I have been doing taxidermy for quite some time. I've really never had to deal with the bird market at all, but that time has come. I spent the better part of ten years doing trial and error on mammals until someone actually taught me some fine tuning. I am going to bird school in two weeks and I have to bring my own specimens. I have birds in the freezer anywheres from five years to a month. I know the ideal bird to mount is a fresh one, but I only have two fresh ones, and that won't get me through the training. What is the longest froze bird I could mount? These birds have not been vacuum packed, for that matter they have barely been in plastic bags.
Thanks for any response in advance, sorry so long this training to me is like the commercial, "PRICELESS"
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Simply rehydrate them Marc. I mix up some Rittel's Ultra Soft with a little bacteriacide and water and inject everything that dries. Feet that are beyond dry can be injected back to like new with a little patience. Also inject heads, backs and wingtips. In about an hour the bird can be skinned as usual. If it is REALLY dry, after skinning, soak it in the same bath you just injected into it. It will make fleshing easier.
As far as length of time is concerned I never even worry about freezer burn using the method I've just described. I'm just finishing up a dead mount of three birds that were in an UNSEALED garbage bag for almost ten years. Not a problem.
The only other thing I would suggest is that you use your freshest birds for your flying poses. All the injecting in the world doesn't seem to bring the metacarpals (wing tips) back fully.
Good luck and remember--patience!
Why would you wait till the last minute to come up with birds..
And I would think the person or place your going to could answer your question.
Take all types.....I recently completed a class with Stefan Savides and I took fresh birds which are easy to mount. But I also took a couple that had freezer burn and learned how deal with that. Also, a couple of birds with bone and feather damage. If you have a bird with shot-up wing feathers, take a extra set of wings and learn feather replacement. It sure is nice to have an instructor to show you how to work with problem areas since not all birds that come to you from your customers will not be fresh birds.
Thank you Paul and Dan very much for taking time out of your schedule to answer my question. As for the guy SHAKING HIS HEAD, well I have been trying to get some birds for the last month, but it was 28 BELOW ZERO, and waterfowl season ends the 16th.