I have only mounted two waterfowl and both the necks look to skinny. I measure the neck from the base of the skull to where the neck attaches to the chest, and i have even made the diameter of the neck larger than the birds neck. The neck always looks long and skinny.
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You are doing right measuring the length of the necks. I'm not sure what you are using to make the neck out of, but round foam is incorrect by itself. A duck's neck is not round. What I do is use neck foam that is the same diameter as the birds neck at the base of the skull to start the process. I like to go about 1/2" shorter than the bird's actual neck, but you can use the full length if you like. Then, I hot glue a piece of 1/4" neck foam to act as the windpipe. Then I take rope cotton (the kind hair dressers use) and I begin wrapping the neck foam. I spray the cotton with a little water to help it hold its shape better. As I wrap the neck, I add very little cotton near the base of the skull, but I add quite a bit on the "body" end of the neck to replace all the fat and the crop. Once I get the right build, I wrap the entire neck with thread. When you are mounting the bird, you need to make sure you have the correct bend in the neck. As it comes out of the body, the neck dips down and back up. Even on flying birds, the neck is never straight...it always has a bend in it. You also may find it helpful to caulk the neck....I hate caulk so I usually don't use any more of it than I absolutely need.
Taxi the neck skin towards the head, this is one of the most common problem areas for beginners. Waterfowl (most birds actually) have amazing abilities to fold up their necks, most will have a heavy S curve in them even when they appear to be straight. Depending on the pose the neck may need to curve all the way down to the chest and then back up. Next time you skin a bird notice the gap between the breast meat where they can tuck their necks into.
maybe a visual will help, X = neck
mmm
ooooooooxx xxxmmmm>>
o ox x
oo o x x
oooooo x
like the visual aid didn't work, the program took out all my spaces
makes a double curve from under the chin to the breast
Thanks for the help, I will try the things you guys suggested.
Marty
couple things...taxi skin forward, but also, don't make neck too big (width). there's an inverse relationship to mannikin size and "size" of finished bird. if your mannikin (or neck in this case) is oversize and too tight, it won't allow feathers to fluff and therefore, will make bird look smaller
Most skinny necks are the result of incomplete degreasing and fat removal. Many are so cautious around the neck and head that they do not get the membrane and very thin neck tissue removed adequately. As a result, the neck may initially look fine, but as it dries it will shrink and look "skinny". Another common error is incomplete washing and soap removal. The rinse process is very important - I also use fabric softner in the finalk rinse to make sure the soap is out. "taxi-ing" the skin forward is a good idea but this too can create problems if you are not careful. Good luck