The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: mojocafa on April 13, 2016, 11:56:19 am

Title: The knackers man
Post by: mojocafa on April 13, 2016, 11:56:19 am
Today, for the first time, I had to use the services of the knackers man.

It was horrible, but part and parcel of keeping livestock I suppose.

A pygmy goat died yesterday.


 

Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Dan on April 13, 2016, 12:06:14 pm
Sorry to hear that.  :( :hug:
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Jukes Mum on April 13, 2016, 12:09:26 pm
 :'(  :hug:
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Sbom on April 13, 2016, 12:36:22 pm
It's not a nice job to have but if there were no knacker man it'd be much worse....waiting for one myself today... :'(  :sheep:
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: cans on April 13, 2016, 12:48:25 pm
 mojocafa       :hug:
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: cans on April 13, 2016, 12:49:04 pm
 Sbom        :hug:
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Fleecewife on April 13, 2016, 12:55:03 pm

You just have to think 'dead is dead'.  Your animal doesn't feel or know anything, so what happens to the body really doesn't matter, beyond that now its disposal is a health matter.  It is horrible, knowing what else is in the truck, but we have always found the knackerman to be caring and gentle.   And thank goodness it's still cool weather - I hate having the smelly lorry stop at ours  :yuck:

Sorry if I seem hard - I'm not, just practical.
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Rosemary on April 13, 2016, 02:12:43 pm
Sorry to hear that. We've had ours out twice and I have to say the company is very good. The guys must get used to folk weeping on them.
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: harmony on April 13, 2016, 02:32:55 pm
It's not a nice job to have but if there were no knacker man it'd be much worse....waiting for one myself today... :'( :sheep:


I really hope you didn't mean for yourself! :thinking:
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: mojocafa on April 13, 2016, 02:43:26 pm
I think I may have used the same company rosemary, as I did a search as I remember you commenting about them. Phoned at 8am and they were here by 10.30 so that was excellent.

Fleecewife, OMG the smell from the lorry  :yuck: so I dread to think what it is like in the summer.

Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Foobar on April 13, 2016, 03:38:01 pm
Nothing worse than getting stuck behind that lorry ... down a narrow country lane ... for miles :(
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: HappyHippy on April 13, 2016, 05:12:11 pm
So sorry for your loss  :hug:

I think the guys who do the knacker man job are very special people (and hopefully have little sense of smell) to have to collect fallen stock from upset owners and in some cases dispatch and load an animal by themselves, day after day after day.
We (smallholders/farmers) feel bad if we have an occasional loss, but these guys deal with death for a living and somehow manage to stay upbeat, caring and professional - not sure I'd have the emotional strength to do it.
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Anke on April 13, 2016, 05:14:39 pm
I have a lot of respect for the guys (never had a lady driver yet) who can do that job day-in-day-out...

X-posted with Happy-Hippy...
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: suziequeue on April 13, 2016, 06:51:13 pm
Our fell yard is relatively nearby so we normally take stuff down ourselves and just sign whatever we have left there in the book. I wouldn't recommend it  :-\
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Sbom on April 13, 2016, 06:55:05 pm
It's not a nice job to have but if there were no knacker man it'd be much worse....waiting for one myself today... :'( :sheep:


I really hope you didn't mean for yourself! :thinking:

Ha! Not quite that bad......yet
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Backinwellies on April 13, 2016, 06:55:39 pm
We also deliver ours  ... and save quite a bit of the bill. ... but not for the faint hearted!
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Lesley Silvester on April 13, 2016, 08:35:45 pm
Sorry you lost your goat. I well remember the only time I've had to use their services. It was late on Friday when she died so three days before they collected during which time my lovely girl (my very first goat) lay in the shed with the other goats.


Having said that, the man when he came was lovely. I showed him the body and asked if I could leave him to it as she was a much loved pet and he was fine with that. Just came to the house when he'd finished to do the paperwork. I'd use the company again.
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Coastie on April 13, 2016, 09:50:24 pm
Sorry for your loss Mojo.
We are near to the fallen stock yard so OH takes our losses there (I always seem to have ironing/hoovering/washing to do :innocent:  ;)).  Although the place is grim, he said the staff are very helpful and it is a fascinating place where everything is re-used. It is much cheaper than if collected. 
Our neighbour was charged £40 by the vet to dispose of a dead lamb!
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Marches Farmer on April 26, 2016, 02:27:51 pm
Once I'm sure there's no hope for an animal I prefer to get them to despatch it in preference to the vet.  No messing around with shaving sheep at the injection site or injecting a sedative into pigs.  One shot and that's it.  Less stressful for the animal and for me.
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Steph Hen on April 27, 2016, 08:23:37 am
Very sorry to hear this mojocafe  :'(.   
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: winkhound on April 27, 2016, 01:13:07 pm
we find the local hunt by far the most responsible, quickest and cheapest option. a small lamb dropped off is £2 and sheep £10.
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Jullienne on April 27, 2016, 01:47:54 pm
I am very sorry to hear this [member=26410]mojocafa[/member]. My usual knackerman belongs to a family business, they are a bit too expensive compared to other areas, but they do a good job and are very good about it all. It is a horrible thing having an animal put down or one which dies suddenly. I had a couple of cows once which where too old to go to the abbatoir, so the knacker man came out for them, it was the most horrible thing ever, I was so attached to them but they had to go because they where so old and not useful anymore. :'( I don't particuarlarly like the smell of the knackers lorry, but I am always curious to see what animals they have dead in the back of it, a bit morbid eh?  :roflanim: I think the last time I checked there was a dead fresian 5 dead sheep and lambs and 1 or 2 dead beef cows, no pigs as far as i can recall :thinking:
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: Bionic on April 27, 2016, 02:07:58 pm
We had the knackers man out when a pig died but farming neighbours of mine won't have them as they say it brings disease to their farm. They always take theirs themseves
Title: Re: The knackers man
Post by: devonlady on April 28, 2016, 12:46:13 pm
We do the same, Bionic, it's only a couple of miles away. By the way, we don't have a knacker man......we have a knacker lady and very good and efficient she is. She also runs a pet crem.