How do you keep feathers from decaying?

[crystalchik]

I collect feathers from our peacocks every year and within months they are chewed apart by my mites. Is there anything I can treat them with that wont ruin the feather or rob them of their natural oils?

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

I had a friend that used feathers in her art. She always kept the feathers in her freezer.

 

[crystalchik]

Oh, thats an interesting idea...but I bet it would work! Thank you for the suggestion!

The only problem is that i eventually would like to use them in earrings or decorations or something, so I need to treat them with something, unless freezing them would kill the mites?

 

[Denninmi]

Try putting them in a tightly sealed container (like a rubbermaid storage bin). Then, get yourself a couple of tablespoons of kitty litter and douse it with a couple of tablespoons of a strong smelling essential oil -- thyme or wintergreen. Wrap the oily kitty litter in a clean cloth and tie it, then set it carefully in the bottom of the bin. Put a false bottom made out of cardboard with a little space around the edges for the oil fragrance to penetrate. Then, store the feathers in there.

Essential oils are toxic to mites. That should do it.

 

[VelvetDragon]

Freezing will kill the mites. As long as you don't expose the feathers to mites again! I expect you could also store them in some diatomaceous earth or borax.

In bringing in bird feathers to the house, such as those of other people's parrots and so on, I freeze them first to keep them from bringing in mites or lice or anything that my hurt my own parrot.

 

[farmer_lew]

My daughter was once gifted an Eagle Feather by a Native American elder during a ceremony we were attending. He told her to store it in a box of fresh cut cedar greenery (leaves?). Presumably the cedar is a deterent to insects. I know that the wood from a cedar tree has that quality.

 

[crystalchik]

Those are some great ideas, thanks everyone! I will try them all!!