I'm doing my first turkey and I want to use the real feet. I was wondering how to preserve them, what the best preserve to use, and where to inject them. Any help would be appreciated
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Go to McKenzie Taxidermy/using Cally Morris turkey bodies. This should help you get a pretty good idea. He uses Master Blend for injection. It sets quickly,so you have work at a good pace.
well i personally think that turkey feet dont shrivle up very much. so i dont do inject on turkey feet. i think it would look a liitle better if you did inject, but i think the effert isnt worth it.
I'm not sure of your experience level so I'm not going to bash you but generally, the bigger the foot the more it is going to shrink. Also, the bigger the foot the more bug food within that foot.
ALWAYS inject bird feet. It is your responsiblilty as a taxidermist to produce the most lifelike, best quality piece you can possibly do. Injecting feet is simple, quick and the responsible thing to do. If you're not going to bother injecting feet why bother doing anything with the head---just let it dry. In fact, why bother washing---or even fleshing. No one is going to notice, right?
Do it right or don't do it at all!
Paul Czarnecki
www.tristatetaxidermy.com
I don't know about the quick part, but Paul is exactly right on the other. It is simple and definitely the responsible thing to do. Turkey feet shrink a great deal (not just the toes, but all the way up at the ankle). Even if the bugs weren't an issue, unless you're one of these $250/bird guys, your customers deserve the best you can give them. I use Masters Blend because of the quick set up. I've tried some others and just haven't been impressed at all. Paul has been doing this a heck of a lot longer than me, so maybe I'll get the quick part somewhere down the road. Best of luck to you.