I would like to know if there is any way to REMOVE the wing feathers without trasf ing the feather and quill.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
You can either cut them out carefully with a sharp knife, scalpel, single-edged razor blade, or etc. or you can keep the wing wet until it rots around the quills and they slide out.
Personally, I would go with the first method.
The primary feathers are the hardest, but are easier to get at if you cut from the upper surface of the wing. They are very firmly attached on TOP of the manus (outer wingbones, or hand section.) The secondaries are rooted along the rear edge of the ulna and can be scraped free with a dull knife or cut out from either side.
Using strong pliers to pull feathers actually seems to do less damage to them than using your hand. At least this has been my experience. I don't have QUITE enough grip strength to reliably pull a turkey's wing feathers without my hand slipping a little. It is the hand slipping that REALLY messes them up. When I use pliers (and a deathgrip!) there will be a small smashed place on the quill, but no other damage. A quick dip in boiling water will plump it right up and the damage becomes virtually invisible. This method might also work for you, depending on HOW perfect you need the quills to be.
Good luck!
Nancy M.
Thanks for your response Nancy. One more question....how fresh does the wing have to be to be able to remove the feathers? What happens if the wing has been sitting around for a few days?
Thanks for any replys!
They can be removed at any time. If the wing dries up they are nearly impossible to get off unless you rehydrate the whole thing. That is do-able, by soaking or injecting, but it is better to keep them wrapped up and frozen until you can get to them. That will keep them from stinking and will slow down the drying up process cosiderably.
A few days, such as less than a week? Probably not a big problem, especially if you are going to cut them free.
I have recently aquired some experience in dry-plucking my own home-grown heritage turkeys, and I found (to my astonishment!) that they are MUCH easier to pluck immediately after they are killed than they are after hanging in the cold for 3 days. That aging process is supposed to make them more tender. The jury is still out on that, but it SURE didn't loosen the feathers like it was supposed to! Even the body feathers needed pliers on the aged bird, while on a freshly killed one I can pull them off in bunches with a damp hand.
Live and learn, I guess.
Nancy M.