I have four whole birds in excellent shape in my freezer, and am trying to figure out the whole process here. I don't want to mount them, but do want to preserve and use pelts and some wing and tail feathers. (The birds are in great shape)
When I take one out of the freezer to work on, what's next?--preserve frozen birds in salt or borax, then clean innards and use the parts I want? Or do I unfreeze, wash, then preserve? Or is there a different order to follow?
I have cleaned and preserved a fox pelt before, but am a total amateur otherwise. I have read a lot of these messages to get help, but haven't found just what I need to know. Really appreciate finding all of you with all your experience!
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make sure you have legal birds first, if it migrates, it's not legal to own any part of.
if legal, then thaw to cold, split down the belly, and start skinning like you did the fox.
you'll have to split the wings down to the tips. remove all meat then fat. I go to the tail , then around the back and do the head last. a large headed bird may you may have to carefully skin off the face first back to the ears, then come up from the belly with the rest.
I use a wire wheel to get the fat off but patience and a scapel will do well. DO NOT let the skin stay out too long or get warm, you'll loose the feathers. if it's taking a while return to fridge for a cooling off. after it's de-fatted, then wash the skin/ feathers in a mildand cool dawn/ water mix. you can scrub with a nail brush ot tooth brush. pat dry, and then blow dry woth coolk air. then borax the heck out a it.and put it in a position to dry. if it stinks later you missed some meat..good luck.