Every living things dies at some point. It doesn’t matter how well you operate or manage your livestock business. Death is a recurring event when raising animals. There are many circumstances that might cause animal death. Animals could either die of accidents, injuries, natural causes and diseases. Regardless, dead animals need to be properly disposed of.
Compost is an organic material that is used as soil amendment. It is the product of the conversion of organic materials by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. Dead animal composting deals with the same processes but you have to create the right environment that will help the microorganisms do their work quickly and effectively.
This process is done using bins and materials such as straw and sawdust which serves as the base for composting. At least 3 bins are needed for this method. The carcasses and the base materials are placed inside the first bin until it is full. It will be left there to compost as new carcasses are placed into the second bin. When the first bin has completed its first heat cycle, it will be transferred to the third bin where it is left to compost for another heat cycle. Around this time, the second bin will be full while a new pile fills up the first bin. Once the first pile is fully composted, it can be immediately be used to as a fertilizer for crop fields. Major factors to consider are moisture, oxygen flow and heat. Composting is dependent on these three.
Kills all kinds of pathogens
There are many advantages to dead animal composting. Composting kills all kinds of pathogens due to the high temperature in the compost bins. This way, we can limit the spread of diseases keeping the farm free from any contamination.
Environmentally friendly
Composting is also environmentally friendly because it does not contaminate soil or water and can help fertilize fields. It helps limit the negative impacts on our environment. Composting helps us reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and promote higher yield for crops. It also avoids the methane and leachate formulation in landfills as well us diverting organic materials from landfills. Composting is also cost efficient because you only have to spend money on the bins. The base materials are available from the farms. Composting is easy to accomplish. All it needs is good management.
When done properly, composting can be considered environmentally safe and a good option when dealing with animal carcasses and wastes. It can also be an alternative for producers if laws and ordinances do not allow open air burning and burial.
There are different methods of animal disposal, the choice of method will always be up to you. But always remember that composting is the safest and most effective method of disposing dead animals.