measuring length and girth for a standing wood duck

i am a beginner at taxidermy. i am wanting to order a mannikin for a standing wood duck, but i do not know where to measure the girth and length. where do i measure and how accurate do i need to be? the wood duck i have is very mature and its kinda big for a wood duck. if you have any more advice on anything concerning mounting a duck let me hear it!

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Measuring For A Form

Length is measured from the tip of the breast to the base of the tail. Girth is the circumference of the bird at the largest portion of the breast. Try to be as accurate as possible and if need be, in my opinion, it is better to use a form that is a little smaller than one that is too big. A bigger form might not allow the feathers to set right. I would measure the body, order the body you think is right, but keep the real body and when the form comes in, see how they compare. If you really get in the profession, you might want to trying wrapping your own bodies. Also obtain all the information that you can,the more you know the better off you will be.Good Luck

one more question scanman

do i need to skin the bird before i make the measurements?

Yes

Measure after skinning, the fluffiness of the feathers is decieving. After the bird is skinned you will see what I mean, plus you can also identify your "landmarks" for measuring without having to guess.

thank you, thank you very much

thanks so much for your help! im sure i will have more questions, but for right now, tank you.

Another point of view

There are a number of subtle issues involving bird body size that you may also want to consider. Too small is just as bad as too big. No form will be a perfect match whether you tie your own or purchase one of the many available through taxidermy suppliers. I do not subscribe to the thought that you should always, or even most frequently, go with a smaller manikin. Folks who do lots of birds find that skinning the bird also removes the fat layer - depending on the time of year, the fat layer can be a material thickness when selecting a manikin. Degreasing a bird often increases the size of the skin by releasing each quill from the fat and sinue sacks. I customarily use a manikin a little larger than the actual carcass because of the above two facts. If the skin has no fat and you do not use a wire wheel I would try hard to duplicate the actual body that you removed. Please note that it also matters how you skin the bird. If you remove the entire tail with the tail bone you will need to add a little for what was removed. Also note that if you remove the should joints leaving the ball joint on the end of the humerous, you will have to modify the manikin to accept the ball joint. You should also look at the neck attachment point to notice that it is NOT at the end of a flat manikin. The actual neck attachment may be an inch or so into the manikin making it necessary to again modify the manikin so the neck will not be too long. All these things affect the size and appearance of the manikin as well as how the mount looks in the end. Good Luck.

that cut in the ear

i have a question about the cut that you make on waterfowl to allow the skull to be reveresed and cleaned. how easily should it come out and where and how should i make the incision on a male wood duck (which would be easiest for a beginner like me)? and is the skull ever completely removed from the skin if i am going to use the natural skull for mounting, yes or no? if there are any videos that anyone would suggest for me please let me know which ones to get, the booklets are very unhelpful and i am a visual learner. thanks

Always more than one way

There are many approaches to dealing with skinning over the skull. It customarily boils down to individual preference after trying a number of different methods. A good taxidermy reference text, available through the taxidermy supply houses is a good approach to investigating them. Many of the texts have great pictures, making the explanation of the process easier. In general there are four common "cuts" - the top of the head, underneath the skull, from the ear opening back toward the carcass and in the neck just behind the skull back toward the body. The length of the cut is dependent on the size of the skull. Some ducks do not require a cut at all. Another thing to consider in making the choice is the position of the mount. Some who make a cut through the ear place the cut side against the wall. After some practice you will chooose one of the above or some modification that you are comfortable with. I seldom use the real skull. It is easier for me to skin around the bill and remove the skull. I do this even if I am going to re-use the real skull. My reasoning is that it is far easier to clean the skull without the skin attached. Cutting around the bill and skinning backwards also requires some practice, so do not be afraid to give it a try. I always remove the skull from a wood duck by making incisions around the bill and skinning back toward the body. If you choose to make a cut in the skin on a wood duck, I would recommend the under the neck method starting about 1/4 inch in front of the jaw hinge point and cutting about 1.5 inches toward the body trhen invert the skull through the incision. Make sure the cut is centered and not off to one side or the other. When sewing back together make sure not to sew any small feathers into the incision line and take very small stitches with light thread and a small needle. You can remove the real skull and replace it after skinning - many folks who remove the skull do not reuse it choosing to an artificial one. There are a number of excellent videos - David Luke, Sally Dahmes, Stephan Salvides are a few. Good Luck

thanks

thanks