hoghollow

Member
Had an older cow start to lose weight about a month ago. She has raised a number of calves for us. Every year she would get thin when fall came around. I was planning on waning calves in a couple of weeks. Came home Monday evening and noticed she was not with rest of cattle but her calf was. Decided I better go look for her and found her on other end of pasture laying there like she went to sleep but forgot to wake up. Went and got the tractor and moved her out of pasture to where dead truck could get to her easy. Called dead truck said they would be out to get her and to leave a check for 25.00 dollars in coffee can right by her as that is what they charge. Ok its Wedsday night and she is still there so called the dead truck again and they said they been real busy and not sure when they can get here. It has been 8o plus here last couple days so now what. This only company around that picks them up Southwest WI. Dig a hole and bury or what do you guys do?
 
WOW! It is over $200 bucks for someone to dispose of a cow or horse here in northern CA. A little over $100 if you haul it in.
 
Leave the 25 bucks in the can, let nature take its course. Buzzards and coyotes will take care of it eventually, and they probably won't take the money out of the can.
 
Can't speak for Wisconsin,but composting is an approved method of disposal in Michigan. That's what I do unless the ground is real nice and damp and easy digging in the sand.
 
That's got to stink really bad by now and be swelled up too. We pay annual fees through milk board deductions and the service is actually really good. If they're telling you they don't know when they'll be out I'd be inclined to burry the poor old girl. Make sure you tell them first in case they show up and try to stick you with a call fee.
 

I mostly buried dead ones but then I read about composting being "best management practice". I had a big pile of wood chips so I buried one there. Never smelled anything or saw any indication of 'yotes digging. I never heard of dead truck before now.
 
I just had a 600 pound steer die. I took him out to the clubhouse and did a necropsy. Removing the guts and setting them to the side helps it not stink so much. Also putting lime and wood chips helps too. He will feed the coyotes and buzzards for a good while. Expensive wildlife feed if you ask me.

We have dead trucks around here too. Didn't call to get a quote as it was Sunday. Even if it is $100, if you don't have a place away from anyone that would complain about the smell, it is worth it not to get complaints.
 
Call again, worse comes to worse dig a hole and bury her, here in eastern NY we have a place out near Utica, they pick up for free. The other dead stock service charged $60 for pick up, this company bought them out and dosent charge for removal. I feel the same way,, I had one died 3 weeks ago, it was hot, I called the Sunday she died, but they couldent get her until 3:00 Monday, but I also dident want a 1300 pound cow rotting or being picked apart by predators..if I had to I would have got my dads backhoe and dug a hole.
 
Dig a hole or cover her with lime dust. The lime works real good for rotting animals the county and state highway around here do that to nearly all dead animals on the side of the road
 
We have a crematory at Michigan State University in the Animal Science Facility which is about 50 miles from my house. Seems like it was about fifty bucks the last time I took one there but you have to get it to them.
 
No matter how deep I bury one it seems
like coyotes come from far and wide
and will burrow in. I sometimes wonder
what happened to all those graves Matt
Dillon dug.

Theoretically
corpse+wood chips=compost

I have a huge pile of wood chips left
by the county, need nitrogen to rot.
 

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