The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: clydesdaleclopper on October 14, 2014, 11:16:49 am
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I am hoping to get some skins back from the abattoir to send off for tanning. I was wondering how much salt people usually end up using on each skin before it is ready to be sent off.
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I am currently salting 3 lamb skins. They are on their second salting and I have used about 3/4 of a 25 kilo bag of salt.
The last salting, when I send them off, will be much lighter ti reduce the cost of posting.
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Depending on the breed and therefore size, Devonia in Buckfastleigh recommend about 1 kg per skin, per application. Two applications before posting.
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I am hoping to get some skins back from the abattoir to send off for tanning. I was wondering how much salt people usually end up using on each skin before it is ready to be sent off.
Thanks! :thumbsup:
I was just deliberating this question... sending off my Gotland x Shetland wethers next week, and then hopefully the skins for tanning.
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Mine are the same Gotland x Shetland ;D
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I was advised at least 1kg per skin on first salting, then go over the skin again and re-salt any areas where the salt is damp. The Shetland x GFD skins from Devonia were superb this year :thumbsup: . I have some there now - 20 week turnaround - :fc: :fc:
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Mine are the same Gotland x Shetland ;D
Lovely skins and fleece from that cross :thumbsup:
For the salting, don't skimp on the salt, or on making sure the skins are well done. Salt in bulk is dirt cheap and can make all the difference between success and failure of the tanning process.
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I have got one 25kg bag waiting here, and merchants assured me they have more in stock...
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Katie have you got a animal biproduct licence and are you using granton coz if so you will 100% not get them back without the licence as we found out ! We now have the licence bit bloody late though !!!
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Yes I have got the licence :thumbsup:
Where is the best place to get big bags of salt then?
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We get ours from an agricultural merchant, the kind that sells feed, clothing, tools etc. 20 or 25kg bags. One of those should be enough. Wear rubber gloves and a pinny. Use a scoop to get the salt out. Rub it into any curled up corners. Apply enough that you can't see the skin through the salt, and add to it if you see any pink (wet) salt as it absorbs liquid. And don't forget to chop the purse off. I cover mine with a light polythene sheet if the weather is not dry and cold, as keeps off atmospheric moisture.
Have fun - it's a 'orrible job :roflanim:
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And don't forget to chop the purse off.
????
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And don't forget to chop the purse off.
If your boys weren't ringed that is.... ne purse on me boys anymore ;D
????
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We get ours from an agricultural merchant, the kind that sells feed, clothing, tools etc. 20 or 25kg bags. One of those should be enough. Wear rubber gloves and a pinny. Use a scoop to get the salt out. Rub it into any curled up corners. Apply enough that you can't see the skin through the salt, and add to it if you see any pink (wet) salt as it absorbs liquid. And don't forget to chop the purse off. I cover mine with a light polythene sheet if the weather is not dry and cold, as keeps off atmospheric moisture.
Have fun - it's a 'orrible job :roflanim:
My salt came from the agri merchants. I think it was £6 for the 25k bag so it isn't worth stinting on it.
I was expecting an 'orrible job' but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I put on vinyl gloves and then put the long lambing gloves over the top just in case :o but found they wern't necessary.
The skins were very clean inside and not at all smelly. I guess thats because they were so fresh. They were still warm when I was salting them. A week down the line and still no smell. Perhaps thats because I did a good salting job on them.
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I bought my salt from Tesco - at 25p per kg bag, it's about the same as the large bags but much tidier.
You should be able to put the salt on when it's really fresh, and my latest skin was removed from the sheep at the end of August and still doesnt smell with salt on it, I've been working it a little at a time when I get the chance, but 6 weeks on it is still fresh under the salt!
PS purse=scrotum, I'd rather not have that kind of pennies in my purse though lol
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I've got a freaky secret desire to make an actual purse out of a sheepy one ??? Just me ::)
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me thinks you need some therapy ;D
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me thinks you need some therapy ;D
Definitely :roflanim:
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I've got a freaky secret desire to make an actual purse out of a sheepy one ??? Just me ::)
Can you make one for me too? I won't tell anyone ;)
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Well I won't be making one the 'purse' didn't come back with mine. Bit sorry about that now ;D
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You used to be able to get all you needed for curing skins. Formaldehide(SP?) plus something to keep the skins supple. I'll ask my brother, we used to do them about 50 years ago. Though maybe regulations have changed nowadays. How did folk do it 200 years ago??
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You used to be able to get all you needed for curing skins. Formaldehide(SP?) plus something to keep the skins supple. I'll ask my brother, we used to do them about 50 years ago. Though maybe regulations have changed nowadays. How did folk do it 200 years ago??
You can still get it over the internet - on one of the other threads on his subject someone was talking about it. Taxidermist supplies.... but for me with hopefully 5 or 6 skins it would be just too much work to do it properly.
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Where did you get your animal biproduct licence? Animal health Thainstone?
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Just got ours back, there's a form on the government websites, google apply for animal by product licence, i think its something like abp117 the form.
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Where did you get your animal biproduct licence? Animal health Thainstone?
just google the name of the form (there is also a thread on here with a link to it somewhere in the sheep section), and then complete and hand in to your local Animal Health Office or fax/post. Mine came back within the week.
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The form had to be sent to Galashiels rather than the local office
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The form had to be sent to Galashiels rather than the local office
OK, Galashiels is my local office... ;D I hand-delivered it.
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I collected my skins on Weds and have heavily salted and hung them up. I have also bought a pack to do the skins myself from snowdonia supplies - would be interested if anyone else has tried this? I did see in an older post that someone suggested this kit but has anyone used it - how successful were you?
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Hi I used the snowdonia kit last year. It was quite hard work initially scraping the skins to get all the membranes and fat off but I think this depends how cleanly your abbattoir skins the sheep. I found "working" the skins to get them soft quite hard work but not difficult and I was very pleased with the end product although not quite as supple as the commercially tanned skins but very adequate for floor rugs or on the back of the sofa :) (and much cheaper than sending them off to be tanned). Im not sure if hanging the skins up during salting is a good idea? I would have thought the salt would tend to fall off too soon before they were properly cured? I kept mine lying flat during salting HTH
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Good point lesbri - but how did you stop the rats/ mice getting to the skins or were they not an issue?
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I covered them with paper feed sacks and then laid some polythene loosely over the top. Didnt notice any problem with rats/mice.
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Ok, will try that, thank you!
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Bekka, i agree about not hanging them up. I have instructions from the tannery and they say specifically to lay them somewhere flat. Mine are in the stable and I haven't had any problems with rodents. I think all that salt might put them off.
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Another vote for laying the skins flat, or nearly flat, initially at least. I support a large sheet of plywood on hurdles set in a 'V' shape, one side up resting on the tops of the joiny bits, the other resting on the top bar. This allows any liquid to drain off, but not the salt. If you also use hurdles, I discovered the hard way that you need to cover them too, not just the board, as the salt corrodes the metal of the hurdles. Under the edge I put straw to catch the run-off - straw can be burned afterwards.
You can stack your skins about three high, skin to fleece, if you have a lot. I've done 4 high but the top ones slipped every now and then. You do need to keep swapping which ones are on top.
As I mentioned, I usually cover with a sheet of polythene to ward off atmospheric moisture, but it keeps the mice off too. In the depths of winter when it's below zero I don't cover them. I did once see evidence that mice had held a party on the skins - loads of cute footprints in the salt :roflanim: The other thing which happened was with mole skins, which I layed out in the same way and salted, intending to tan them myself. There were quite a few but the numbers dwindled. Eventually we worked out that we had a rat and it was taking the moleskins back to its den to line the nest. They must have been the comfiest baby rats ever ::)
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Thank you all - layed them flat as soon as I read that post and all looking good. I am now at the fleshing stage - anyone any tips for this? I have lots of whittling tools - draw knife and small sharp knives. I have 4 to do so it may take some time!!
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Sorry Bekka I can't help with this one. I am pleased to say my skins were very clean when I got them back from the abattoir so, after salting, I will be sending them off just as they are.
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Mostly mine have come back fairly clean with just the odd patch of muscle or fat still attached. I have found something more blunt than a sharp knife is better, as you are less likely to make a hole in the skin. Best too to have the tool almost flat against the skin. A flint hand scraper would possibly be good - if only I had one ;D
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My tip for the fleshing is to get someone else to help (or in my case actually do it while I watched :innocent:). Seriously I think it helps if you have someone to pull the skin away from you as you are scraping, so its as taut as possible if you see what I mean. Good luck :thumbsup: I would do more skins this year but I cant send my lambs off yet as I want to use my tup lamb on my ewes and want to lamb a bit later next year, so I think it will be too late to tan my skins this year :(
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does anyone have any experience of goat and cattle skins? im looking to do both in the very near future and not sure what to do.
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does anyone have any experience of goat and cattle skins? im looking to do both in the very near future and not sure what to do.
Re goats - Having spoken to the lady who will cure my sheep skins about goats - it is a lot more difficult to get them right as goats' winter coats do come/brush out (the cashmere stuff), and mostly goat (and actually kid) skins are turned into leather, with all the hairs scraped off. My girls have their winter coats coming in by the end of August and I am struggling sometimes in June to get them out...
Don't know anything about cattle skins though - you can see them on American/cowboy films, so I guess tese are more suitable...
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A friend has sent their Dexter skins for tanning. They have to go to Italy ::) and were sent via Exeter Skins and Hides. Very costly but lovely results.
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thanks anke, my wether has a beautiful long clean coat so was wanting it as a hairy rug or something, same for the bullock.