Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Nancy O, say those blessed words again! Something connected with dead sheep that doesn't involve digging holes? Please share - may husband will love you! Hmm, I mean, he will love what you are saying . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bounce Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I lost about 20 hens to the raccoon family one night. I didn't lock them in because my husband was hit by a drunk/crack-high driver and I had to race to the hospital (he was Ok). Next day I dug a pit and burned them and built a compost pile on the spot. Eventually we built this house over that pit. If the contractor saw anything weird, he didn't say. I have a deceased turkey in a bodybag in a wheelbarrow. I told my daughter Broad=breasted Whites are Gmo freaks that can't survive winter but she wouldn't listen. My heritage blue slates are mighty birds. All of them were asleep On the henhouse roof this morning in -35*. Anyways, Tommy was about 40lbs when he went to turkey heaven, is he too big to compost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyO Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Rebecca, Here is a link to the site (actually there are several sites) about composting sheep. http://ag.smsu.edu/compost.htm I used part of the idea, ie my compost pile from cleaning out the shed area after lambing. I have composted adult sheep as well as lambs.I did not build the wooden structure described on the website. Here is what I do. I have the pile of compost in a corner of my field. When I need to compost a dead sheep, I open up the pile and place the dead sheep in. I then cover with about a foot of compost (or more). Making sure everything is covered with the layer of compost. I have never added any water or turned it over. Even in the heat of the summer, I have never had an odor. After about 6 weeks, all that is left is some wool and bones. Even in the middle of winter I have been able to open the compost pile to put a dead sheep into it. I did not have a tractor before this year and have not had problems opening it up with a pitch fork. As compared to frozen ground that you can't turn over. Once when I had the vet out, I told her about the compost pile and what I was doing. She thought it was fine the way I was doing it. Hopefully the only thing that will go in this year, is one of the triplets that was still born. Nancy O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 We had dairy goats for a number of years, and we've also had cattle. Whenever we tried to bury a goat that passed on (they were not small), we wound up with a hard job (rocky ground) and a stinky place. We finally just decided to use a depression in the ground, and would cover the dead animal with some trash hay. I was amazed at how quickly they would decompose and how little smell there was. We have even done this with an occasional cow that has moo-ved on, so to speak. If nothing else, I would rather feed the vultures than dig a hole and waste all that edible material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyO Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Sue, unfortunantely we only have 12 acres surrounded by houses. The site of vultures eating a dead sheep upsets the neighbors The vultures never go after the compost pile. Nancy O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Dog Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Building a composter is item #47 on my to-do list. Here's another article that might be useful: http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/compostsheep.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
concrete Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I compost all my dead sheep. I composted a large Suffolk ram and he was gone in about 2 months. The compost then goes into the spreader and onto the pastures. I have five horses so I always have stalls to clean. I put down about a foot of straw, then a foot of manure/straw from a stall, then the animal ,then if it's warm enough I get it all very wet, cover with a couple more feet of manure, more water and that's it. If it's to cold for water I don't worry about it just takes longer to compost. I never get any smell from the pile but I have had dogs dig into it and roll in it real good and they smelled bad. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted February 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I'm grateful for all this information. I figure this is our year to bury old sheep - we've nursed a couple oldies but goodies along - Maneater is leaving as soon as her lamb is weaned (thank God) but one will "retire" here - I just can't ship ol' Friendly. Plus we've got a couple other older ewes and one that's generally kind of piddly - they are faithfully having nice lambs but they don't look that great themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I'm curious...that means you don't have trouble with other animals wanting to dig them up? In our area, it seems to me the black bears and wolves would have a field day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 We regularly compost our offal (from over 150 lambs per year). We layer the offal with bedding hay/sawdust and manure, as well as food waste from the house. My structure is 5 pallets tied together in the shape of an "E". Within a couple of weeks, almost everything is broken down (except the bones) INCLUDING THE PELTS. I don't turn the pile and it doesn't get super hot, but it does the job. The only problem I have is with the dogs treating the pile as a buffet table. But the compost is wonderful. I was a little worried about encouraging flystrike, but this doesn't seem to have occurred. I'm waiting to improve (expand) our facilities - this another project that you can receive grant money for from time to time. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted February 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Ooh, we just got a bunch of pallets from someone - that's a great idea. I'd put a bit of hotwire around it to discourage the guard dogs from snacking and the guard dogs would keep off the other critters. There's a perfect place in the back corner of our property that doesn't happen to be near anyone else's habitation or hangout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bounce Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 This is great info. I know things have changed in Ontario since we had our Walkerton Tradgey where the town of Walkerton built the municipal wells next to a huge, unregulated high production farm. They then hired some inept boobs to manage the towns drinking water. Seven people died and many thousands were sickened when e-coli bacteria entered the water supply. This has completely changed how water is handled in this province. The penalty for not dispoing of livestock properly is the same as a cruelty conviction, a $2,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail. I have a hard enough time keeping bears out of my yard (last summer a bear broke a window in my cabin to get at some empty chicken food bags) and I'm not going to see a composter for another month or get a shovel into the ground til mid-May. My daughter going to freak over composting Tommy. I have skids, I'd better get busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I'd put a bit of hotwire around it to discourage the guard dogs from snacking and the guard dogs would keep off the other critters.I'm sure that would do it. I've just been remiss. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyO Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I have my compost pile in a corner and place a cattle panel around that corner. Keeps my dogs out of it, we don't have bear here, as far as I know. Nancy O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miztiki Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Oh, I could talk compost all day! Anyone interested in composting will love this forum. It's pretty busy there and they are all a bunch of "compost whackos". I'm one too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tildy Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I have very large compost..but have never buried anything in it...not even Norman Bates,.(betta fish)..just didn't have the heart to flush him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.