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Death and dying are undeniable facts of life. Experiencing the end of life first-hand can be one of the toughest things we have to face when we have animals (and even plants) on the homestead. While we can’t stop our animals from dying, we can prepare for the inevitability of death on the homestead and find ways to cope with it. It’s not a topic that is easy to discuss, but we feel that it’s important to address it so that you can be prepared and have some plans in place when it happens to you.
Plants And Garden
Crops and plants might be the last thing you think of when you think of death on the homestead, but for farmers and ranchers that rely on income from crop yields, this type of death can be nearly as devastating as an animal or human loss. It takes a stressful toll on families, financially and otherwise.
We always hope our plants will grow and produce, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes our crops fail, no matter what we try. It’s disappointing and frustrating when it happens, but know this. There are things we cannot control, and you can’t blame yourself when your garden doesn’t thrive. Things like pests, blight and wind or weather damage cannot be predicted, and are not your fault.
For small homesteaders that have a backyard garden, it’s a great idea to look at your local agriculture exchanges and almanacs that can tell you what crops grow best in your zone, and always have back-up plans in case your garden doesn’t do well with certain plants. You can start seeds indoors during bad weather, and you can plant fall crops at the end of summer to give yourself a chance to have winter vegetable stores.
One way to hedge against crop loss due to blight, pests, or weather is to insure your farm. Not everyone qualifies, or is able to do this, but when it comes to weather and natural disasters, having a little money coming in to help you recover can mean the survival or failure of your farm.
Small Livestock
It doesn’t matter if you’re raising chickens, rabbits, sheep or goats, the loss of any kind of animal is serious and can be emotional. That’s okay. Feeling upset about the loss simply means that you care about the animals entrusted to your care.
Death of small livestock can happen on the homestead for a variety of reasons. Many of them are out of your control. Those things that you can control include providing proper feed, water and shelter, and a living space that is free of hazards and impervious to predators.
Even still, you never know what can happen including illness, injury and predation. It’s certainly shocking when you lose an animal to these factors. You question everything, which is the right thing to do, and often you just have to realize, it’s just something that sometimes happens, and it’s out of your control. It’s hard not to beat yourself up about it, but we urge you to have compassion for yourself.
Homesteading with livestock is a learning curve, and you don’t know what you don’t know. Think of it as a learning opportunity and do your best to find the lesson in the event. Perhaps there is something you can change going forward that will mitigate the risk of future animal mortality. Either way, you have to find some acceptance of the fact that animals can just die, for seemingly no reason. It’s one of the hardest lessons of homesteading.
Large Animals
If you’re raising a family cow or equines on the homestead, there are bound to be losses. The average lifespan of a healthy cow is about 15 years, and horses can live into their 20s or even 30s, but the sad truth is, we’re likely to outlive our large animal friends.
The loss of a large animal has many repercussions. There’s the loss of milk or meat from a cow and the loss of the use of a horse or mule. This can be a financial hardship as well, if you, for example, have to replace a milk cow, or a horse to work on the ranch. There are also potential vet or disposal bills associated with the loss of a large animal.
Be sure you are aware of what the cause of death was for your equine or bovine, as that can have far-reaching consequences for your remaining herds of cows or horses. The risk is less if you have a closed herd as we’ll discuss later, but be aware that some diseases spread quickly and you need to have the information and facilities to quarantine if that is the cause.
If you are unsure of the cause, a veterinarian can do a necropsy on the animal to determine cause of death. Those without apparent causes can be the hardest to process, since there’s no clear-cut reason to be settled about. We always question if there was more we could have done.
Food Animals
This is a whole different subject. Knowing we raise these animals for food means that we will be responsible for them meeting their end to feed us. Whether you have a rendering company come and harvest the animal on-site, or do it yourself, it’s a tough day.
We like to designate those as food animals from the beginning and keep their purpose in mind as they live their lives. We give them the best care we are able to, and they live happily until their “one bad day.” We recognize with gratitude that their sacrifice feeds us and helps us thrive.
It takes reconciling the fact that we like to eat meat, that we like to know where our food comes from, and what that food animal consumed in their lifetime with the fact that we do end their lives for our own selfish purpose. That is at the core of farming and ranching, and honestly, it’s not for everyone. If you can rationalize and reconcile yourself to this, you will be able to raise food animals without it taking a piece of your soul each time an animal is harvested for the freezer.
Pets
We love our pets like family members, and the sad truth is, we are going to outlive them. Losing a pet is just as painful as losing a human family member. Children feel this loss keenly. Everyone grieves in their own way, but we can help our family members cope with the impending loss of a family pet by giving younger children a heads -up and discussing end of life issues with them. Let them know that their beloved pet has lived out their lifespan, and that it’s time for them to rest.
We recommend Disney’s The Lion King for the explanation of the great circle of life for very young children.
Old Age And Natural Causes
Sometimes we have to help an old animal at the end, and that also needs to be discussed as an act of mercy and not something cruel. This might be the first time a child or young person has had to experience such a loss, so it’s very important to handle it with love and care.
Quality of life should always be the indicator of whether to put an animal down or not. We have to be careful not to let our own selfish wishes get in the way of this decision. We must do what’s best for the animal. They do not have a voice, so you must ask yourself the hard questions, and be as objective as possible. It’s also a good time to consult with your veterinarian about what the quality of life in the future would be for that animal if it were to continue to live out its natural life.
Complications Of Giving Birth
Most farm animals are born in late winter -springtime. This is one of the most joyful times on the homestead when new life presents itself. It can also be a heart-rending time of loss when there are stillbirths or other complications of giving birth.
These losses, though difficult, can be educational. With some small livestock, lack of minerals can cause problems, and with others, newborns can be crushed or stepped on. These issues cannot always be avoided, but the more you know, the more you can be prepared for and mitigate some of the risks of mortality.
Weather also plays a role in the mortality of winter and spring babies. It’s your job to make sure that the nursery area where mamas and babies are housed is high and dry, and they are able to shelter and keep warm. Many animals will give birth during inclement weather, so make sure you have your warm clothes and gear ready to spend some time out with the animals during birthing season.
Most of the time, Nature takes its normal course and the animals give birth easily and mother their offspring without issue. Other times you end up with mothers that have no instinct to nurse, or a baby that won’t latch on, and you have to assist with the process. You might have to pull a calf, or a lamb, or bottle feed a bummer baby. It’s important to know what to expect, what is a reasonable timeframe for a baby to stand and nurse, and how to recognize the signs of a baby that fails to thrive.
Your veterinarian does not have to be present, but until you know what to expect and how to recognize an emergency, it’s a good idea to have your vet’s phone number handy or to enlist the help of an experienced homesteader who knows what to look for.
The sad truth is that some animals just die. For all the healthy lambs, kids, chicks, etc., there are going to be stillbirths, and failures to thrive for one reason or another. You can be mentally prepared for it to happen, though it’s still a very sad day when it does.
Accidents And Illness
No matter how much we hope to avoid it, animals on the homestead will get injured, and they will get sick. You can help to mitigate the risk by removing hazards and having solid fencing and shelters for your animals.
The risk of illness is greater when you introduce outside animals into a closed herd. Be sure to create a pen away from the rest of your animals where you can quarantine any new animals coming in for at least 10 days to 2 weeks to be sure that the new animal is healthy and won’t spread any kind of disease or illness to the rest of your herd or flock.
No matter what you do, animals will still get sick, sheep get bloat, horses colic. These illnesses need to be treated immediately, or the animal will die. Having different species of animals on your homestead requires a variety of first aid and medicines to be kept on hand.
Even still, sometimes you can do all the right things and the animal won’t make it. Go easy on yourself when this happens and know that you have done all you can.
Having a basic knowledge of veterinary skills is extremely helpful so that you can take interim measures with an injured animal until the veterinarian arrives. You should understand the basic anatomy of the animal and know whether an injury is life-threatening or treatable. Sometimes the vet won’t be able to get there in time. Most farmers and homesteaders have a firearm on hand in case they need to end the suffering of an animal in trauma.
Predation
If you live in the wilderness or very rural areas there are predators to consider. It’s a terrible shock when you lose even a chicken to predation. It’s messy, violent, and hard to take.
It might be helpful to consider that predators need to eat, too and it’s nature’s balance that is at work here. Still, examine how the predator got to the animal, strengthen fences, use lights, or guardian animals such as livestock guardian dogs, donkeys or llamas to protect your animals.
Talk with other ranchers and homesteaders in your area about the measures they are taking. If it’s a wolf or a big cat, it might need to be hunted. There are rules and laws about that. Speak to your local fish and game to find out what to do.
Disposal Of Remains
Depending where you live, disposal of animal remains can vary. If you live outside of city limits, you may be able to compost the remains or bury them on your property. Some homesteaders have a designated area where they put the remains to let nature’s clean-up crew (vultures, eagles, coyotes, etc.) take care of them. If you do this, you will want it to be a fair distance from the center of your homestead so as not to attract predators there.
Some places have dignified large animal disposal (cremation), others require that you haul them to the landfill. It varies from place to place. Your veterinarian can usually advise you what is common where you live.
We hope that this information has been helpful and useful to you as you face end of life issues on the homestead.
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