I was wondering if someone could give me some idea's of how to ship
finished birds to customer's, without messing up the feathers.any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
JT
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
risks irrespective of the method. I use the following depending on the size of the bird, whether it is open wing or closed wing, whether it is a wall mount or a table mount. Whether there is a display case associated with the mount or not. Each case is somewhat different. For small to medium standing birds I use a heavy card board box a little larger than the mount and base. I attach the base to the box by using a washer and screw through the box and into the base. I carefully put a plastic bag over the bird and fill the box with styrofoam peanuts or dry popcorn. The idea is to fill the empty space so the bird is not bounced around when the box is thrown from place to place. On larger birds I build a wooden frame that exactly fits inside a cardboard box, or I build the frame and cut carboard and staple to the frame. I use scrap wood and enough support such that the container will not collapse. I attach the bird and base to the frame with screws to suspend the bird in the open space. The rest is the same - open wing birds take a lot of volume requiring a lot of styrofoam peanuts. On bigger birds, I build a wooden crate of the appropriate size and pack as stated. It is possible to put morre than one bird in a container, so if a customer has more than one mount, like a goose and a duck or three ducks etc. it is frequently easy to une one box for all. Mounts with a lot of delicate habitat do not travel well. Various carriers have size limits - if the box is larger than the maximum you will need to look at other options such as shipping services. It is also important to keep in mind that shipping costs are high. The customer should be advised of this before taking the bird in. Another method I have used on large birds with open whings such as turkeys and large geese is to detach the wings. The customer would reattach them. Mounting wings with wires for detaching and attaching is not profoundly difficult and realistically reduces the potential for profound damage. Don't forget to charge the customer for the crating, don't forget to properly label the container as to the contents and do not forget to insure the shipment. Good Luck