Feathers! The one thing I am yet to find a second purpose for.

[Bens-Hens]

Our feathered friends are great for MANY things. We have found as many purposes for these pets as we can.

We feed them our weeds, food scraps,
We let them weed and feed my lawn,
We take their eggs, for sale, consumption or reproduction,
We sometimes eat, sell or trade them when the chicken math gets the better of us,
Our compost is enriched by laden poop boards,
Old brooder bedding is used as mulch, paths and other all sorts of things,
Feed bags become hand bags and potato growing sacks!

They are the animal that just keeps on giving, but I have been accumulating something that I just can't seem to re-use.

Feathers.

I know those with a decent amount of land won't really have this issue, but I we have 16 young birds, and close neighbors. I try stay on every ones good side, and keep the run clean, so our feathers don't end up in other people washing lines etc. Once a week we fill about a bag of all sorts.

What do you use these for? Being nearly all protein, surly they have a use of some sort once the chickens have finished with them.

The only thing I can think of is to keep the nice ones for my kids school, or the bin.

Is there another answer?

Ben

 

[TeaChick]

- You could clean them and either (yes, give them to the school) or sell them at a local farmers' market for crafts, etc.
- You might take them to wherever you sell your eggs and let them sit there in bags and someone might ask you about them and you can find out that way what they're used for.
- You could use them as nesting materials.
- Maybe clean them and start stuffing pillows, eventually mattresses.
- You could use them at home to make your own crafts with your kids (Native American head dresses?, cowboy hat decorations, etc)
- Start a chicken costume for one of your kids for Halloween?
- Feather dusters (local tree branches for handles and attach the feathers with vines; VIOLA, all natural feather dusters).

I searched feather uses at the top of the page in the Learning Center tab and here's a link to the results:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=feather+uses

Hope this helps.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can you compost them without them blowing around?

 

[BrittBergh]

Gosh there are SO many feathers here!!! LOL maybe I should start on a mattresses!

 

[Bens-Hens]

Thanks for the great ideas team!

I was reading last night that 'they' have found the keratin as a useful protein in making a biodegradable non petroleum plastic, which is cool to hear is being developed, but other than that we are not turning over the volume for that sort of thing.

For now, I will keep the nice big wing/tail feathers for the kids school, and the rest can go into our compost tumbler.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Wow, a few clicks on the link above and found these amazing pictures!

http://twistedsifter.com/2010/03/feather-art-by-kate-mccgwire/