How to store hides before drying?

[Shea]

So I havent been able to empty my freezer yet this year, space is becoming a precious commodity.
I have another batch of buns ready to be processed and no where to store the hides, drying is going to be my best bet. The problem is that there is no way I will be able to get the hides stretched and fleshed on the same day as processing. I am not that fast.
After rinsing and cooling the hides should I store them in the fridge? In a "cool" place with some ice? Maybe stash them in a cooler? I just need them kept for a day or 2 till I can work my way through the lot.

 

[akane]

You can salt them and just stack loosely until you are ready to start scraping and working them. It just takes a lot of salt and being liberal with it. The ones I didn't rub enough salt deep enough still did not smell or rot but the flies were interested. I redid those a bit better and it worked out after that. At the time I only had the freezer above the fridge and no chest freezer.

 

[Shea]

Salt could work but I didnt want to have to deal with salted hides, and I would run into o the same timeing issue as with drying. Most likely I will end up putting them in the fridge for a day or 2 till I can get to them.

 

[GBov]

Mine are fine in the fridge for a day or two. Just don't forget them, like I have been known to do a time or two.

I REALLY do not like salted hides but many people love that method.

 

[Ghost]

If your processing more than two or three hides, it may cost more that you are willing to spend, but silica gel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_gel could be useful. I only work with a few hides and I have found that you can dry the hide in open air for 24 hours or so then seal them inside a plastic bag with silica gel the rest of the way. The plastic bag keeps the flies away and the silica makes the hide to dry for rot to happen.

 

[GBov]

Nail them fur side down to a board using 4-inch nails. When firmly nailed pull the hide up to the nail heads so there is plenty of space between hide and board.

Prop board up in front of a fan and let dry for about 24 hours.

My hides are totally dry inside of that time frame and if I am doing several, I can take them off the nails within about 6 hours to let them finish drying to give me space to dry more but given my preference, I like to let them dry totally before taking them off.

I then run a slicker brush through the fur to fluff it back to its proper direction and if I am storing them, place them in a box with several handfuls of cedar shavings or if I plan to use them sooner, I just stack them on the shelf.

The only way they will rot once dry is if they get wet and even then, they have to stay wet for rot to set in.

Houses inside today are so dry that even a cow hide I nailed up onto a wall dried totally within 4 days.