# Kinda a morbid question but would like some help



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

WARNING: this is about kids that have passed and making something out of their hides. If this is upsetting to you maybe don't read.

Ok I lost 5 kids this year and instead of just tossing them I skinned them and froze the skin. I want to tan one of the hides and then get our hot brand and brand it and frame it. It's going to be about a 12X12 piece and then get old wood and stain it and make a frame and give to my dad for Christmas.
As I said the skins are in the freezer rolled up so I can't show you a picture of it. I'm sorry but this is what I have :/ my favorite is the black dapple, of course, but I have not tanned hide before and a bit worried that if it doesn't turn out I'll have to toss my favorite one......also why I don't want to pull all 5 out and do them all and then choose. I'm not getting any help from my husband, he just says they all would look good :/ so here are pictures of the kids, can you guys help me choose which one to do?


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

My favorite is the brown and white spotted one (second picture). 

Tanning is not that hard - I've never done it with goat skin, but I have tanned deer and such. I used a kit to soft-tan a deer skin. Or, if you want to make it easy you can just put a lot of salt on the hide and make a raw-hide tan. It will be very stiff (not pliable at all) but perfectly preserves everything and I think that might work for what you want to do.

I tried soft tanning a coyote skin that had been frozen for a long time and all the hair ended up falling out. :/ Salting the hides seems to preserve them well, though. 

Anyway, that's my rather limited experience. Sounds like you're going to make some pretty cool presents!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If you haven't done it before, go with your least favorite since they all look nice.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Shire ridge how long was a long time? I think it was in May when I did the first one :/ 
And thank you!! I will do just the salt. I did a very small piece of some elk hide when I was little and I had it for years before my dog got ahold of it lol. Now it's been YEARS since I did it but if I remember right I just put salt on it, flesh it, and keep putting salt on it till it dries correct ???
Ksalvagno I was thinking the same thing but that would be the black paint and I'm not sure if that would look goofy with the small amount of white in it. As much as I don't want to not have my favorite one have a epic fail and toss it I still want it to look nice


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Here is a article about tanning hides. I plan to use it at some point...I have 3-4 hides from wethers we've butchered in the freezer...someday...

So, I have no clue how well it works, but, thought I'd throw it out there for ya!

And I'd do the spotted red one...if it works, it would look nice, but if it doesn't, it's not your favorite.

http://www.boergoats.com/clean/articles/tanning-by-bird.htm

P.S. Sorry for the loss of those kids :-(


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh boy I hope it doesn't really take 3 weeks or I don't have enough time lol I found a video on YouTube a long time ago and although the steps are a bit different the same idea and ingredients are the same, but the video said 4-7 days. I think your right and I'm going to go with one of the red dapples, I just looked in the freezer and since I rolled them up with the flesh on the outside I'm not sure which is which, so I'll do one of the red ones lol
And thank you. It was a bad year but I just couldn't toss such pretty babies :/


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Jessica84 said:


> Oh boy I hope it doesn't really take 3 weeks or I don't have enough time lol I found a video on YouTube a long time ago and although the steps are a bit different the same idea and ingredients are the same, but the video said 4-7 days.


If you find the video, do you mind sharing? I have all the ingredients, but the time frame has been a complicating factor for me as well. I'd love to do one that would only take a week!!!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Of course!! See if this shows up for you, I have issues attaching things at times :/




At the time this was the only one I could find that they actually showed a hide that had been done for awhile, he showed a beaver skin that was a few years old so I figured ok his way is trustworthy lol


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

It did work. Thanks! I will watch the whole thing later when I have the time!

My husband would be thrilled if I got those hides out of the freezer...


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Lol!!! I'm in the same boat lol I have these kids and a rabbit, I also have a wether that hurt his leg when he was little so he didn't get sold. He's so pretty and I told my husband I'm going to butcher him so I can try goat meat and also have his hide too. He got all grumpy and told me I need to do something with the ones I have.......which is true I do but I always find something else to do :/


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

Jessica84 said:


> Shire ridge how long was a long time? I think it was in May when I did the first one :/
> And thank you!! I will do just the salt. I did a very small piece of some elk hide when I was little and I had it for years before my dog got ahold of it lol. Now it's been YEARS since I did it but if I remember right I just put salt on it, flesh it, and keep putting salt on it till it dries correct ???
> Ksalvagno I was thinking the same thing but that would be the black paint and I'm not sure if that would look goofy with the small amount of white in it. As much as I don't want to not have my favorite one have a epic fail and toss it I still want it to look nice


Oh, dogs love those salted hides - our dog got a hold of a squirrel skin I was trying to dry and I was quite unhappy. She enjoyed it a lot, though.  They're like animal potato chips I guess! 
I just spread a nice layer of salt on the skin, then add more in places that aren't dried. I don't think it takes terribly long.

I don't remember how long the coyote skin was frozen - I was trying to tan it for someone else. I think it was a year or more, though, so I bet your hides will be OK.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

If you have the $$, here is an option. Our taxidermist will do a full hide for $40 if you flesh it out and stretch is for him.......just another thought in case the first one doesn't work out for you.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ok that's what I thought I did but heck that's gotta be more then 20 years now  I think I'm going to ATTEMPT to do it soft, I gotta bet the guts to go for it and need be I'll pull what ever the other red dapple is left out and just do the salt on that one. 
My parents used to trap before I was born so I asked my dad but I guess they never did anything other then flesh and dry before they shipped it. I remember in the 4th grade I had a school project where I had to make something that the native Americans would have made and dad had a fox skin so he gave that to me to make this thing that held arrows, so even simply drying it seemed to have lasted a long time because it had to have been at least 10 years old......I'm gonna have to see if I can find that and see if it held up now that I'm thinking about it lol


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

I was thinking about getting some hide from next years kids never did it before but what are some uses for the hide once its done?


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

The next one I do I'm giving to a friend of mine. She has some cow hides that she has on end tables and one doesn't have one. I was going to make bar stools and use them on the cushion part but I don't have any that are even semi close looking so that's on hold but would work if I ever got a large hide. When I got married my parents got me a pillow that was made out of alpaca hide as well as this thing that hangs on the wall. It was different hides sewed together and it made a horse with mountains in the back ground. The shop was really cool and I went there and got a pillow for my grandma, it was white with brown sewn in that had a alpaca on it. I like hides so I would be happy with one hanging on the wall to be honest


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

I like the idea of using the whole animal when slaughtering, my uncle had a buffalo farm when i was young I dont remember much but I have a drumclacker thing made out of hide. I can't find any projects i can do with the finished hide besides pillows and to hang.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Well you could take the skin off and make leather. Oh boy do I have a bunch of projects for that! I have a book on how to braid leather and all kinds of different braids. So far I've just made reins and I bought the leather. I made bracelets and and collars for the goats. With leather the list is totally endless.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Here's a brow band I made for my mare








And here are some bracelets, really nothing to them just strips of leather and some conchos and rinestone rivets.



















If you go onto etsy.com and search for leather it should have a bunch of stuff come up. Just keep in mind that goat is going to be a lot thinner then cows. Anything that is stamped I'm not really sure how that would do with goat. You might be able to stamp it just not get carried away with it. Honestly I'm not sure I always get just big strips of cow leather


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

Love that browband, i will have to check it out thanks


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Getting ready for the last step of tanning it and I couldn't wait to take pictures lol it's really pretty! I just need to decide now if I should shave the hair down or leave it long ???? Suggestions?


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

That looks good so far!!!

I never even thought about shaving...you said you were going to brand it? It might come out a cleaner brand if you shave it. As long as you have good sharp blades so it isn't a choppy shave (if you know what I mean  )

Can't wait to see the finished product!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ok that's what I was thinking too. I'll have to see what sized blade I have, I know I have a 10 but I think that might be to short.....might have to go butcher one of my goats hair and test it out lol well I THINK I'm done. It feels dry and it's soft, I tore it though  right up the back so I hope it will be big enough to get all the pretty part :/ but I can say it wasn't that bad!!













I did NOT soak it in oil like the video, that part just didn't make sense to me, why soak it and then wash it? I think it would harden back up. Once I'm sure it isn't going to stiffen up on me I'll put some oil on it but not yet


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

Wow looks great, are you going to do more?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Looks good!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

More hides or more on this? I already have another one to do and the rest will have to wait till after Christmas. I'm going to give this next one to my friend that was so sweet and gave my daughter a bottle baby. She has hides on her end tables and has one table without a hide so I figured she can use it.
This one I'm done with....will till I brand it lol it's a little stiffer then I wanted but I put oil on it this morning and that helped a lot. I can't work it any more because the rip just keeps going. Im going to staple it to a board so it doesn't have to be super soft anyways. This project was actually a great test trial!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ok dad had taken the brand with him......6 hours away!! So been working on the other stuff. Frame is made, hide is glued to a piece of wood and now all I have to do is brand it..he's back so tomorrow and tack the frame on.








I think I'm going to brand it first and then maybe shave the skin, that way if it burns some of the hairs around the brand it will be shaved down and hopefully not noticeable, then again it might all be fine and I'll leave the hair longer


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I like the longer hair.


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Gorgeous! I agree! Leave the length! Why alter it-beautiful!:fireworks:


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Thank you! And that's kinda what I'm thinking too. Plus I didn't get it as soft as I wanted so there's a few wrinkles in it and the hair is hiding it


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

You can sew ripped skin with dental floss and its not really noticeable. At least not on rabbits.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I was going to try that but didn't know if it would really pull it up and show a seam.....well I was going to use just normal thread but now I know dental floss lol


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

DONE!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Very nice job!


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Awesome!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Thank you guys  I didn't even botch the brand  lol


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Really nice!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Thank you Karen. I'll let you guys know how he likes it


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

How did it go?


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh I forgot!!! He loved it! He even got all cloudy eyed. He asked me like a million times what I was gonna do with it and I kept saying I don't know yet so when he opened it I said "that's what I was doing with it" lol


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

It looks amazing!


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

That's so sweet definitely something that is going to hold a lot of meaning.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I think that's why he liked it so much. He's a very hard man to shop for!


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Awesome! Way to go! 

Aww...❤❤ 
A gift like this like a homemade card from a child, or cookies from grandma, something homemade combined with home raised + all your time= one amazing treasured gift!!!!❤


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Thank you  i agree! I always try and do something homemade for the older family members, usually it's crochet blankets though lol


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