Feather hair extensions

[canada-goose]

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None. They inject the rooster with something. Just heard this on tv.

I doubt that. The hair feathers I've seen tend to be around normal hackle feather lengths. The longest ones would probably be from Phoenixes.

 

[jbowyer01]

My niece was just asking me about these. She thought they were really cool but wanted to know about the mass production (or collection) of the feathers. I know it can take up 5 or 6 months for a roo to get really pretty feathers so how to the suppliers get so many of the feather? She is very big into buying organic and raised in happy healthy way products. I told her I really didnt know but would ask.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Roosters of different breeds in reg poultry breeds and gamebirds/ornamental breeds are raised just for this purpose. They are culled/euthanized to get the feathers.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Okay guys I think I can help answer some questions on these.

I work for a website that sells these extensions to DIYers and salons, so I am wrist deep in them for a good portion of the day.

The roosters are actually genetically modified breeds varied from dominiques tO australorps. They're bred to not have any fluff at the base of their saddle feathers. Basically their butts look like beautiful heads of hair. These birds are allowed to live past maturity so their feathers can grow as thick as possible. There are only a hand full of farms in the country that actually raise these kinds of birds, and right now most of these farms are completely bone dry on mature adults right now, since this trend has absolutely boomed in the last three months. Eta: these birds are allowed to live wayyyy longer than a meat bird.

So we get the feathers in. The ones we like to keep as natural colors actually still come attached to the saddle, like how a fly fisherman would buy them. We can get as many as 250 really good feathers off a saddle, or as little as 20. You cannot use really thick feathers, like the tail feathers because they will get ratty much faster than the skinny saddle feathers.

Most of our feathers come in bundles though. They are solid colored or striped. These are dyed various colors then set to dry. Once dry they are ready to be sorted and shipped.

They are sent with a bead, pliers, and a threading kit. Feathers cost around three dollars EACH. ( believe me, the farms are not sellin them for much less than that right now! They are getting their fair share out of this trend too! Woo hoo!) and as far as I know we are the most inexpensive website right now. Anyways, so your hair is threaded through the bead with the feathers(s). You use the pliers to pinch the bead off tightly. These have held feathers in hair for longer than six months. These feathers are washable,
Blow dryable, even curlable.

Websites can't even keep these things in stock right now and the farmers don't know whether or not to produce more birds since trends come and go...

 

[Chickenberry]

They are all the rage here in SE OK. I mean, I've even seen them in the hair of "older" women.. and I can say that, 'cause I'm older!

They are only mildly interesting to me...

Edited to add:

Most that I've seen look no where near as the beautiful as the red head in your picture. Usually they are just hanging there on a persons head...

 

[MaggieRae]

I have 4 placed unobtrusively by my right ear. You can only see them if I pull my hair back or the wind blows it there. I kind of like the little unexpected oddity. Before I replaced it with the feathers, I had a purple streak in the same place.

There are some really cool ones out there. A lot of women have them, too.

 

[pinkwindsong]

what a great craft to do to sell at hair shows or craft shows... I love the barred rooster feathers..
)O(
Pink

 

[In His Service]

I think what some people, myself included, want to know is what happens to the culled rooster? Does he turn into some sort of food, or is he killed purely for the feathers. (Seems sort of like a waste and a bit like the fur industry, ie not being good stewards of our resources.)

 

[flowergirl60]

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x2

 

[aubreynoramarie]

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the roosters at whiting farms (the biggest producer of these birds) are euthanized, not butchered. so they do not meet the usda requirements to be sold for their meat. Instead, they are composted with wood chips and manure and sold to farmers for their crops. Even if they could be sold for meat, these birds are allowed to live to a year old, and their meat is tough, it would be no good and no one would want to eat it.

look folks, these birds have been bred for a long long long time. The hair thing is new but fly fishermen have been buying these things for ages. The birds are treated very well. They are not injected with hormones or anything of the sort. They have been truly bred for the last twenty-thirty years to grow these beautiful feathers. They are not injected with dye either. That is done by hand. i know because i have to do it. These birds live longer happier lives than meat birds. They have to live in humane and comfortable conditions because stress will cause their feathers to grow slowly, which obviously means that by the year mark of culling, the producers will not have an optimal product.