Solitary chicken - need advice

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

No I don't really want to think about it, but given the pack of four (count 'em!) foxes which prowl round all night, I want to have all eventualities covered for if (not 'when', hopefully) the time comes.

 

How do you deal with an ex-chicken? And are there laws about how you need to deal with it? I've only ever dealt with small things before like hamsters and fish (matchbox and 'water' burials). What do you do with an ex-chicken, practically, if you ever have to?

 

Anna x

[Egluntyne]

Here is what Defra says:

 

Disposal of Dead Birds

There are several reasons why the careful disposal of dead

birds is an important part of the health management of

alternative systems :

~Reduces the risk of disease spread back to the flock and

other species.

~Reduces the likelihood of carcases being removed by

scavengers, which can transmit disease.

~Reduces the risk of blow flies (Caliphora sp.), which can

also transmit disease.

The most effective and reliable way of disposing of dead birds is

by burning in a properly constructed incinerator fuelled by gas or

oil and incorporating an after-burner. Disposal on an open bonfire

tends to be much less reliable and creates dark smoke and odour.

This method of disposal is NOT recommended.

The welfare of hens in free range systems 9

Disposal of dead birds in a disposal chamber can be an

acceptable alternative to incineration, but must be done in

accordance with the guidelines set out in the Code of Good

Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Water (DEFRA

publication PB 0585, 1998).

Composting of carcases is not permitted under UK legislation.

 

Many of us do bury them but cover the spot with heavy stones to prevent activity from Monsieur Reynard.

 

You could ask your vet to deal with the ex-chicken, but there will be a fee to pay.

 

Some people double bag them and bin them, but I'm not sure that sending them to landfill is ideal.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Guest

[MedusA]

It is exactly a year since we had our only loss (so far, but hopefully never again) to a fox!

 

I will admit that we did bury her, very deeply, and planted an apple tree above her. "Mulder's Tree" is the healthiest of all my apple trees. Bless her.

[fowlbird]

we buried one - she died during the october gale season and as all roads to the vet were closed by fallen trees he kept her in the freezer for several days until I could collect her... He had no problem with us burying her (rose bush on top) but when our second hen died our local vet insisted on cremation as he wasn't sure what she died of

 

I suppose it all depends on how/what they die of...

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

How deep is deep for burial? Six feet? I'm not sure I can practically dig that far... (that said, Les Reynards didn't get 'em last night, and an egg appeared this morning. First one!)

[urbanchick]

We lost a chicken recently and although I would have liked to bury her, the thought of burying the other 5 that will follow in the next few years was too much for me to bear. I put her in a cosy cardboard box on a bed of hay, taped it up and placed her lovingly in the wheelie bin. As far as I'm aware it is a perfectly legal way of disposing of a chicken and at least it will decompose on landfill, unlike all the plastic, etc. that we chuck away.

[The Dogmother]

I have buried our dead chooks in a 2' deep grave with a wooden plank over the chook, then loads of soil and a slab on top of that.

[WitchHazel]

I asked this question when I first joined the forum, and so when Lydia died I was prepared.

 

If she had died at the Vets I would have got him to send her off to be cremated, and then scattered the ashes. But she didn't. She died at home.

 

I wrapped her carefully in a lovely purple towel, placed her in a shoebox (perfiect size), said my goodbyes, and then taped the box up. This then went into a carrier bag, ready to put in the Wheelie bin. I know the thought of it makes some people cringe, but it's very practical. Although I believe that once the spirit is gone, the body is really just an empty vessel. , I couldn't bring myself to just dump her body in the bin, I needed to do a bit of a respectful ritual first.

 

And then my DH (who at the time was still not a fan of chickens) decided he couldn't do it. He dug her a grave, about 2 foot deep, put the box in, and then put a slab on top!

 

I asked him if we were going to be doing this with all the hens we would be having over the next twenty years, and where on earth would we put them all. He didn't know what we would do about the others, but he wanted to bury Lydia.

 

I think it was because he spent a lot of his time nursing her when she was ill, and had got rather attached to her.

[Olly]

The recommendation from the vet when I buried my cat was that the hole needs to be 4' deep to avoid excavation by M. Reynard - not so much because he can't dig that deep, but more because at that depth there will be nothing to, er, attract his attention.

 

If you bury any shallower, then slabs on top are definitely recommended. If you've got clay soil like mine, digging a 4' deep hole was hard work, and would have been impossible in winter.

 

Personally I'd take the wheelie-bin approach. When I did lose one - at the vets - it was only about £10 for euthanasia and disposal. I think if I'd asked for the ashes to be returned it would have been more, though.

 

It's a good question - it's best to be prepared for these things.

[Old Speckled Hen]

While I was away on hols in the spring Mr Fox disposed of two. The third, my favourite , was found in neighbours asparagus bed.

I buried her in the corner of the garden about 2 feet deep with a heavy slate slab on top.

I then sneaked out into the woods and stole a few wild bluebells (for that was her name) to plant around her

 

If you have a pet euthanased at the vet's it becomes clinical waste and cannot be buried.

Mind you, Mr fox would get a surprise eating a chook full of barbiturate

 

You could always have a DIY cremation in one of those galvanised dustbin incinerators.

[Egluntyne]

You could always have a DIY cremation in one of those galvanised dustbin incinerators.

I wouldn't recommend it Apparently the black acrid smoke, and smell of burning feathers is rather grim and will have your neighbours complaining, especially if they have 2 lines of washing hanging out.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Thanks all. Burial or bin then!

[craftyhunnypie]

OMG I could not put a pet in the bin!

 

All mine have been deeply buried with concrete slabs or flags over the top of them. Blanche got put under the base for the newish chicken shed. I like to think she blesses the shed , protects the newbie chickens & laughs to herself over their antics!

 

Emma.x

[superjules]

Sorry Emma, Marigold died in February, the ground was frozen solid and I didn't fancy inviting foxs/rats/vermin into the garden by burying her too shallow so she went in the compostable brown bin inside a paper chook feed bag. At least she'll be doing a garden some good somewhere, as our brown bin matter makes the local "Ace of Herts" (geddit?) compost - after the sterilising process that is!

[Gallina]

I put mine in the wheelie bin, I am afraid. It's only a body, The foxes in our garden would never stop digging if I buried them.

 

Burning them is out of the question, even though I have hot garden bonfires, as the smell of roast chicken would be really upsetting and I would not be able to guard the fire.

 

I also have another reason for not burying animals in the garden: I don't think it is fair on future owners of the house. Sometimes I think the previous owners of our house had a pet dinosaur (and then at other times I wonder if they just buried the bones from the kitchen).

[Old Speckled Hen]

I also have another reason for not burying animals in the garden: I don't think it is fair on future owners of the house. Sometimes I think the previous owners of our house had a pet dinosaur (and then at other times I wonder if they just buried the bones from the kitchen).

 

Reminds me of having my old house extended. I bought from people who provided animals for filming and had quite a menagerie. They told me they had buried two monkeys in the garden. I had to warn the builders in case they found the remains, presumed they were human and called the police!! We'd never have got on with the job but on the other hand maybe forensic would have dug over my garden.

 

I have a friend in Windsor who was told that there was a horse in her garden when she moved in !!!!

[CrazyDaizy]

I was wondering what happened when chooks went to Chook Heaven so this is all very interesting.