Polls for smallholders: how do you say goodbye to a farm pet?
In a large RSPCA survey, 99.3%[1] of owners saw their pet as family, a friend or a companion. These polls ask how that plays out when the pet is a goat, a pig or a hen.
- One click, completely anonymous
- Questions written for farm species
- See live results as soon as you vote
Why we ask
Why we run polls for hobby-farm keepers
Almost all published research on pet death is about dogs and cats. Nobody has surveyed how many pet goat owners want ashes back, how often the herd is allowed to say goodbye, or how many smallholders had no idea burial was restricted. Our polls are a small, honest way of filling that gap.
Each poll is one question with a handful of answers. Voting is anonymous, takes a second, and shows you the live tally straight away. Browse them below, answer the ones that fit your situation and skip the rest.
Browse every poll
How smallholders and hobby farmers say goodbye to named goats, sheep, pigs, alpacas, donkeys and backyard birds.
Which of your animals are you thinking about today?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
How do you think of the animal you've lost, or are about to lose?
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.
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?
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Did you let the rest of the herd or flock see the body before it left?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which keepsake would mean the most to you?
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Do you have a plan for when one of your older animals dies?
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The questions
What the questions cover, and why each one matters
- Which species you're thinking about, because the rules and prices for a hen and a llama have almost nothing in common.
- Pet or stock? How you see the animal often decides what feels right, even when the law sees it differently.
- Ashes or not. Many smallholders don't realize private cremation exists for a goat or pig.
- Burial rules. Whether you knew what was allowed before you needed to.
- The hardest practical part, from moving a heavy body to finding anyone who'll take it.
- The herd left behind, and whether the companions were allowed to see the body.
- Keepsakes like fleece, feathers, halters and ear tags.
- Planning ahead, and whether there's a number written down for the day it's needed.
How do you think of the animal you've lost, or are about to lose?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Context
What published research already tells us
The wider research gives our polls something to measure against. Among pet owners generally, cremation is the most common choice, but home burial is a big minority. In the UK, where burial of pet farm species is restricted, that matters.
27% home burial; 2% burial elsewhere[2]
Grief research points the same way for every species. 75.4%[3] of owners in the RSPCA's pet bereavement survey grieved before their pet died, and 57.1%[4] felt they had to hide their grief. For keepers of farm animals, where friends may say 'it was only a sheep', the second figure may well be higher. Our page on grief after losing a farm animal takes that seriously.
Farm statistics count losses in dollars, not feelings. By our estimate, a sheep or lamb that dies on a US farm represents about $200 per head[5] in lost value, worked out from the USDA's sheep and lamb death-loss report. Our polls ask the question that report can't: what the animal meant to you.
Every source we cite is listed on our research page, with links to the originals.
Why these questions
What the questions themselves reveal about farm pet loss
Writing these polls is revealing before a single vote comes in. The questions a smallholder faces are different in kind, not just in size, from a dog owner's. Nobody asks a cat owner whether the other cats should see the body, or whether they knew a burial ban applied to them.
Three themes run through all eight questions. The first is speed: a goat or sheep can't wait in a cool room for a week. The second is the law catching people out, especially in England. The third is the other animals: a bonded wether calling for his companion, or an alpaca herd standing round the gap in the line. The flock-goodbye question exists because almost no aftercare guide mentions it.
None of that is a statistic, and we won't dress it up as one. It's the reason the polls ask what they ask.
How to read them
How to read the results without over-reading them
Poll results are live counts from readers of this site, not a scientific sample. People who find us are usually facing a decision, so the results lean toward owners who care enough to search. That's useful for seeing what people like you are thinking, but it isn't proof of what all smallholders do.
We'll never quote a poll result as a fact on our other pages. When we use numbers to explain options or costs, they come from named research. You can see the latest tallies and how we count them on the poll results page.
Did you let the rest of the herd or flock see the body before it left?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Using what you learn
Turning a poll into a plan
The questions are also a quiet checklist. If you answered 'I've avoided thinking about it' to the planning question, our guide to pre-planning farm animal aftercare is a gentle place to start. If the burial question surprised you, check the rules for your area.
If a keepsake question made you think of fleece or feathers, collect them before collection day. And if you're looking for a way to mark the spot where an animal lived, our guide to creating a farm memorial corner has ideas that survive weather and livestock. For every aftercare route in one place, see our services overview.
Free tool
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Asking what other keepers did is how smallholders have always learned. These polls just make the conversation a little bigger.
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.
Which of your animals are you thinking about today?
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.
What was the hardest part of losing your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Are the polls anonymous?
Yes. We don't ask for your name or email to vote, and results are shown only as totals. One vote per person per poll is counted, so you can't accidentally skew the numbers by clicking twice.
Who writes the poll questions?
We do, based on the practical decisions smallholders face and the gaps we find in published research. Each question is written the way a keeper would answer it, with plain options and no trick wording. We don't pre-fill any results.
Are these polls for commercial farmers too?
They're written for people with a few named animals: a pair of goats, a pet pig, a small flock of hens. Commercial producers are welcome to answer, but the questions about keepsakes, ashes and the herd's goodbye are aimed at households where the animals are pets first.
Can I suggest a poll question?
Please do. Use the contact form and tell us what you wished you'd known, or what you'd like to ask other keepers. Questions about specific species, like donkeys or ducks, are especially welcome.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In the RSPCA's pet-loss survey (over 4,000 respondents), 99.3% saw their pet as family, a friend or a companion. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [2] In the same CMA survey, 27% of UK owners buried their pet at home and 2% used a pet burial company elsewhere. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Veterinary services for household pets, Provisional decision report Part A (Oct 2025), 2025.
- [3] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [4] 57.1% felt they had to hide their grief after a pet died, and 57.8% perceive stigma around pet loss. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 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.
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