Which of your animals are you thinking about today?
A goat (pygmy, Nigerian Dwarf or full-size)0%
A pet sheep or lamb0%
A pig, pot-bellied, kunekune or bigger0%
An alpaca or llama0%
A donkey or mule0%
A hen, duck, goose or turkey0%
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What smallholders are saying: live poll results
In the UK regulator's survey, 67%[1] of owners whose pet had died chose cremation. These live results show how keepers of goats, pigs, sheep and hens are answering our own questions.
- Live counts, updated with every vote
- One anonymous vote per person
- Set against published research
How we count
How these results are counted
Every figure on the board below is a live tally from readers of this site. Each person gets one anonymous vote per poll, and results update as votes come in. We don't weight, adjust or seed them, and we don't remove answers we find surprising.
That also means they're not a scientific survey. The people voting are mostly smallholders who were searching for help, often around the time of a loss. A poll with only a few dozen votes can swing a lot with each new answer, so look at the vote count before reading much into a percentage.
We also keep the questions stable once a poll is live. Changing the wording halfway through would mix answers to two different questions, so if a question needs rewording, we start a new poll instead and leave the old tally as it was.
Live results
How do you think of the animal you've lost, or are about to lose?
Family, no different from the dog0%
A companion that also had a job0%
A working animal I was fond of0%
Honestly, it's complicated0%
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Would you want your animal's own ashes returned?
Yes, to keep at home0%
Yes, to scatter on the land they lived on0%
No, a respectful communal cremation is fine0%
I didn't know that was an option for a goat or pig0%
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Before today, did you know the burial rules for farm species where you live?
Yes, I knew exactly what was allowed0%
Vaguely, I'd heard something0%
No, I assumed I could bury on my own land0%
No, and I'm surprised it's restricted0%
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What was (or would be) hardest about the practical side?
Moving a heavy animal with no equipment0%
Finding anyone who takes farm species0%
Having to decide fast in hot weather0%
The cost compared with a dog or cat0%
Watching the rest of the herd or flock react0%
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Did you let the rest of the herd or flock see the body before it left?
Yes, they seemed to need it0%
No, I kept them apart0%
Only the closest companion0%
I never thought about it0%
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Which keepsake would mean the most to you?
A lock of fleece, wool or mane0%
A few feathers0%
Their collar, halter or ear tag0%
A hoof or foot print0%
A small urn of ashes0%
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Do you have a plan for when one of your older animals dies?
Yes, with phone numbers written down0%
A rough idea, nothing written0%
No, I've avoided thinking about it0%
I will after this experience0%
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Context
How our polls compare with published research
There's almost no published research on how people handle the death of a pet goat or pig, so we compare with studies of pet owners in general. In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority's pet cremation investigation found cremation was the most common choice for pets that died in the previous two years.
67%[1]
In the CMA's UK pet owners survey, 67% of owners whose pet died in the previous two years had the pet cremated.
68% cremation; 32% burial[2]
In a US survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners who had made end-of-life decisions, 68% had made a cremation decision and 32% a burial decision for at least one past pet.
40.4% cremation; 34.9% home burial; 1.9% aquamation[3]
Asked their preferred future after-death care, 40.4% of US owners chose traditional flame cremation and 34.9% home burial; 10.7% chose cemetery burial and 1.9% alkaline hydrolysis (aquamation).
If the 'ashes back' poll shows fewer smallholders choosing private cremation than those figures suggest, weight and cost are the likely reasons. Cremating a 150 lb sheep costs far more than a 10 lb cat. If the burial-rules poll shows lots of surprise, that reflects the English ban on burying pet farm species, which catches many keepers out. Our services page lays out what's allowed and what each route costs.
Put the UK and US surveys together and, by our estimate, about two in three bereaved owners choose cremation and roughly 29 to 32% choose burial[4]. The US half comes from a survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners. Farm keepers deal with heavier animals and stricter burial rules, so don't be surprised if our tallies land somewhere else.
Reading closely
Why the species poll shapes every other result
The species poll is worth checking first, because it tells you who's voting. If most voters keep poultry, the 'ashes back' results will lean toward communal cremation, since a hen returns so little ash. If most keep goats or pigs, the cost and moving-a-heavy-animal answers will carry more weight.
Which of your animals are you thinking about today?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
The UK has about 900,000[5] pet domestic fowl, likely far more than pet goats or pigs, so poultry keepers could easily outnumber everyone else. Bear that in mind when a result looks lopsided.
Beyond the practical
The herd, the keepsakes and the grief
Some of our questions aren't about logistics at all. The flock-goodbye and keepsake polls touch on something research does measure well: how hard pet loss hits. In the RSPCA's large survey, 13.4%[6] of bereaved owners felt fully understood by the people around them. Farm animal keepers often hear 'it was only a goat' on top of that.
If the results show many keepers let the companion animal say goodbye, that's worth knowing if you're about to face the same choice with a bonded pair. If you're still deciding what to keep, our guide to outdoor markers for hobby-farm companions and our page on grief after losing a farm animal may help.
Which keepsake would mean the most to you?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Limits
Questions the results can't answer for you
A tally can tell you that plenty of keepers wanted their goat's ashes back. It can't tell you whether a provider near you accepts goats, what they charge for farm collection, or whether your state lets you bury a euthanized animal. Those answers depend on where you are and on the animal in front of you.
It also can't tell you what's right for your household. Some families feel strongly that a pet pig deserves a private cremation and an urn on the mantelpiece. Others are at peace with fallen-stock collection and a few words at the gate. Both are sound decisions, and a poll majority shouldn't make either feel wrong.
For the practical side, our cost and planning tools turn weight and location into numbers, and our contact form is the quickest way to hear about real providers in your area.
Using the results
What to take from the results, and what not to
- Do use them to see that your choice isn't unusual, whatever it is.
- Do notice where many people were surprised, such as by burial rules, and check those points early for your own animal.
- Don't treat a result as what's legal, affordable or right where you live. Check the rules for your area.
- Don't assume the most popular answer is the correct one. Communal cremation and fallen-stock collection are respectable choices.
If you haven't voted yet, the polls page has every question. For a structured way to weigh cost against keeping ashes, try the aftercare options comparison.
Free tool
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
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.
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.
Where are (or will be) your pet's ashes?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
How often are the results updated?
They're live. Each vote is added to the tally as it's cast, so the percentages you see reflect every answer received so far. Small polls can move noticeably with a single new vote, so check how many votes a poll has before drawing conclusions.
Can I trust these numbers like a survey?
Treat them as a snapshot of what readers of this site think, not as research. Voters choose themselves, aren't checked against a population and tend to be people facing a decision right now. For figures you can rely on, we cite published studies and link to them.
Why don't you quote poll results on your other pages?
Because they change every day and aren't a representative sample. Quoting them as facts would mislead. Our advice pages use named, published sources, and we point to the live results only as a way to see what other smallholders are choosing.
Do results include commercial farms?
Anyone can vote, but the questions are written for households with a few named animals. Commercial producers make aftercare decisions on a different scale, so their answers would look quite different. Read the results with that in mind.
Why do you ask about the herd's goodbye?
Because it's a real decision that almost no aftercare guide mentions. Goats, alpacas, donkeys and sheep live in close groups, and keepers often wonder whether a bonded companion should see the body. The poll gives you a sense of what others chose, without telling you what to do.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In the CMA's UK pet owners survey, 67% of owners whose pet died in the previous two years had the pet cremated. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Veterinary services for household pets, Provisional decision report Part A (Oct 2025), 2025.
- [2] In a US survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners who had made end-of-life decisions, 68% had made a cremation decision and 32% a burial decision for at least one past pet. Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [3] Asked their preferred future after-death care, 40.4% of US owners chose traditional flame cremation and 34.9% home burial; 10.7% chose cemetery burial and 1.9% alkaline hydrolysis (aquamation). Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [4] UK and US survey evidence converges on roughly two-thirds of bereaved owners choosing cremation (UK 67%; US 68% ever) and about 29-32% choosing burial. Our estimate: mean(67, 68) = 67.5; burial range 29% (UK) to 32% (US). How we calculate.
- [5] 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.
- [6] Only 13.4% of bereaved pet owners felt fully understood by others. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
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