Post by Beaus_Dad on Mar 2, 2005 15:08:04 GMT -5
There are several ways to skin out a bird, this will be the basic way. Remember, keep some Borax around in the case of bleeding, apply generously. This will stop the bleeding.
First lay out the bird with the head facing you. With your finger, find the top of the breast bone. This is where we are going to start.
Simply insert the knife, facing away, and work our way toward the anus. Try not to "push" the knife. Feathers might get in the way and this will cause ripping. Follow the natural breast bone down.
Next, skin the sides down as far as you can go. Start to work down to the legs. Be careful not to rip anything.
When you get to the legs, skin all around them the best you can. Stick your scissors underneath the legs and cut them at the "knee". Be careful not to cut your finger (I have done it!), and not to cut any feathers.
Once you cut both legs, start to skin around the butt. Be careful in this area, the skin is very thin.
With your fingers, you can feel where the tail is connected to the rest of the bird. You are going to want to make a cut to skin over the butt. If you go to far, you will risk losing the tail feathers, that piece of meat you feel that seems to be separate from the bird is meat holding in those feathers. It is held by a small piece of cartiledge, this is where you will want to make your cut. Not all the way through, you still have skin on the other side.
If you do not make your cut exactly on the cartiledge, simply cut the spine with your scissors. Again, be careful skinning and cutting in this area, it can be hard at times to tell where the skin is.
After you make your cut on the spine, work your way down the back a little to get it ready to hang. Hanging the bird to skin the rest of the way makes it easy to skin, letting gravity help you out. All you need to hang your bird is some heavy duty fish hooks on a line. Put some newspaper down on the floor, it will most likely drip some blood.
Your bird can be skinned the rest of the way without hanging, it just gets a little more difficult to work with.
Here is the bird hung, ready to go. Start skinning down the back. The first thing you will run into is the legs and thighs that you had previously cut at the knee.
When you hit the legs, skin around the thigh. The thigh will remain on the carcass leaving the leg on the skin. Then keep skinning down until you hit the wings.
When you get to the wing you will take your knife about an inch above the actual "arm". Cut in to the carcass, you will hit the tendon holding the wing on the carcass. Cut that tendon and skin down. The wing bone will separate from the carcass with the skin dropping down to the neck.
Here's what it will look like. Now do the other side. If the wing has been shot up, you can simply cut the wing bone with your scissors. If you can save the whole wing bone, it will make setting the wings later a much easier ordeal.
Now skin down the neck as far as you can go. Try not to puncture any blood vessels, it can make a mess. Some birds you will be able to skin all the way past the head. Most waterfowl, as in this Redhead, you will only be able to go as far as to where his head begins. After you go as far as you can, get your scissors and cut it at the base of the head. Try not to get the skin cut when you do this, sometimes if you try and go too far down the skin will be inside the scissors.
There you have it, a fully skinned out bird. After you cut it at the neck, you will notice the bird is somewhat turned inside out, ready for fleshing! If you plan on storing the bird after you get this far, make sure you wrap it well. Skinned out birds are very susceptible to freezer burn. I use a vacuum pack to store my skins, that way they are air tight and come out fresh when I need them.
This has been one of several ways to skin out a bird.
First lay out the bird with the head facing you. With your finger, find the top of the breast bone. This is where we are going to start.
Simply insert the knife, facing away, and work our way toward the anus. Try not to "push" the knife. Feathers might get in the way and this will cause ripping. Follow the natural breast bone down.
Next, skin the sides down as far as you can go. Start to work down to the legs. Be careful not to rip anything.
When you get to the legs, skin all around them the best you can. Stick your scissors underneath the legs and cut them at the "knee". Be careful not to cut your finger (I have done it!), and not to cut any feathers.
Once you cut both legs, start to skin around the butt. Be careful in this area, the skin is very thin.
With your fingers, you can feel where the tail is connected to the rest of the bird. You are going to want to make a cut to skin over the butt. If you go to far, you will risk losing the tail feathers, that piece of meat you feel that seems to be separate from the bird is meat holding in those feathers. It is held by a small piece of cartiledge, this is where you will want to make your cut. Not all the way through, you still have skin on the other side.
If you do not make your cut exactly on the cartiledge, simply cut the spine with your scissors. Again, be careful skinning and cutting in this area, it can be hard at times to tell where the skin is.
After you make your cut on the spine, work your way down the back a little to get it ready to hang. Hanging the bird to skin the rest of the way makes it easy to skin, letting gravity help you out. All you need to hang your bird is some heavy duty fish hooks on a line. Put some newspaper down on the floor, it will most likely drip some blood.
Your bird can be skinned the rest of the way without hanging, it just gets a little more difficult to work with.
Here is the bird hung, ready to go. Start skinning down the back. The first thing you will run into is the legs and thighs that you had previously cut at the knee.
When you hit the legs, skin around the thigh. The thigh will remain on the carcass leaving the leg on the skin. Then keep skinning down until you hit the wings.
When you get to the wing you will take your knife about an inch above the actual "arm". Cut in to the carcass, you will hit the tendon holding the wing on the carcass. Cut that tendon and skin down. The wing bone will separate from the carcass with the skin dropping down to the neck.
Here's what it will look like. Now do the other side. If the wing has been shot up, you can simply cut the wing bone with your scissors. If you can save the whole wing bone, it will make setting the wings later a much easier ordeal.
Now skin down the neck as far as you can go. Try not to puncture any blood vessels, it can make a mess. Some birds you will be able to skin all the way past the head. Most waterfowl, as in this Redhead, you will only be able to go as far as to where his head begins. After you go as far as you can, get your scissors and cut it at the base of the head. Try not to get the skin cut when you do this, sometimes if you try and go too far down the skin will be inside the scissors.
There you have it, a fully skinned out bird. After you cut it at the neck, you will notice the bird is somewhat turned inside out, ready for fleshing! If you plan on storing the bird after you get this far, make sure you wrap it well. Skinned out birds are very susceptible to freezer burn. I use a vacuum pack to store my skins, that way they are air tight and come out fresh when I need them.
This has been one of several ways to skin out a bird.
