# Keeping the hide? What to do with it?



## Korita (Jan 11, 2018)

not sure if this is the right forum. 

I saved back 2 of my bucklings from this year as my FIL was going to buy them. He’s drug his feet and I can’t sell them now and don’t need the extra boys around. So we are butchering them (as I type this) and I’m curious..... does anyone know how to tan/cure a goat hide and what do y’all do with it. I’m thinking I would like to keep them for something but no clue how to tan a hide. It’s currently single digits here so not sure if that plays a part as it would freeze if needing to be outside or since they’ve got their winter coats going. 

Any advice or help is appreciated. There are about a million videos on YouTube and it’s overwhelming ha ha


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

It's a lot of work. Fleshing is very time consuming. The soaking part is easy. I wanted mine with the hair on, but there is a different method if you want no hair. Mine ended up being a wall decoration at my Airbnb. 
I read somewhere it's possible to ship to a tanner who will do it for you.
Now all my hides go to a friend who is planning on making drums out of the hide.
Haven't seen one drum in 2 years.
Goat hides are for sale on the internet pretty affordable. So time wise my work valued at about 5 cents an hour.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh my gosh I could write a book on the things I am planning on doing with mine lol
First there is a lot of different ways, the cheapest of course being to use the brain. I never have time to tan right then and there so throw the hide in the freezer and don't really want it full of hides and brains lol so I have been using alum and salt to tan mine. It is VERY time consuming! This is always my winter project when I have more time on my hands. When I get a chance though I'll look for a YouTube video that I used when I did mine.
Back to ideas! I did this for my dad for Christmas with a kid that I lost 








This is actually cow hide but I made a table cloth for my mom. She refused to use it for a table cloth even though I bought clear plastic to put over it. She hangs it on her wall








I'm going to make throw pillows, you can just hang on the wall, use as a table cloth for a end table. I'm getting ready to make something like this for my kitchen towels but instead of wood showing it will be cow hide (I have a LOT of cow hide)








Same thing with a coat rack that hangs on the wall. I want to make bar stools with hide for the cushions........seriously I have a endless amount of ideas. If none of these are for you since if you google goat hide you won't come up with anything just look at cow hide. Etsy.com is a good place to see what people have made.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

This is the one I used from start to finish except on the hide for the brand. I didn’t do the oiling at the end because I was already worried after all that work the whole thing was going to go up in flames lol but this was the easiest one I could find. It’s been 3 years since I did it and I keep checking and no hair is falling out


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Duhhh a link


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## Korita (Jan 11, 2018)

Thank you! They’ll be going in the freezer until after Christmas for sure because I have way too many projects to get done by then ha ha 

Now I’m trying to figure out how to get the horns done for dog chews. Hhhmmmm


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Do you want the whole horn or just the outside shell? You could just use a hack saw or tree loppers and cut them off and wait a day for the blood to dry or if you want the shell dig a hole and toss the head in. Cover it and wait awhile and it will decay enough that you can just pull the shell off. I have NOT done this before but was just reading about it because I also have master plans for skulls too. Usually I just dump everything in the lower end of the ranch and hunt down the skulls after the coyotes drag them off so I was really liking the idea of this lol


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## Korita (Jan 11, 2018)

Jessica you sound like me. SOOOOO many crafty plans yet so little time. Ha ha 

I am planning to give them to the dogs but didn’t know if I should cook them somehow or not??????? They are already cut off and currently sitting outside in the 20* weather. It’s warm out! :heehee:

I guess I don’t need to cook them since the dogs get soup bones and such with raw meat on it. Duh Kori. But I suppose I wasn’t sure being horns.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Korita said:


> not sure if this is the right forum.
> 
> I saved back 2 of my bucklings from this year as my FIL was going to buy them. He's drug his feet and I can't sell them now and don't need the extra boys around. So we are butchering them (as I type this) and I'm curious..... does anyone know how to tan/cure a goat hide and what do y'all do with it. I'm thinking I would like to keep them for something but no clue how to tan a hide. It's currently single digits here so not sure if that plays a part as it would freeze if needing to be outside or since they've got their winter coats going.
> 
> Any advice or help is appreciated. There are about a million videos on YouTube and it's overwhelming ha ha


Hubby does our rabbit hides and he has done two deer and has two hides in the freezer. Right now he is makin mittens with rabbit and deer. The fur is on the inside and the deer leather will be outside. He also has a moccasin, hat and vest pattern he wants to make. He does his in alum like jess said. I butchered rabbits this week and he wanted try salting them. So that is what i did. Not sure how long they have sit in the salt.

Having the right tools and not the cheeapest you can find is VERY helpful in you not gettin crazy frustrated and throwin in the towel. They dont need be top of the line but good ones. And yes time consuming. But so worth it in the end! Some of his rabbit hides are buttery soft. I know he has watched many videos on doin it. But he really liked jnull0 on youtube when he started doin his hides.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

I didn't use alum, because my procedure called for wood bleach. 
Since my goats are dairy, I spend A LOT of time milking, cheese making, cream making, and butter making. 
Given my choices that kinda time I would rather spend with my Banjo.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh I wish I was talented enough to make mittens. That just made my hands warm just thinking about your mittens!!! 
I wouldn’t think you would have to boil the horns. Granted my dogs don’t get horns overly often but if we have to cut on or the cows because it’s growing towards the face or tip a nasty one we just give it to the dogs and so far has never been a issue. That might be something to google, I’ve never even thought about if it would be bad for them or not.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Jessica84 said:


> Oh I wish I was talented enough to make mittens. That just made my hands warm just thinking about your mittens!!!
> I wouldn't think you would have to boil the horns. Granted my dogs don't get horns overly often but if we have to cut on or the cows because it's growing towards the face or tip a nasty one we just give it to the dogs and so far has never been a issue. That might be something to google, I've never even thought about if it would be bad for them or not.


The mittens are paul's baby. . I told him he could use one of my machines but he is hand sewin em. He found a tutorial and just followed the steps. He has asked for help a few times but not many. He can do basic sewin when he absolutely has to... but most of 5he time he sits stuff to be mended on my machine. Lol! I am the clothes sewer and quilter.


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## Korita (Jan 11, 2018)

I’ve just started teaching myself to sew. I’ve made a few cute things so far and I’m working on an American flag quilt throw for my hubby because a few years back I crocheted a big American flag Afghan for him and he refused to use it because it’s “too beautiful and doesn’t want to ruin it” so now it’s draped on a latter with his dog tags and cap from the marine Corp. He better use this one lol


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