Friday, November 16, 2007

Ever composted road kill?

If you have ever considered adding road kill to your compost this article which was published in 2006 makes interesting reading. The roads here are littered daily with the carcasses of ferrel cats, badgers, wild boar and birds. The policy of the junta seems to be not to remove the dead animals, which are crushed by the volume of traffic and the remains scavenged by other wild creatures.

I have on the past added small quantities of animal remains birds, frogs, fish from my pond and a mummified cat I found whilst renovating an old pool. The feather, hair and meat elements break down readily but the bones tend to be problematic; maybe a grinder of sorts would do the trick.

Having read the full article and knowing that there is a saw mill nearby I am still a little dubious about collecting the carcasses for my bin.

Composting Road killed Deer
by Elisabeth Kolb

Researchers in New York State are studying an alternative method for disposing of animals killed in roadway collisions.


This mule deer was struck by a motor vehicle while attempting to cross Yellow Head Highway 16 just west of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Determining what to do with roadkilled deer carcasses is the topic of ongoing research sponsored by NYSDOT.

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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:10 pm

    I would avoid this unless you have a very active pile. Normal home composting will not kill some of the diseases organisms animals carry, which you will then be spreading on your plants. And then there are the bones.

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  2. Aiyana9:00 am

    I always read that this should be avoided, especially if the compost is used on vegetables or other edible plants because of the danger of E. coli for one. I don't compost, so I'm no authority. Nice blog, and thanks for visiting my site.
    Aiyana

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