Cant find this in the search list. Did my own turkey a while ago and the down feathers show through in places. Its my first. I dont do many birds. Am I not stacking the feathers in the right order? It seems like everytime I tried to move one to cover up the down part (not sure if its even called down) then some more would show through. I'm new at this so be gentle. Thanks for all your help in the past.
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Chuck, It is impossible to know exactly what is wrong without seeing the bird, but there are a couple of practical guesses that can be made. One is that the mannikin you used is too large and the skin fits too tight. this would make it impossible for the large feathers to stand and puff, allowing the down to stick up. Always use a form that allows plenty of loose skin on all birds. Another guess is misaligned skin patterns. It will be difficult to groom areas where the skin underneath is not in the right spot. One other problem could be from poor cleaning of the feathers. any grease can make the feathers look pretty lame. I did a pretty poor job of telling you how to fix it on this bird but maybe this will help on your next one. Some of the "bird guys" may have some better answers for a quick fix right now. Turkeys are hard to mount for anyone,especially a beginner.
you may not have gotten the feathers dry enough. I've not been doing this long, but I had the same problems when I first started and now at times too. If you don't get the feathers completely blown dry, they can do that. The form being too large can cause this too. You won't get that fluffy look to the feathers.
Thanks alot guys.. this is the greatest web site..theres not many professions were you can get pro advice for free. Pass it on right?
Thanks again
Chuck