The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Chrissie on June 03, 2014, 08:24:16 pm

Title: sheep skin advice please
Post by: Chrissie on June 03, 2014, 08:24:16 pm

Hi everyone,

I have decided to go all crafty and make a big sheepskin rug for our living room so I am wondering if you can get some 2nd choice skins which aren't good enough to sell to retailers and if so any idea where I can get them?

Failing this - can I get lambskins directly from farmers?
What happens to them once the sheep are killed?  or are skins discarded?

Looking to cover a 1.50 x 2 m area.

Thanks  :)
Chrissie.

Title: Re: sheep skin advice please
Post by: Bramblecot on June 03, 2014, 08:35:10 pm

If you approach a local abbatoir you may be able to purchase them directly from them.  Ours charges about £5 per skin. 
You then need to immediately salt them (they may do it for you £2-3), and then send them to a tannery.  The tannery we use is Devonia near Ashburton and the cost is approx £28 plus postage back to you.  With my sheepskins you would need at least 9 skins sewn together.
Devonia are the people to ask about 2nd grade skins - but they may not want them leaving the tannery.  I really hate to say it but it is probably much cheaper to buy foreign skins >:(

Title: Re: sheep skin advice please
Post by: Bionic on June 03, 2014, 10:10:32 pm

To get my own lamb skins back I need a licence from the local council. It doesn't cost anything, it's just a bit of a pain.
When I last went to the abattoir there were skins lying outside. I asked what happened to them and was told that they all get sent to China.

Title: Re: sheep skin advice please
Post by: Fleecewife on June 04, 2014, 12:51:49 am

Our local abattoir sends the skins to a tannery further north then they are exported largely to Russia.

Title: Re: sheep skin advice please
Post by: Chrissie on June 04, 2014, 05:42:41 pm

bummer...once again its frustrating to see that local is not that simple anymore  :-\ ....with buying foreign skins...any good websites I could try rather than buying them from the shops?

thanks...

Title: Re: sheep skin advice please
Post by: Bramblecot on June 04, 2014, 05:58:39 pm

Have a look on fleabay - there is a company selling processed skins, apparently very cheaply. 

From our abbatoir the skins go mainly to China.  A lot from East Anglia go by lorry to Poland, then are brought back here and sold for less than it costs me to process my own :( - and they are marketed as all British ??? >:( .  How can we compete with that?

Title: Re: sheep skin advice please
Post by: Chrissie on June 04, 2014, 07:43:46 pm

Bramblecot... is that fleabay on facebook or fleebay.co.uk? never heard of this website but have the feeling I will be spending a lot of time on  ;D