What should I do if the neck skin shrinks before I can sew it up? I have a woodie drake that did that, and the neck looks way to skinny. What should I do next time?
Thanks for any help!
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
Sew what up? Do you mean it dried? Did you use the bird's head, or a replacement? All ducks have "skinny" necks if the skin wasn't prepared well. Full necks are the result of feather arrangement, and not "stuffing". A properly cared for duck skin will not shrink much, even when dried completely. Perhaps you should review your procedures. Sounds to me like there was some rough handling and that there is still some grease in the feathers......Hard to say without seeing the thang.
What I mean by sew it up is that when I made the incision in the back of the neck so I could flip the skin over the head, while I was working on other things such as making the body and wiring the legs and wings, the neck skin dried and shrunk. I used the bird's actual head, there was no rough handling; in fact, I was pretty gentle with it. It couldn't be grease in the feathers because I washed the whole thing. It might be feather arrangement, though. It looks like it has a lot of pin feathers in the neck. This is my very first bird of any kind, and the book I used doesn't go into very much detail on some of the procedures.
spray the skin with water or use wet paper towels (not dripping)to rehydrate. Don't let the skin go dry before sewing.
You may say I am biased because I make and sell cast heads and you are probably correct BUT: I have found many reasons for using them on all birds. I have even used them on doves. When the skin on the head is cut to get the natural head out, The skin often dries and shrinks. There is a reason for this happening. There is a very thin layer of muscle on the neck skin that is sometimes over looked. It is much easier to clean this muscle off the skin if the skin is completely inverted. As Cur says the feathers control the fullness of the neck, but it is tough to groom these feathers with that muscle on the neck. Even if you use the natural head, it is a good idea to cut the head out from the front like you would with an artificial. Rebuild the head paint it and reassemble. No cut to sew. The more one uses cast heads the more benefits you will find. I read these forums more than I post and often don't respond when arguments occur about cast heads. But don't have a closed mind. I use techniques now in my taxidermy that I didn't even know about ten years ago, and if I were not willing to try new ideas, I would miss out on things I do now.