A question about hay being used for wrapped bodies

[stargazer644]

  Hi, I have just finished reading a book, ADVANCED TAXIDERMY by P. O'CONNOR, and on one of the pages he mentions he uses hay to make his animal bodies, a rabbit is given as an example.
Just curious to know if anyone else has  ever used this, or does use it,  for making wrapped bodies, and if so, what advantages or disadvantages were experienced. Any input would be appreciated.
Wishing you well, stargazer.

[coonhollow]

I would say a dis advantage would be bugs.

[stargazer644]

Hi Coonhollow,   Yes, and that was my first thought, and I should have mentioned in my post that the author states he kills off any unwanted grass mites or other insects with an insecticidal, other than that, I was just wondering the advantages to be gained from using hay, thanks for your input, wishing you well, stargazer.

[lee, tees valley]

hay was used years ago. probably because woodwool was not easily availibe     better using woodwool now though , hay has no advantages over it.

[stargazer644]

Hi lee, Yes I think your probably right,  woodwool  became easier to obtain, and has certainly stood the test of time in comparison.   

[John Bellucci]

If I'm not mistaken, the author is from the UK, and when it was written there wasn't a lot of access to the supplies we have here.  So, like many Taxidermists "of old" he used what was most easily available ... in the case of his Rabbit ... hay. 

The problem is, it is a crop that is taken in from the farm field, and as such is much too "dirty" for Taxidermy work.  Too much soil dust and contaminants.

The best product for wrapping bodies is Excelsior - aka "Wood Wool" - available from several suppliers. 

When you get it it is best to dampen it with water so as to compress it so it will pack nice and tight.  The tighter it packs, the better it will hold the body, leg, neck and tail wires. 

While it is damp, you can sprinkle it with powdered Borax.  This will help deter many bugs from making a meal of the body and the specimen.

Hope this helps!

By the way, I love his little African Lion cub mounts!  A combination of conventional and freeze-dry Taxidermy!  They are cuties!

John.

[stargazer644]

Thanks John, and yes, referring to your point, I for one remember the 'hay dust' on a friend's farm which caused some allergies amongst us when stacking the hay  bales as a younger man. It wasn't nice to work with in those quantities. This book was published a long time back, and supplies of woodwool may not have been  so easy to source then, and   the author doesn't state if it was  used as an experimentation or not.
Certainly from my experience, the wood wool supplies were largely obtained from  fruit packaging and house remover firms. We have only two main taxidermy supply outlets that  I know of who carry it in stock, but  of course their are specialist companies who produce it for  many other uses besides taxidermy.
I found it more economical to buy it direct from the packaging producers, and I  buy different grades to suit my needs. Thanks for the input John, wishing you well, stargazer.