Although all birds molt their feathers at least once a year in a natural shedding process--legally, there are only certain feathers you can own and use for crafting. The best examples of legal feathers are those from domestic poultry or geese and game birds such as grouse, pheasants, crows or turkeys. In addition, feathers from pet species such as macaws and parrots are also legal. The Unites States Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16U.S.C. 703-712) deems the acquisition of all other bird parts or feathers a punishable offense. Check with your local area to make sure which birds are hunted, and therefore gathered safely and legally.
Having said that, if you know a friendly farmer, or hunter or get lucky enough to find a turkey on the side of the road, here's what to do to collect, prepare and preserve feathers!
Here are several legal feathers that would work well for smudging. (Smudging is a Native American practice. Fragrant smoke from sage or another sacred plant is blown or passed across a person, space or object to cleanse it from negative energies. A feather is often used to direct the smoke over what or who is being cleansed. Similar cleansing rituals are found across the world.)
First a big note of warning! Dealing with deceased birds can be quite dangerous. ALWAYS use gloves (and a filter mask) when handling dead birds! This is especially important since the arrival on the scene of West Nile Virus and Avian Influenza. Treat any bird carcass with extreme care. Think of them as a bacteriological "bio hazard". After harvesting feathers, thoroughly wash any surfaces that the dead creature comes in contact with using a strong chorine bleach solution. (Follow the bottle's recommended cautions when using chlorine beach, too!) Any parts of the dead bird that remain may be burried. If, because of your location you need to dispose of the remains into the trash--they must be double bagged in plastic bags to protect others. Your life, the life of other people and the life of your pets may depend on it. Since bird carcasses may be hazardous, I keep disposable gloves, trash bags and a mask in my car for picking up feathers from wild game birds.
Feathers from legal birds may be prepared in the following manner.
- Pluck the feathers from the bird. If the feathers are already loose, go directly to the next step.
- If the feathers are soiled, gently wash the feather in a mild soapy water solution. Use your fingers to gently work out any dirt following the way the feather grows--from shaft to edge.
- Dry the feathers in the sun or with a hair dryer set on low. Once dry, smooth out the feather again--gently realigning each barb along the shaft.
Here you can see the splits in the barbs.
Mend the feather by smoothing the feather's barbs from shaft to edge.
With patience, even a very ruffled feather can be made useful again.
Start at the quill end where it grew from the bird and realign the barbs working from shaft to edge. Continue realigning all the way out to the tip. Take your time as this will make the feather look its best and function as it was intended.
Keeping your feathers safe:
Even if you've washed and dried them yourself, place a DRY feather in a closed paper bag. Place the bag in your microwave. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, ONLY! This kills the remaining mites and their eggs that may still be clinging to the feather. This is a critical step as mites will eat your feathers--rendering them useless. Now that you have a lovely feather you need to store it carefully. Light, especially sunlight will quickly degrade feathers' colors so it's best to put them in a dark container. In addition, clothes moth larvas and some other insects LOVE feathers. For both of these reasons, it's important to store feathers in a closed container with cedar to deter insects. This can be as simple as clean cardboard box with cedar shavings from the pet store or as fancy as a cedar feather box. I've found nice ones at Native American pow wows and they may also be found online. Just type, "cedar feather boxes" into your search engine window! Remember, feathers are also pretty fragile, so if you'll be traveling with them, make sure that whatever container you use is stiff enough to keep your feathers safe.
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