explodes - U.S. news - Environment - msnbc.com

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Whale explodes in Taiwanese city

 

[Chuck K.]

Thanks for the replies and kind words there CenTex. Seems I charge a bit less and was the first person with a B/H she could get hold of from the ferriers referral.

Great idea Souind Guy, I will keep a cheap blue tarp to throw the next one in this condition hopefully I will never have to use it. I have a strong stomach and deep respect for horses I guess thats why I do it..

That whale story was incredible, I cannot imagine being one of the victims that got a direct hit from that "gooo"

 

[studor]

The other "containment device" I use are the plastic bags from mattresses. They are thick and can be cut so there is only one end open. A couple of king size ones might fit a horse. Mattress shops will usually give them to you for free

 

[Hawghauler]

I have had to bury pets, but never a big one. Good reason to go buy the backhoe I have been scratching my head trying to justify. Thanks. We have a horse and it could die. Heck, the nag may have to take one for the team.

 

[blueriver]

I dont know if its from the heat or what is causing this.

I think with the closing of the slaughter house's there are alot more older horse's that simply can not take the heat or possibly just going from old age.

 

[RPW]

-rj- The prefered way to dispose of a dead animal depends on where you're at. Here in texas if you are in a rural enviroment burying is IMO the best way to take care of animals. As someone said also some people drag the dead animal to a back corner and let the scavangers at it. I personally don't like that method because of the smell and also you're inviting these scavangers onto your property and you "could" end up with them harassing your livestock/pets. If your local does allow burying then bury to a depth where you can have 6ft of dirt over the animal (large) or 4ft for a small animal. Also allow for the ground to sink a few inches as the body decomposes. Unfortunately we've had to bury 4 horses, 3 dogs and 1 cat. And I also keep a business card on hand with a backhoe operator but also have the means to dig a hole for the animal (not a BH). It just takes longer.

 

[sweettractors]

We have had Free farm animal pickup here until recently (subsidized by the county at $25 per cow). We would need to bring the animal to the edge of the road for pickup the next day. Now the company that has been picking us up has stopped and we are now back to square one. Ken Sweet

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Carcass composting is also an option; although it may be beyond the means of a mom & pop hobby farm.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/SA8.pdf