Keeping animals and esp. animals for food, results in critters dying from disease, age, sickness, accidents, and intention. Butchering results in odds and ends that do not find their way to the freezer. Joel Salatin mentioned composting the remains from his butchering of chickens, etc. Gardening books warn not to add animal parts to the compost, but I have buried ducks and chickens in the compost with no odor or attraction of scavengers. Turning the pile has sometimes exposed a duck bill (they seem to be made of stern stuff), but even these disappear by the time the compost has aged enough to go on the garden. Check out these sites from Iowa, Maryland, and Minnesota:
www.iowabeefcenter.org/content/bsemain.htm www.agnr.umd.edu/mce/publications/pdfs/fs717.pdf
www.mda.state.mn.us/composting
www.iowabeefcenter.org/content/bsemain.htm www.agnr.umd.edu/mce/publications/pdfs/fs717.pdf
www.mda.state.mn.us/composting