What do you do with your hides after butchering?

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Besides dispose of them... I have 1 hog hide and 2 sheep hides in the freezer. I have buried and trashed them in the past, I just hate wasting that much of the animal. I have given a few away and even sold one sheep hide for $10. But it has been slow going with these last ones posted on craigslist for only $5.

[highlands]

Our dogs eat them. Make cracklin of the pig skin. Delicious. My son is experimenting with tanning the pig skin right now. I've sold them for $50 raw - Ship to the tanner usually. Otherwise they compost well making excellent soil amendment.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I called around a little bit to the slaughter houses to see what they did with them and most of them trashed them, said the hides weren't worth the salt it took to preserve them...

[lisa's garden]

All I have are rabbit pelts and I was giving them to some pioneer re-enacters ...but haven't been in touch with them lately and I think that this fall I will start tanning them myself. I'd like to get enough to make a blanket or something.

For larger animals, I think it would be interesting, just from a historical perspective, to try tanning them for home use. They used to make toys and balls from them, and their own clothes and belts, etc. I guess you would need a lot of spare time to do those kinds of projects.

[Mickey]

The man that comes to do the butchering takes the beef hides.
Mickey

[Farmerga]

With many hides, I make buckskin. It does not have to be deer skin to make buckskin. Sheep tend to be a little thin for the process (still possible, but, more difficult) and I have never tried pig skin, but, it should work. Cow/calf skins are great for this as are goat skins. The process is also call "brain tanning". It is not really tanning, as the skin is changed, not by chemical means, but by conditioning of the skin by scraping and the oils found in the brain of the animal. (you don't have to use the brain, soap, eggs, and a number of other things can be used) The process is not technicaly difficult, but, it is very good exercise. There are books on the subject, you can google to find them. I suggest the "dry scrape" method. Some like the "wet scrape" method, but, to me, it is just too messy.


http://www.dostersheritagefarm.com

[CountryWannabe]

I have always offered my sheep skins, goat skins and rabbit pelts on freecycle, they are usually gone within hours. I just stick them in the freezer, in a white garbage sack and warn the recipient that there has been NO preparation at all.

Mary

[LFmenagerie]

If I butcher in November around deer season, there are a lot of businesses that will have a big dumpster like box in their parking lots with a "Hides for Habitat" sign on it. They are for all of the deer skins that people would normally just trash. I usually just put my goat skins in with my deer skins in those boxes. The boxes are put out by the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and they use the proceeds to help them manage habitat and populations. I think of it as a win-win deal.
Home tanning is on my "bucket list" for someday, but even if it is relatively easy to do, it is a very time and labor intensive project to just casually begin.
Tom

[solidwoods]

I salt and alum tan.
Billy (900lb calf) is on the bedroom floor