diff --git a/usr.sbin/syslogd/syslogd.c b/usr.sbin/syslogd/syslogd.c
--- a/usr.sbin/syslogd/syslogd.c
+++ b/usr.sbin/syslogd/syslogd.c
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@
 #include <sys/event.h>
 #include <sys/ioctl.h>
 #include <sys/mman.h>
+#include <sys/procdesc.h>
 #include <sys/queue.h>
 #include <sys/resource.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>
@@ -288,7 +289,7 @@
 		} f_forw;			/* F_FORW */
 		struct {
 			char	f_pname[MAXPATHLEN];
-			pid_t	f_pid;
+			int	f_procdesc;
 		} f_pipe;			/* F_PIPE */
 	} f_un;
 #define	fu_uname	f_un.f_uname
@@ -296,7 +297,7 @@
 #define	fu_forw_hname	f_un.f_forw.f_hname
 #define	fu_forw_addr	f_un.f_forw.f_addr
 #define	fu_pipe_pname	f_un.f_pipe.f_pname
-#define	fu_pipe_pid	f_un.f_pipe.f_pid
+#define	fu_pipe_pd	f_un.f_pipe.f_procdesc
 
 	/* Book-keeping. */
 	char	f_prevline[MAXSVLINE];		/* last message logged */
@@ -317,7 +318,7 @@
  * Queue of about-to-be dead processes we should watch out for.
  */
 struct deadq_entry {
-	pid_t				dq_pid;
+	int				dq_procdesc;
 	int				dq_timeout;
 	TAILQ_ENTRY(deadq_entry)	dq_entries;
 };
@@ -426,8 +427,8 @@
 static void	addsock(const char *, const char *, mode_t);
 static void	cfline(const char *, const char *, const char *, const char *);
 static const char *cvthname(struct sockaddr *);
-static void	deadq_enter(pid_t, const char *);
-static int	deadq_remove(struct deadq_entry *);
+static void	deadq_enter(int);
+static void	deadq_remove(struct deadq_entry *);
 static int	decode(const char *, const CODE *);
 static void	die(int) __dead2;
 static void	dofsync(void);
@@ -439,7 +440,6 @@
 static void	logerror(const char *);
 static void	logmsg(int, const struct logtime *, const char *, const char *,
     const char *, const char *, const char *, const char *, int);
-static void	log_deadchild(pid_t, int, const char *);
 static void	markit(void);
 static struct socklist *socksetup(struct addrinfo *, const char *, mode_t);
 static int	socklist_recv_file(struct socklist *);
@@ -481,7 +481,10 @@
 		f->f_type = F_UNUSED;
 		break;
 	case F_PIPE:
-		f->fu_pipe_pid = 0;
+		if (f->fu_pipe_pd != -1) {
+			(void)close(f->fu_pipe_pd);
+			f->fu_pipe_pd = -1;
+		}
 		break;
 	default:
 		break;
@@ -1916,17 +1919,16 @@
 	case F_PIPE:
 		dprintf(" %s\n", f->fu_pipe_pname);
 		iovlist_append(il, "\n");
-		if (f->fu_pipe_pid == 0) {
+		if (f->fu_pipe_pd == -1) {
 			if ((f->f_file = p_open(f->fu_pipe_pname,
-						&f->fu_pipe_pid)) < 0) {
+			    &f->fu_pipe_pd)) < 0) {
 				logerror(f->fu_pipe_pname);
 				break;
 			}
 		}
 		if (writev(f->f_file, il->iov, il->iovcnt) < 0) {
 			int e = errno;
-
-			deadq_enter(f->fu_pipe_pid, f->fu_pipe_pname);
+			deadq_enter(f->fu_pipe_pd);
 			close_filed(f);
 			errno = e;
 			logerror(f->fu_pipe_pname);
@@ -2300,7 +2302,7 @@
 		/* flush any pending output */
 		if (f->f_prevcount)
 			fprintlog_successive(f, 0);
-		if (f->f_type == F_PIPE && f->fu_pipe_pid > 0)
+		if (f->f_type == F_PIPE && f->fu_pipe_pd >= 0)
 			close_filed(f);
 	}
 	if (signo) {
@@ -2557,7 +2559,7 @@
 			close_filed(f);
 			break;
 		case F_PIPE:
-			deadq_enter(f->fu_pipe_pid, f->fu_pipe_pname);
+			deadq_enter(f->fu_pipe_pd);
 			close_filed(f);
 			break;
 		default:
@@ -3084,7 +3086,7 @@
 		break;
 
 	case '|':
-		f->fu_pipe_pid = 0;
+		f->fu_pipe_pd = -1;
 		(void)strlcpy(f->fu_pipe_pname, p + 1,
 		    sizeof(f->fu_pipe_pname));
 		f->f_type = F_PIPE;
@@ -3169,12 +3171,12 @@
 		switch (dq->dq_timeout) {
 		case 0:
 			/* Already signalled once, try harder now. */
-			(void)kill(dq->dq_pid, SIGKILL);
+			(void)pdkill(dq->dq_procdesc, SIGKILL);
 			(void)deadq_remove(dq);
 			break;
 
 		case 1:
-			if (kill(dq->dq_pid, SIGTERM) != 0)
+			if (pdkill(dq->dq_procdesc, SIGTERM) != 0)
 				(void)deadq_remove(dq);
 			else
 				dq->dq_timeout--;
@@ -3551,10 +3553,10 @@
  * opposed to a FILE *.
  */
 static int
-p_open(const char *prog, pid_t *rpid)
+p_open(const char *prog, int *rpd)
 {
 	sigset_t sigset = { };
-	int pfd[2], nulldesc;
+	int nulldesc, pfd[2], pd;
 	pid_t pid;
 	char *argv[4]; /* sh -c cmd NULL */
 	char errmsg[200];
@@ -3565,7 +3567,7 @@
 		/* we are royally screwed anyway */
 		return (-1);
 
-	switch ((pid = fork())) {
+	switch ((pid = pdfork(&pd, PD_CLOEXEC))) {
 	case -1:
 		close(nulldesc);
 		return (-1);
@@ -3617,74 +3619,36 @@
 			       (int)pid);
 		logerror(errmsg);
 	}
-	*rpid = pid;
+	*rpd = pd;
 	return (pfd[1]);
 }
 
 static void
-deadq_enter(pid_t pid, const char *name)
+deadq_enter(int pd)
 {
 	struct deadq_entry *dq;
-	int status;
 
-	if (pid == 0)
-		return;
-	/*
-	 * Be paranoid, if we can't signal the process, don't enter it
-	 * into the dead queue (perhaps it's already dead).  If possible,
-	 * we try to fetch and log the child's status.
-	 */
-	if (kill(pid, 0) != 0) {
-		if (waitpid(pid, &status, WNOHANG) > 0)
-			log_deadchild(pid, status, name);
+	if (pd == -1)
 		return;
-	}
 
 	dq = malloc(sizeof(*dq));
 	if (dq == NULL) {
 		logerror("malloc");
 		exit(1);
 	}
-	*dq = (struct deadq_entry){
-		.dq_pid = pid,
-		.dq_timeout = DQ_TIMO_INIT
-	};
+
+	dq->dq_procdesc = pd;
+	dq->dq_timeout = DQ_TIMO_INIT;
 	TAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&deadq_head, dq, dq_entries);
 }
 
-static int
+static void
 deadq_remove(struct deadq_entry *dq)
 {
 	if (dq != NULL) {
 		TAILQ_REMOVE(&deadq_head, dq, dq_entries);
 		free(dq);
-		return (1);
-	}
-
-	return (0);
-}
-
-static void
-log_deadchild(pid_t pid, int status, const char *name)
-{
-	int code;
-	char buf[256];
-	const char *reason;
-
-	errno = 0; /* Keep strerror() stuff out of logerror messages. */
-	if (WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
-		reason = "due to signal";
-		code = WTERMSIG(status);
-	} else {
-		reason = "with status";
-		code = WEXITSTATUS(status);
-		if (code == 0)
-			return;
 	}
-	(void)snprintf(buf, sizeof buf,
-		       "Logging subprocess %d (%s) exited %s %d.",
-		       pid, name, reason, code);
-	logerror(buf);
 }
 
 static struct socklist *