Tools for working out the practical side, from a hen to a llama
A 400 lb llama returns roughly twelve to twenty pounds of ash, since remains come to about 3-5% of body weight[1]. These tools do that kind of arithmetic for you, so you can focus on the goodbye.
- Built for farm species, not just dogs and cats
- Every figure shows its source
- Free, private, nothing to sign up for
Start here
Which tool answers your question?
Most people land here with one of three questions: what will this cost, what comes home, and what are my other options. Pick the tool that matches the question on your mind right now. Each one runs in your browser, takes under a minute and doesn't store what you type.
- What will it cost? Start with the cremation cost calculator, then add the extras in the memorial budget planner.
- How much ash, and what size urn? Use the ashes weight estimator and the urn size calculator.
- Should I cremate, bury, compost or call a collector? Try the aftercare options comparison, then the horse aftercare cost comparison for anything over about 250 lb.
- Can I deal with it on the farm? The livestock mortality planner sizes a compost pile or burial pit.
Price
Cremation cost calculator: a range for your animal's weight
Enter the species, weight, the type of cremation and your country. It returns a low-to-high range with a line for each extra, such as farm collection or an upgraded urn. For animals heavier than a big dog it leans on large-animal figures: a 1,000 lb horse costs about $600-$1,000[2] to cremate, so a 300 lb pig scales down from there.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
What comes home
Ashes weight estimator and urn size calculator
The ashes weight estimator turns body weight into an expected ash range, with an everyday comparison so you can picture it. For a hen that's a few spoonfuls; for an alpaca, about a bag of flour or more. The urn size calculator then turns that into a volume in cubic inches and milliliters, with a margin, and tells you which standard urn size fits.
Free tool
Ashes weight estimator
See roughly how much ash to expect back, by species and body weight.
If you want to keep a little back or share ashes between family members, the urn calculator also suggests keepsake sizes.
Choosing a route
Aftercare options compared, and the large-animal version
The aftercare options comparison asks what matters to you: cost, keeping ashes, environmental impact, speed or a ceremony. It ranks private, communal and water cremation against burial with pros and cons for each. It's the right starting point if you haven't yet decided whether you want anything back.
The horse aftercare cost comparison was built for horses but fits any big animal. It uses per-pound figures, with cremation working out, by our estimate, to about $0.80/lb[3] at midpoint, and compares cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side. Put in your donkey's or llama's weight and it scales.
Free tool
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
On your own land
Livestock mortality planner: compost pile or burial pit
If on-farm composting or burial is legal for your species where you live, this planner estimates how much cover material, space and time you'll need. Large-animal composting uses a lot of material: extension guidance suggests 10-12 cu yd per 1,000 lb[4] of body weight. For poultry, composting is standard practice, and it handled 85%[5] of birds in one major US outbreak. The planner's figures come from the USDA's carcass disposal methods handout and the EPA's guidance on carcass management in bird flu outbreaks.
Free tool
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Putting them together
A worked example: an old pot-bellied pig of 160 lb
Say your pot-bellied sow, Hazel, is fifteen and failing, and she weighs about 160 lb. The ashes estimator puts her ashes at roughly five to eight pounds. The urn calculator adds a margin and points to about 176 cubic inches, which means an extra-large urn, or a large urn plus a couple of keepsakes if the children want one each.
The cost calculator then shows why pigs are awkward: at 160 lb she's past the top dog band, so private cremation is usually quoted individually, and farm collection adds to it. The aftercare comparison sets that against communal cremation and, if you're in a US state that allows it, burial. In England, burial isn't an option for a pig, so the choice narrows to cremation or collection.
Finally the budget planner adds the vet visit, collection, urn and a small marker. Ten minutes with the tools, and you know what to ask when you phone round.
The full picture
Memorial budget planner: every cost in one place
The cremation is rarely the only cost. The budget planner lists the usual items, from vet euthanasia and farm collection to the urn, a fleece keepsake and a stone for the paddock, each with an editable low and high figure. It keeps a running total so nothing surprises you later.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
When you're ready for firm numbers, send us your animal's details and we'll reply with real prices from providers near you. If you'd like the routes explained in plain words first, our services page covers each one, and the poll results show what other keepers found hardest to decide.
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.
What was (or would be) hardest about the practical side?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which of your animals are you thinking about today?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What would you expect to pay for private cremation of a medium-size dog?
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.
Ashes weight estimator
See roughly how much ash to expect back, by species and body weight.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Horse aftercare cost comparison
Compare equine cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side.
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Questions people ask
Are these tools accurate for goats and pigs?
They give sensible ranges, not quotes. Published prices for farm species are scarce, so the tools use the nearest published figures, such as large-dog and horse cremation costs, and scale by weight. Local collection and mileage can move the real price a lot, so treat the result as a starting point.
Do the tools save what I type?
No. The calculations run in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to us or stored. If you want us to find real options, use the request form, which is separate.
Which tool should I use for a donkey?
Start with the horse aftercare cost comparison, since donkeys are equines and the per-pound figures fit. Then use the ashes weight estimator to see how much will come home. A standard donkey weighs roughly 400 to 500 lb, a miniature much less.
What if I don't know my animal's weight?
A weight tape for goats, sheep or pigs gives a fair estimate from the heart girth. Otherwise use breed averages: a pygmy goat is about 50 to 75 lb, a ewe 120 to 200 lb, an alpaca 120 to 190 lb. Round up slightly for urn sizing.
Can I use the tools before my animal has died?
Yes, and it often helps. Working out cost, ash volume and the legal options while your animal is still with you means you can make calm choices, put money aside and have a provider's number ready. For an older goat, donkey or pig, a plan made early can make the day itself a little easier.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 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.
- [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] 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.
- [4] Bovine composting may require 10-12 cubic yards of cover material per 1,000 lb of carcass. USDA APHIS / Center for Food Security and Public Health (Iowa State) - Disposal: Composting, Rendering & Burial handout, based on NAHEMS Disposal Guidelines (2012), 2012.
- [5] Composting was used for 85% of poultry carcasses in the 2014-2015 U.S. HPAI outbreak; EPA lists composting and permitted landfills as the preferred disposal methods. U.S. EPA - Carcass Management During Avian Influenza Outbreaks, 2015.
Want exact prices instead of estimates?
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.