I just tried to dry a pair of wings, did it as the books say, but they became infested with maggots. How do people dry their wings succesfully?
Benj
When through the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze
Would salt work to help dry them faster, and keep the meat from getting infested? I know pioneers used to salt their meats to keep them preserved and keep away the maggots.
Longwing - that must create an interesting smell lol
Post by birdguy888 on Jul 12, 2006 20:17:51 GMT -5
I spread mine out on a piece of cardboard and hold them in place with some str8 pins. I then put a piece of fine wire mesh (like the screen used for window screens) over them and put them in the sun on a nice hot summer day. They dry quickly and then I tie them together to make my lures!
Salt's a good idea, with one flaw: it is very bad for your bird. Eddie's idea is the best if you have nice weather, but here in the depressing climate of Britain where summer is a glimpse through the clouds, we must resort to our heaters and our hairdryers. Yeah, the smell does get interesting...lol, I cover it up with the scent of "everglade vanilla and marigold". Just make sure you clean the oven afterwards...
borax is a good preservative,but like salt it could cause some problems with your bird. if its winter and the bugs are dead you can just tack them on a peace of cardboard. but this time of year I would recommend eddies idea.
The key is to get most of the meat off and get them to dry quickly - then I just lay them out on sunny days. When the weather is bad (or if you live in the UK lol) I put them on my furnace in the basement and they dry out pretty fast.
longwing - a furnace is like a fireplace, but it warms the house. generally in the basement. It's like central heat, but from way back, you stoke the fire and the warmth generated gets pushed through pipes into rooms. I don't think you want to put them in the furnace though, lol.. maybe on or near