Author Topic: sheep skin advice please (Read 2539 times)

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.

Bramblecot · « **Reply #1 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

Bionic · « **Reply #2 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.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #3 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.

Chrissie · « **Reply #4 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...

Bramblecot · « **Reply #5 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?