A plan for your farm companions, written before you need it
Goats die at higher rates than many owners expect: in 2015, US deaths equalled 9.8% of adult goats[1]. A simple written plan lets you face those losses calmly.
- Built around gates, lanes and weight
- Separates companion wishes from farm disposal
- Share it with your vet and whoever helps on the farm
What should I record before contacting the team?
Farm Animal Cremation Services uses this worksheet to prepare worldwide inquiries. Your entries stay in this page’s memory until you copy, download or open an email draft. Reloading clears the fields. Record the requested outcome and location, leaving unresolved choices as questions and sensitive medical or personal details out of a shared copy.
0 of 6 fields have an entry. This is a completion count, not a safety score or booking approval.
How do I compare two itemized quotes?
Farm Animal Cremation Services compares your entered amounts for worldwide inquiries; it does not supply market prices. Use two written quotes in one currency, counting each charge once. Leave unknown amounts blank and use zero only for confirmed inclusions or no charge. Put taxes and other separate charges in the final row.
The tool adds your entries. It does not estimate prices, recommend a provider or establish that two service definitions are equivalent.
| Cost factor | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Animal size | ||
| Property access | ||
| Equipment and travel | ||
| Memorial arrangement | ||
| Taxes and other quoted charges | ||
| Entered subtotal | UnknownSome amounts unknown | UnknownSome amounts unknown |
How can I keep and share my planning record?
Farm Animal Cremation Services lets you keep this worldwide planning record with your answers, selected source and entered quote amounts. Copying or downloading creates a copy you control. Opening an email draft lets you review the text in your email app before sending; none of these actions automatically submits an inquiry.
Clear entries removes all worksheet fields, including quote amounts and currency. It does not delete a copy you already saved or an email draft.
Read the text of your plan
Farm Animal Cremation Services: The companion farm animal access record Original planning worksheet; entries supplied by the visitor. Country or territory: To confirm City and region: To confirm Species and name: To confirm Approximate weight: To confirm Veterinary instructions and known disease concerns: To confirm Gate and collection-point access: To confirm Person authorized to approve care: To confirm Individual return and keepsake wishes: To confirm Before proceeding: Seek veterinary instructions before movement when disease is suspected. Make keepsake wishes part of the authorization.
Why plan
Why hobby farmers benefit from a written aftercare plan
On a small farm, deaths are part of life, but that doesn't make them easy. The difference with a companion animal is that you'll want a say in what happens next, and farm timelines can be short. Pennsylvania, for example, expects a dead domestic animal to be disposed of within 48 hours[2], and many states set similar limits. A plan written in a quiet month means you're not choosing between a goodbye and a deadline.
Penn State Extension's guide to livestock and poultry mortality disposal sets out that state's rules in full, and England's fallen stock guidance covers pet sheep, goats and pigs there. Our local pages point you to the rules where you live.
Losses are also more common than many new keepers expect. US sheep producers lost about 607,000 sheep and lambs in 2019[3], and goat losses in 2015 equalled a notable share of the national herd. Those are commercial figures, not a forecast for your own pet goat, but they're a reminder that planning isn't morbid, it's practical.
48 hours[2]
Pennsylvania requires a dead domestic animal to be properly disposed of within 48 hours of death.
607,000 head[3]
About 607,000 U.S. sheep and lambs died in 2019 (219,000 sheep and 388,000 lambs), a loss valued at $121.6 million.
900,000[4]
There are about 900,000 domestic fowl (such as backyard chickens) kept as pets in the UK.
The six fields
How to complete the farm animal worksheet
Choose your country and type your nearest town and county or region. Then fill in what you know, and leave the rest as questions:
- Species and name. "Pygmy goat, Clover" tells a provider far more than "farm animal".
- Approximate weight. A weigh tape or an honest estimate. It decides which providers can help and the price band.
- Vet instructions and disease concerns. Anything your vet has said about testing, handling or reporting.
- Gate and collection-point access. Which gate, lane and holding area a vehicle should use, and how firm the ground is.
- Who can approve care. The person a vet or driver should listen to, especially if the farm is shared.
- Individual return and keepsakes. Whether you want this animal's own ashes back, plus any wool, a bell, a collar or an ear tag to keep.
Comparing costs
Putting two farm animal quotes side by side
The quote table lines up animal size, property access, equipment and travel, the memorial arrangement, and a final row for taxes and other charges. Enter each amount once, in one currency, and leave blanks where a price wasn't given.
For farm animals, one column may be cremation and the other an alternative such as burial or a collection service. That's fine, as long as you label which is which. The average value lost per dead sheep or lamb in 2019 was about $200 per head[5] by our calculation, which shows how differently commercial farms and families weigh these decisions. For a companion, the question isn't the animal's market value but what goodbye feels right and what it costs. The aftercare options comparison lays out cremation, burial and other routes. Our services page describes what each alternative involves.
Free tool
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Farm-specific advice
Details hobby-farm families are glad they settled early
- Where the goodbye happens. A flat, reachable spot, ideally out of sight of herd mates if they'd be distressed.
- Whether the herd or flock sees the body. Some keepers find it settles the others; decide before the day.
- Burial rules. Check your state's setbacks from wells and water before assuming burial is allowed.
- A memorial on the land. A tree, a marker or a corner of the field; see creating a farm memorial corner.
- Keepsakes. A bell, collar, ear tag or a handful of fleece, collected before the animal leaves.
Do you have a plan for when one of your older animals dies?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
For a goat in particular, what to do when a pet goat dies covers the first hours. Unsure where to start? The farm aftercare quiz narrows it to one question, and when you're ready for prices, send us your animal's details. To see how other smallholders answered the planning questions, look at the poll results.
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.
Do you have a plan for when one of your older animals dies?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Would you want your animal's own ashes returned?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Would you pre-pay for aftercare while your pet is still healthy?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Questions people ask
Why does a farm animal plan need gate and lane details?
Because rural addresses often point to the house, not to where the animal is. A collection vehicle needs to know which gate to use, whether it can turn around, and whether the ground will hold its weight. Without that, a provider may not be able to reach your animal.
How do I make sure my goat is treated as a companion, not stock?
Say so in writing when you ask for options, give the animal's name and state the outcome you want, such as individual cremation with ashes returned. Put the same words in your plan so anyone acting for you makes the same request.
Does the worksheet save my information?
No. Everything stays on the open page and clears when you reload or press Clear entries. Copy, download or email the plan to keep it. Clearing doesn't affect a copy you've already saved.
Should my vet see my farm aftercare plan?
Yes. Your vet can advise on disease testing, whether any condition must be reported, how euthanasia on the farm would work and which collection services they trust. A printed copy on file helps anyone at the practice follow your wishes.
Can I plan for chickens and larger animals on one worksheet?
The worksheet records one animal's details at a time, but you can complete it once per species or per animal and download each copy. Chickens and goats have very different sizes, costs and rules, so separate plans are clearer.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] About 500,000 U.S. adult goats and kids died in 2015, equal to 9.8% of the adult goat inventory and 19.4% of kids born; losses were valued at $69.6 million. USDA APHIS NAHMS - Goat and Kid Predator and Nonpredator Death Loss in the United States, 2015, 2015.
- [2] Pennsylvania requires a dead domestic animal to be properly disposed of within 48 hours of death. Penn State Extension - Livestock and Poultry Mortality Disposal in Pennsylvania (J. Craig Williams, updated Oct 2025), 2025.
- [3] About 607,000 U.S. sheep and lambs died in 2019 (219,000 sheep and 388,000 lambs), a loss valued at $121.6 million. USDA APHIS NAHMS - Death Loss Trends in the U.S. Sheep Industry: 1994-2019 (Sheep Death Loss 2020, published June 2022), 2019.
- [4] There are about 900,000 domestic fowl (such as backyard chickens) kept as pets in the UK. UK Pet Food (formerly PFMA) Pet Population 2026, 2026.
- [5] 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.
Want options to put in your farm plan?
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.