CARE OF OSTRICH HIDE AT SLAUGHTER
If attempting to save an ostrich hide from a bird that has been slaughtered or died on the ranch, the following procedures should be followed.
- Do not pluck the feathers from the bird but cut them off with heavy pruners or clippers.
- To remove the skin, make the first incision on the inside of one leg, cutting up the leg, across the chest and down the inside of the other leg. Cut around the leg at the small portion of the leg at the end of each incision.
- Cut around the chest plate beginning your incision at the plate continuing to the rectum. Cut around the rectum.
- Going back to the chest plate, cut up the neck. Now cut around the neck at the end of the cut.
- Beginning at the rectum, pull the skin off. When you get to the wings, cut a circular incision around each wing and pull the skin over the wing (leaving a whole where the wing was.) Many people prefer to use a air compressor, inserting a hose into one leg thorough a small hole in the skin. By holding a hand around the incision, creating an air tight effect allow air pressure to built up to 100 pounds psi. The skin will soon pop up from the carcus.
- Place skin in brine solution made by using 40 gallons of water with 1 1/2 gallon of chlorax bleach, 10 pounds table salt, and 2 cups of Borax. Leave skin in solution 3 to 5 days then scrape off excess fat, meat, etc with a large spoon. An alternative method would be to simply apply salt to the hide and scrape off excess meat, fat, etc. as it dries out.
- Air dry the skin for 24 hours and cover skin with salt. Leave salt on for 2 days and remove excess when all water is gone.
- Hide can now be sent after rolling. Do not freeze hide after salting.