Collecting down after butchering.

[CindyinSD]

@CindyinSD Okay, I've done both ducks and chickens by now, and I found that the worst things about ducks is the wing feathers. Those were more difficult to get off than the chicken wing feathers by far, but the biggest thing is ducks just have more feathers than chickens. Using a drill plucker we were able to pluck a chicken in three or four minutes. A duck took a little longer because of the down and the wings.

Good to know. Thanks! I have a drum plucker--too small for nearly full-grown heritage turkeys, but very useful if you're doing more than a couple chickens. Sounds like it would be helpful for ducks. I doubt my geese would fit, but they're safe anyway. Their progeny, maybe not so much... probably best to take them when smaller.

 

[Terms30884]

What i have not figured out yet is how to separate the down from the feathers

I’d love to know that too. That was another question I had. Do you completely pluck the feathers then sort them after?

 

[Ratchnick]

Yes, best i can figure is some sort of chamber with a slight updraft should make the down float

 

[Jpat]

i had down filled pillows when i was a kid every month or so a feather quill would poke through the material and a youd pull out a while feather
There must be an acceptable amount of feathers that can be mixed with down

This is from Dave Holderread's "The Book of Geese".

"Goose feathers are a valuable byproduct of butchering. If you plan to save the feathers, keep the down and small body feathers separate from the large stiff plumes of the wings, tail and body as the slaughtered birds are being picked.
When geese are scalded prior to picking, the feathers should be washed with a gentle detergent and rinsed thoroughly in warm water. (If a washer and dryer are available, feathers can be placed in a pillowcase and washed and dried in this manner.) Spread feathers out several inches thick on a clean, dry surface or place loosely in cloth sacks of porous faqbric - such as burlap or cheesecloth - and hang in a warm room or on a clothesline. Wet feathers should be fluffed and stirred several times daily. Once they are well dried, feathers can be bagged and stored in a clean, dry location."

It doesnt sound like they seperate the small feathers from the down

 

[Tashi Dalek]

I pluck ducks and geese each year. I dry pluck the guard feathers on each bird outside, then I go in the house put on a good long movie and pluck down with a dry shop vac on low beside the bird. I wax or burn off any fine dander. 10 min for guard feathers, 30-60 min for down dependant on size. Female geese have thicker down when they are laying eggs.... in midwinter. Found that out when a lynx killed some geese but didn’t eat them.

 

[Ratchnick]

Then what kind of things do you make with the down?

 

[Tashi Dalek]

Then what kind of things do you make with the down?

anything i want to make that requires down.

 

[Ratchnick]

anything i want to make that requires down.

Yeah i figured that.

 

[Ratchnick]

So for real this time...

 

[Tashi Dalek]

So for real this time...

Lol. Pillows, duvets, testifying sleeping bags...alpine bivy jackets...anything that needs maintenance.