Bringing your farm pet's ashes home in Davie
Losing a named goat, ewe or kunekune hurts, and the paperwork of livestock rules on top of that can feel cold. We explain the options in plain English and can email you local choices.
- Help for backyard flocks and pet pigs
- Heat, bloat and timing advice
- Options that keep your animal's ashes
Davie, Florida
Who can help with a goat, pig or sheep in Davie
Davie is one of the few places in South Florida where horses are part of everyday life. Many properties west of University Drive are zoned for animals, and it is common to see riders on the trail system alongside Orange Drive, or goats, donkeys and chickens behind a ranch house. When a horse, goat or donkey dies at home, providers will ask about gate width, fence lines and whether the ground is firm.
Large-animal owners in Davie include backyard horse keepers, 4-H families showing goats, lambs and pigs, rodeo competitors, and people who rescue donkeys or miniature horses. Individual cremation of a horse with ashes returned runs to several times the price of a shared cremation or haul-away, because pricing follows weight. Get the trailer or truck fee, the handling fee and the cremation itself quoted as separate items so providers can be compared fairly.
In and around Davie, a provider may be based well out of town because crematories need space and permits. That's normal. What matters is whether they'll come to your property, what lifting gear they bring and how long the return trip for the ashes takes. If you have a trailer and someone to help, delivering the animal yourself can save the collection fee and get things moving faster on a warm day.
Davie is home to about 110,851 people, the 22nd-largest of the 235 Florida communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Davie are based about 16 miles away in Hialeah, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
The closest communities we cover are Cooper City (2 miles), Plantation (3 miles) and Pembroke Pines (5 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Davie too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
72.5%[1]
The NFDA projected Florida's cremation rate at 72.5% for 2024.
$600-$1,000[2]
Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane.
3-5% of body weight[3]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) and Embrace Pet Insurance.
How Florida thinks about cremation
Since cremation accounts for around 72.5%[1] of human deaths in Florida, relatives and neighbors are unlikely to find it strange that you want your pig's or alpaca's ashes. What may surprise them is the bill: a heavy animal is priced by weight, and collection from a farm adds more. Settle the budget early, and the decision is yours alone.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Florida figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Davie tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
When the weather sets the timetable in Davie
Davie's long warm season (May, June, July, August, September and October) is also fly season, and flies find a body within minutes. An old cotton sheet or a few feed sacks draped over the animal keep them off without trapping heat. Check the body every hour or two if pickup is delayed, and keep the other animals from lying beside it in the sun.
Heat affects the living animals too. In August, pigs and heavily fleeced alpacas and sheep are prone to heat stress, and a sudden death in hot weather is worth mentioning to your vet in case others are at risk. If a planned euthanasia is coming up, book it for early morning, when the barn is coolest and the collection crew has the whole day to reach you.
Prices by weight for goats, sheep, pigs and birds
By our estimate, private pet cremation in the US gets cheaper per pound as animals get heavier, falling to about $4 a pound at 100 lb[4]. Large-animal cremation drops further, to about $0.80/lb[5] for a horse. A goat or ewe sits between those two, which is why a quote for a farm pet in Davie can look high as a total but fair per pound.
The full price table by size is on our Florida page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Before you bury or compost in Florida
A rough rule holds almost everywhere: the bigger the animal, the more the law cares where it ends up. A hen or duck is treated much like any small pet. A 150 lb ewe or a pig brings setbacks from wells, depth requirements and sometimes an outright ban. Here's what Florida says about pets in general; expect a large farm species to be held to a higher standard.
The official Florida local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Davie.
The Florida page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Davie's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
What to do first, second and third
- If the death was expected, there's probably a plan already agreed with your vet. Ring to fix the pickup time, and if euthanasia is at home, arrange it for early morning while it's cool.
- If it was sudden, call your vet or farm vet first. They'll tell you whether testing is worthwhile and whether the rest of the herd is at risk.
- Clear a path for collection. Get gates open and vehicles moved, then work out how a trailer or van will get to the animal.
- Line up help. Moving a 150 lb animal safely needs two people at minimum, along with a slide board, sled or tarp.
- Ask the provider three questions: whether the cremation is genuinely private, how they track which animal is which between the gate and the ashes, and when you'll get the ashes back.
- Check the rules before any burial or composting if that's what you'd rather do: which species, how deep, how far from water, and how soon.
Ashes, fleece and memories on the farm
The rainy season from roughly May to October floods low paddocks across Davie and neighboring Southwest Ranches, and even a short downpour can leave shell-rock drives soft. With highs above 90F, a horse's or cow's body should leave the property within hours if possible. Before hurricane season, owners of older animals often agree on a plan with a provider, since storms can stop service for days.
go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, run the numbers with the free planning tools, or compare your instinct with the poll results, See what each option includes on our services page. More local pages: Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and Port St. Lucie, the Florida overview and every city in the United States.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Before today, did you know the burial rules for farm species where you live?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What was (or would be) hardest about the practical side?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Questions people ask
How do Florida attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Florida human cremation rate at about 72.5%[1]. We show it on the Davie page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Where are the providers that serve Davie actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Hialeah, about 16 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Davie and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Does the Davie climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In August, with highs near 91°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Davie?
The closest communities we cover are Cooper City (about 2 miles), Plantation (about 3 miles) and Pembroke Pines (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Davie too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is it worth cremating a single backyard hen?
If she mattered to you, yes. A hen is the least expensive farm animal to cremate, falling in the smallest pet price band, and communal cremation costs less again. What comes back is tiny, only a few tablespoons of ash, so ask for a small keepsake box or scatter the ashes around the run. Some keepers save a few feathers instead of, or as well as, the ashes.
Can I get my animal's ashes back through fallen-stock collection?
No. Knackers, fallen-stock collectors and renderers process animals in bulk and nothing is returned. It's a respectful, lawful and inexpensive route, and some owners are comfortable with it. If you want your own animal's ashes, you need a private cremation, confirmed in writing, from a crematory that takes farm species.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Florida's cremation rate at 72.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [3] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [4] Private cremation cost per pound falls with size in the US: roughly $9.2/lb for a 15 lb pet, $4.2/lb at 60 lb and about $4.0/lb at 100 lb. Our estimate: band midpoint price / representative weight: 0-30 lb (midpoint $137.50 / 15 lb) = $9.17/lb; 51-70 lb ($250 / 60 lb) = $4.17/lb; over 90 lb ($400 / ~100 lb) = $4.00/lb. How we calculate.
- [5] Midpoint horse cremation cost works out to about $0.80 per pound of body weight, versus about $0.14 per pound for rendering pickup and $0.23 per pound for on-farm composting. Our estimate: cremation $800 / 1,000 lb; rendering $137.50 / 1,000 lb; composting $275 / 1,200 lb. How we calculate.
- [6] The average value lost per dead sheep or lamb in 2019 was about $200; for goats and kids in 2015 it was about $139. Our estimate: $121.6 million / 607,000; $69.6 million / 500,000. How we calculate.
Get local prices for your animal's weight
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.