Deceased bird guidance

Kimandduggypboro

New member
Messages
1
Hi all. Im new to the forum, and my wife and I are new to chicken keeping hence thought I would join something like this for advice.
My wife and I inherited 7 chickens and a very nice run/omlet sleeping chamber with the house we moved into in October last year. The previous owners offered to rehome the birds but we quite fancied giving it a go, so here we are.
I have checked the chucks this morning and one has sadly passed away - they locked themselves out of the pen yesterday afternoon so we had to round them up as it got dark, but they were all ok when we got them back in.
The one that has died was identified as the eldest of the 7 by the previous owners. She was showing no signs of ill health (she was the biggest and healthiest looking of em all), and had stopped laying before we moved in.
Can I check what the recommended next steps are and options are for disposal pls? We live in a village not far from Peterborough, if local council variations apply.
Do we need to take her to the vet to incinerate? Any idea of the cost? Ive read you cannot put a bird in a general bin, which I really wouldn’t consider anyway.
Thanks, any advice welcome.
Dug and Kim in Pboro
 

chrismahon

Well-known member
Messages
5,096
Location
Gascony, France
Hello and welcome. Sorry to hear you have lost one, but sudden deaths are not unusual. We have always buried ours in the garden, both in the UK and here because they are a slow release fertiliser for the ground. Hole about 18" deep is sufficient, backfilled and compressed with a slight mound because the soil will settle quite quickly. It is often necessary to put them in a chest freezer for a while until time is available for digging or, in our case particularly, the ground is soft enough to dig. No doubt the regulations say you can't put birds in the bin even though meat waste is acceptable. I personally don't pay much attention to clearly silly regulations, but perhaps that's because I've lived in France so long. The vet will dispose of them by sending them for incineration, which may be the most convenient for you, but the costs I've heard can vary wildly being anything from £15 to £120, so very important you ask for a quote first.
 

Icemaiden

Well-known member
Messages
1,411
Location
Kent
Pet hens are considered livestock. Where we live we're supposed to double-bag them & put them into the general rubbish bin. It would seem more logical to put them in the food waste bin- people eat chicken every day!

I must confess that, as they're family, we usually bury them in the garden. The only exception was when one died of heart failure when only 5 months old- a friend had her for dinner.
 

bigyetiman

Well-known member
Messages
2,464
We usually incinerate ours, unless they are extra special. Izzie we buried in a big planter, and put her pal Button in with her when she died. The plants in that tub are magnificent every year.

Double bag and put in rubbish, is our councils policy as well
 
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