Cleaning feathers to use for crafts

[Beekissed]

Nope! Try to stick with feathers from the torso of the body and not from the larger feathers on the wings and tail and you should be fine for keeping them in a pillow case and having soft feathers for working with later. You can even put some bleach in your wash water to kind of disinfect them for later use.

 

[lauranickerson]

Awesome! I'll keep the stiff, bigger feathers, too, probably, for crafts and whatnot, but I will wash and dry them separately. One of my roosters has really pretty shiny green tail feathers that would be a shame to waste. And you can use big white feathers for a bunch of different things.

 

[lauranickerson]

Just did up two of my ducks the other night. Got 4 packed gallon ziplocks of down feathers and about another gallon ziplock of good craft feathers! Very nice for two ducks, in my opinion.

I found some high-thread count pillowcases sitting around and triple bagged the feathers in the dryer. It took about 2.5 hours and they weren't fully dry even then! So I realized I didn't need the 3rd pillowcase, and I didn't tie the knot so far down (so that the feathers could move a little better) and another 45 minutes in the dryer and they were done.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[thefunkyfarm]

Will long turkey wing feathers do well in the washing and dryer machine?

 

[lauranickerson]

Will long turkey wing feathers do well in the washing and dryer machine?

You probably don't want to wash any feather that is stiff. For instance, the torso feathers on a chicken or duck are soft and aren't structured, while the tail and wing feathers are. Stiff feathers are more likely to stick right through a pillow case or break the shaft in the launder machines. Same thing would apply for turkeys or any poultry.


Non-structured feather: OK for washing/drying machines inside pillowcases


Structured feather: Best to hand wash and dry

 

[indyfarmgirl]

I have been collecting feathers from my flock for years and am finally getting ready to begin crafting. Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[creativetracy]

We just processed three of our chickens today for the first time - what a long process. So, we are waiting to process the other three next weekend. We will have feathers from 6 chickens.

I've read the comments above on how to clean them. Thank you. What can I do with all these feathers? The crafts I do wouldn't include feathers so I'm not sure what to do with them other than tossing them into the compost bin.

Any suggestions?
Thank you.

 

[nikaku]

I made a big mistake in washing the feathers from my first butchered chicken. I put them in two mesh bags, and washed in the washing machine. Then dried in the dryer, still in the mesh bags. The feathers came out beautiful, clean, fluffy, and soft. BUT I completely clogged my washer's drain with feathers and had to pull the machine apart to clear out the blockage. I think the double pillowcase method would probably contain the feathers better, but I'm too afraid to try it now. I like it when my washer is actually working and I don't want to clog the drain again.

 

[lauranickerson]

Yikes!! I've never washed mine in the washer. I wash them in those white square tubs that you can get for cheap. I put baking soda and a little dish soap in there. If I want them to smell even nicer, I use those beads you sprinkle in your washing machine with your load of clothes. Then I scoop them out with a handled mesh sieve, then put them in a sturdy pillowcase. When I just did some banty and guinea feathers last month, I even got away with one pillowcase per type. Then I dried them for about 2 hours in the dryer with a few dryer sheets and viola. Perfect. But again, this doesn't work for the stiff contour feathers, like off wings and tails.

 

[Augmoe]

Okay, I couldn't resist a reply. I have used different types of feathers for Naitve American regalia and ceremony. From the large shafts, wings, and fluff for small crafts like dream catchers , etc.

For a wing steam, slowly spread or fan out, than freeze.

For the fluff or down - soak with mild or dish soap, air dry, than freeze.

For the large shafts or structured - steaming works very good, hand wash, air dry, then freeze.

The air drying is faster than dryer. I was taught never to put in a washer the agitator will ruin or "break" the natural form of the feather. You want to maintain the natural form it will last longer and is aesthetically pleasing.

Many people do not know there are two side of a feather other than the front and back side.

Before freezing or crafting the feather. With the index and middle fingers slowly move up the shaft to put the quivers in proper place. If done right, the quivers will tighten and you there wil not be any light between them. Very good feathers to use to paint or dye