# Tanning Boer goat hides



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Does anyone or has anyone tanned any of their Boer goat hides?

I am contemplating doing just that, but don't know if it is something that is done or desirable to have or sell?

I would dry the hide after processing, and then take it to a tannery or send it into one to be finished.onder:

I read this posting, but am not sure it is an active thread.----

Originally Posted by Baphomet View Post
I just finished butchering this year's kids and I decided that this year I am tanning the hides, as well. I am very excited. 

I was all set to remove the hair and make leather, when I looked on eBay and Amazon. There they have all sort of adds from tanners selling haired pelts. No one is selling hairless leather. 

What do you all make when you tan?i thought I'd try to sell the skins to offset some of my farm costs"


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f185/hide-tanning-189207/


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

I saw that thread and asked if they tried it.

I am going to try one and see how it works out.

I was hoping to hear of someone who has done it and if it's nice or worth the work and money


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I think the only way that it would be really worth it is for a finished product. I found one site awhile back and kid skins were selling very cheap, like $20 a skin. I don't know how much it would cost if you sent it in to be tanned but I would guess more then $20. You could do it yourself, look on YouTube. I have one video saved on my phone but I have YouTube app so can't send you the link :/ but it is going to be very time consuming and I think way more then $20 worth of your time! The supplies are cheap, you don't have to buy a kit just watch some videos and they will give you different ideas on what you can use. You can also use their brain, that's no expense there you just need to play with brains (shudder) but I was thinking about that persons post and there's a lot of things people can make with the hides. When I was at Lake Tahoe there was a shop that sold alpaca products. I got this thing that hangs on the wall (I am the type of person that would get tomato sauce thrown at I love furs) they dyed different pieces and sewed it together to make a horse standing there with mountains in the back ground. They also had pillows that was just hides stuffed and sewed into pillows. You could just tan it and sell as a small throw rug like a bear skin rug or a cattle rug. Google goat skin and see what other people make with it too or even hides, it's going to be small sections compared to larger animals but you might get some ideas


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Good suggestions, and probably more possibilities than we can think of...I know friends who check pintrist and seem to come up with more ideas than they know what to do with...on other stuff anyhow!

I am going to try it, as I am currently drying two lamb skins/their hides right now...Not sure how the lambs will turn out either, certainly these two lambs were not show stoppers! The goat is actually very adorable, and his fur is VERY soft compared to most of the other goats we have! So, I am tempted as I already have two others going that I will take to a processor. 

I was recommended to take the lambs to a place in Milwaukee, as they are experienced and about as reasonable as any of the professional ones. Unfortunately, it means I will have to send them, which costs money. There is a chance I could either drop them off or pick them up, depending on the timing of their dryness/completion, as it is about 3 hours from here...so, that could save me some cash on the shipping.

Certainly, I don't think there is any profit or money to be made from them. Just more curious if it can be done and if we would do something with them.... I thought they could make interesting conversation pieces! If our son, who lives on the farm would take them to a farmers market, I feel people would have interest in them...at least something different to chat about!?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Let us know you it goes!


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

I will!

The first one I am doing is this guy with the tortilla in his mouth!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh that will be pretty! I have a really pretty black paint skin in my freezer and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that one lol but I can't wait to get it done. My dapple skins are going to be my bar stools


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Well you will have to post some pics of the stools!!!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I will! But I can't promise when I will actually have them done I bought all the stuff to tan them about 4 months ago  hopefully things settle down and I can at least get them tanned


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

I understand about time! 

We just purchased 21 goat kids yesterday-and we are up already as they were delivered yesterday-got them from a closed herd-SO Excited!!!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Good grief! :-o That's a lot of kids!


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

*Goat hides*



Suzanne_Tyler said:


> Good grief! :-o That's a lot of kids!


Suzanne, Lot of Kids, and a lot of BOTTLES!

The hide has been salted, hoping it isn't just my imagination, but it appears the goat hide/versus the lamb hide, is stretching irregularly...


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh! Your gonna give me nightmares thinking of all those bottle babies lol
I wonder if it's because the goat hide is thinner? Did you flesh it already?


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ok here's a video for you. This is how I'm going to try doing mine


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

How goes it?


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Still drying them out with the salt! 

With the goat hide I actually have a more powdery salt on it-which I think might be better. Both seem to be drying, but it seems like it will take awhile longer yet.

The two lamb hides are pretty large and probably have a fair amount of flesh that will take time.


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## ArborGoats (Jan 24, 2013)

I have tried my hand at tanning twice. The first was 2 years ago with an Oberhasli buck who we butchered at home and then tanned the hide. We should have worked the hide a little more at the very end of the drying process, as it is currently there are some very soft sections and then some areas that are a little "crinkly". 

The second hide is still in a "raw" stage and the tanning process was started this summer. He was a 25% Boer, 25% Alpine, 50% Oberhasli. That hide we processed and then let it dry stretched on a frame but did not work the hide at all so it is uniformly very stiff. The second goat was butchered by professions and the hide was saved for me, so the edges are cleaner and the belly flap was left intact. 

The other interesting difference in the hides is that the first buck was processed in late December so it was in full fluffy winter coat, whereas the wether was processed in May and has a summer coat, which is much sleeker and flatter.

The clippers are for size comparison if anyone is interested. =)


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Updating the hides---so, the goat hide is drying faster than the two lamb hides! The goat hide I began a week later than the two lamb hides. Certainly the lamb hides are pretty wooly and thick, and is probably why they are still more wet!

Patience, and I keep checking them and making sure the salt is covering them well and all.

It has been humid here, so that probably doesn't help.


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

I watched that video, and while his basic step are okay I think it should be noted that he isn't actually tanning those hides. They are only being pickled, which is a sort of pre-tan, but it won't produce durable leather.
A real tan will first use dry salt and then some form of acid pickle (salt + formic, citric, acetic, or other acid) followed by immersion in a chemical preservative containing something like chromium, an aldehyde, or other chemicals. 
Otherwise, the basics are the same:
Skin it, remove the easiest chunks or layers of fat and meat, then salt it well (The first layer should be about 1/4" deep, and don't miss any corners or edges), let it drain overnight on a slanted surface, shake off the excess salt and then salt it again and let drain another night. After that, flesh it more thoroughly to get off _all_ fat and meat, and then it's ready to tan - either do it yourself or send it off.
I prefer DIY for smaller hides. Full grown goats would be borderline, but they have fairly thin skin and very little fat so they shouldn't be too bad. I don't think I would tackle a sheep. The commercial tanneries use the same steps and chemicals as the home kits do, they just have mechanical means of breaking the hides instead of having to strop them over a board or etc, and it's that advantage that allows them to produce such soft hides.
It's that last step of breaking the hides that's a real bear, but that's what determines whether you end up with a nice soft tanned hide or a piece of furry cardboard.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

furry piece of cardboard!! lol

We are planning to have our first hide tanned this winter. The goat will be processed by the local butcher then my husband will do the salting & cleaning, then we plan to send it to Vermont Natural Sheepskins. This is obviously not the most cost effective method but we are expecting a baby and wanted to do this as a special project. Vermont Natural Sheepskins uses a plant based preservative high in tannins rather than formaldehyde or similar chemical based tanning which some people are sensitive to the off-gassing, etc.


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Neat! At the sheep festival they had, well lots of sheep of course! I am anxious to see how the goat turns out.

I know some use the brains of the goat in the process, if one can stomach that, and part of all natural as well...not for you though, not this time anyhow! 

Gosh, a new farm hand coming at your place! So exciting!


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