[trawscoed]

Hi I'm not sure where to post this as it cuts across a few of the sub forums. I keep hearing and reading that people are put off of getting involved with hides as they have to be licensed to take them from the abbatoir. that is technically correct however the process of getting licensed is very straightforward. You simply contact your local environmental health, or do a search on the defra website, fill in a form and they approve it and send it back to you. It took less than 10 days for mine to arrive and I am now licensed to carry category 2 animal by products.

Obviously you need to fill in the form correctly but a smallholder or small time farmer looking for extra income seems a valid reason to apply and it worked for me.

I hope this helps someone who has been put off the idea of licensing.

[artscott]

I recently got my licence too, and I can confirm it was very easy.


Unfortunately I was a bit slow and missed the timing for this years hides so will have to wait until next year for my sheepskin rugs

[lab7]

Thanks for this - I have thought about getting sheepskins but wasn't sure what to do. Where do you take them for tanning? Is there anywhere near Perth or Aberdeen?
Mary.

[Rosemary]

Try Skyeskyns

[Backinwellies]

Agreed it is very easy..... but don't expect an income from hides ......  professional tanning of sheep fleece costs about £35- £40  plus cost of transport to tanner  and transport from abattoir, plus salt ...... then add cost of selling ......  so unless you have a market which will pay £70 upwards there is no profit.

[fiestyredhead331]

Skyeskyns are brilliant!
They pick up their skins from our local abattoir so they just pick up ours if we have any to go and they post them back when they are done. Waiting on 2 shetland sheepskins coming back but they did one of our goats last year and he now lies on the back of our sofa and gets stroked all the time. Saves us having to get a license and cuts out the faff in between 

[Bekka]

I bought a brush on tanning kit for my sheep skins. Worked brilliantly! Took a long time to do (but I did have 4 and it was my first time) but they look amazing and I am so proud that I have done them myself. Well worth it.

[Treud na Mara]

Where did you get the kit and what was it called - I was thinking of having a go with some this year and I have an old angora goat who may not be long for this world ( not OH  ) and I would love to have something to remember of him when the time comes. I'm going to keep his horns too as they are lovely looking. May seem mercenary thinking like this but - waste not - and we will miss him as he is such a lovely character. OH calls him King Billy now - no religious or sectarian implication.

[VikkiB]

I assume there must be a best time of year for this, i.e when their coat looks the best? I assume if the coat is a big shaggy after the winter it could be trimmed and tarted up a bit? Certainly tempted to have a go with this, although I am not too sure why as I don't particularly like sheep skin rugs, but I hate wasting anything!! Might have to research to see if they can be turned into something else?
Interested in the tanning kit Bekka mentioned.

[Bionic]

Vikki, its not about them looking their best.
I have taken this information from the Organic Sheepskin website
DOWN BREEDS BEFORE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER, but better before.
HILL BREEDS BY 1ST WEEK IN NOVEMBER.
There is absolutely no point in sending skins to be tanned if they are past their ‘use by date’ when the animal has started growing a new fleece under the old one. It is a total waste of time and money,

[VikkiB]

Thanks Bionic,
that is useful, gives me more time to research it then and time to plan the best meat with the possibility of the best fleece??