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We will have to make a hard decision about euthanizing a retired horse within a few months. My question is not about the merits of euthanization. It is about composting the body.
We do not have enough soil depth on this property to properly bury a horse. The rendering plants in the area have stopped picking up single horses, unless you really pay large sums to them. It is not possible to accurately schedule a pick-up, and you might wait several days for the pick-up.
The alternative being suggested by many state cooperative extensions is composting. The process is being used on-farm for chickens through dairy cows. A few links to the composting sites are below.
Has anyone on the list composted a horse, and was it completed without odor or other nuisance problems? My husband is dubious that the process won't create problems, and is reluctant to try this. We can provide the recommended distances to the stream, wells, and other houses. I don't want dogs digging the carcass up, or buzzards circling. I understand the dimensions and materials suggested for the compost pile.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/other/files/SA8.pdf
http://composting.cas.psu.edu/MortalityProcedure09 .pdf
Composting Fact Sheets - Cornell Waste Management Institute
We do not have enough soil depth on this property to properly bury a horse. The rendering plants in the area have stopped picking up single horses, unless you really pay large sums to them. It is not possible to accurately schedule a pick-up, and you might wait several days for the pick-up.
The alternative being suggested by many state cooperative extensions is composting. The process is being used on-farm for chickens through dairy cows. A few links to the composting sites are below.
Has anyone on the list composted a horse, and was it completed without odor or other nuisance problems? My husband is dubious that the process won't create problems, and is reluctant to try this. We can provide the recommended distances to the stream, wells, and other houses. I don't want dogs digging the carcass up, or buzzards circling. I understand the dimensions and materials suggested for the compost pile.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/other/files/SA8.pdf
http://composting.cas.psu.edu/MortalityProcedure09 .pdf
Composting Fact Sheets - Cornell Waste Management Institute