QUEBEC CITY – Getting rid of dead animals takes planning that could include checking local regulations to prevent environmental hazards and scavenger problems.
“It is becoming more and more difficult to properly dispose of them. There’s more rules and less options,” said Kim Stanford of Alberta Agriculture.
“Some of the options cost more than the animals were worth alive,” she said at the world sheep congress held in Quebec City July 17-24.
Renderers charge to haul away dead stock and in the case of sheep, they might not accept them because of scrapie concerns. Talks on acceptable disposal are under way but there are not enough sheep and goats available to make it feasible to segregate batches of rendered material.
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Stanford has been experimenting with composting dead sheep for a number of years with good results. The process takes three months from start to finish and involves layering straw or sawdust, manure and dead stock.
Moisture levels need to be adequate for microbe activity to digest the material. She suggested sqeezing a handful of manure into a ball. No water should leak out and when dropped, it should crumble.
The pile can be built in an enclosed bin or windrows that are easier to turn.
The pile is built in layers starting with straw or sawdust, then a layer of dead animals.
The carcasses should not be touching so air can circulate. Then add a layer of manure and another layer of straw on top.
Temperature needs to be maintained around 55 C. This kills most pathogens and keeps the microbes working.
The pile should be turned regularly and if scavengers attack it, large straw bales could be used as a barrier.
It takes about three months for carcasses to decompose and the end product looks like a layer of grey ash. There may be some residual bones that crumble and decompose further.
Another option is on-farm burial.
The holes or trenches do not have to be deep but should be well away from barns, wells and people. Burying in clay soil is ideal because it helps reduce the spread of pathogens into ground water. Lime may be added to control odour.
Hauling dead animals to a landfill is not often an option. There is a charge to dump and most do not want dead animals. In some areas it may be illegal.
Natural exposure is possible but it needs to be in an isolated area because dead stock attracts scavengers, flies and causes odour.
Using dead stock as dogfood is another possibility.
Stanford recommended cooking the carcasses and worming the dogs because they could get a disease called cystercercosis. It is also important to remember that feeding dead animals to guardian dogs could turn them into predators of the livestock they are guarding.
Incineration is common but the farmer needs to take into account prevailing winds, proximity to neighbours and fuel to do it properly. There also has to be a place to get rid of the ashes.
Proper incineration is excellent for disease concerns but the expense of fuel and maintenance of the incinerator should be considered.
Simply burning dead stock in a pile may be illegal and it is difficult to get a hot enough fire to consume the body.
