How long when stretching/drying furs?

[Smossy]

After everythings all fleshed and stretched, how long do you hang/leave it for before removing it from the stretcher? Cant really find any info on this in any of the fur handling guides.
How longs sufficient and how longs too long "if such a thing"

[Turner89]

Thanks for asking that question. I'm wondering the same thing.

[3nails]

If i'm not in a hurry, for rats and mink I'll air dry them for a week on the stretchers. If I'm needing the stretchers I'll warm the shed a little and run the fan to dry them in just a couple days. Bigger critters take longer.

[Humptulips]

Don't think you can leave them too long.
I have a big fan in my fur shed and can dry a beaver in 3 days in a pinch but usually leave them on the board for at least 5.
Thinner skins like a civet will dry in 1 day.
Cats I dry overnight to turn and then a week fur out.

It's pretty variable depending on your drying conditions.

[Turner89]

So it's best to have a fan circulating the air? you leave muskrat, mink, and coon fur in after taking off the stretcher?

[trapperguy22]

it is best to have it around 55-60 degrees and aleast 1 fan running to dry fur.

[big wood]

I use a really nice stainless fan running all the time in my fur shed. With the fan on your fur you could take em off  within 4 -6 days. I leave them on until I need the stretcher

[Smossy]

Ok perfect. Thanks everyone.
Last question for now, what exactly is the "saddle" part of the animal? It says in the fur handling book to leave the saddle on mink.

[3nails]

It's the thin red flesh attached to the inside of the pelt. Skin your first one and you'll say "aha!"

[Smossy]

It's the thin red flesh attached to the inside of the pelt. Skin your first one and you'll say "aha!"

Lol ok thanks man. Im just waiting on the last of my supplies. Got 3 diff types of fleshing tools, a muskrat board and 6 wire stretchers. Its a start.

[Trapper John]

Rats and mink I let them go for two to three days.  Cats and yotes I leave skin out for a day and flip them to fur out the next day.  If you leave a fan running in the fur room and the temp is around 55 degrees all it takes is a couple of days for most stuff.
JC