Feathers

I have often been asked where to get feathers.  This is not as simple to answer as it may seem.  I have gathered feathers from many different places and have always been on the lookout for feather options.  Now don't take anything I say here as an endorsement of anyone, its just what I have used in the past.

There are at least four things to try I can think of depending on how many, what quality and what sort of feathers you want and how much effort you want to go to.

The Internet - eg Feathergirl - can be expensive but sometimes there are good bargains. Feathers are mostly ready to use and generally clean and of consistent quality.  She has good pelts too.

Kentsing Trading Co in Papatoetoe, Auckland PH 09 2789892. The natural brown (shorter) feather strings are just natural brown chook feathers. As they are imported they will have been fumigated but they don't seem to smell now like they used to do.  Maybe the fumigation process has changed.  They need washing, hanging out to dry a bit then finishing off in a pillow case tightly tied in the dryer to fluff up. I wouldn't use them just as they come as they can fluff up much nicer. They also have white ones and dyed ones. I am not swearing to their quality but I send for them for the starter kits I make for beginners. They are cheap.

Road kill, killing your own chooks or roosters or picking up feathers from parks etc where there are lots of geese, swans etc. Messy, yuckky but free. I have a friend who pelts her own chooks and she sells them for around $30 each. 

DoC: you can apply to DoC for birds. There is quite a few hoops to jump through especially for native birds AND you just get the birds usually frozen. They need plucking and washing carefully.

A small company that kills birds for the restaurant market if you can find one. The feathers are waste and maybe free. BUT there is a lot of yukky work to do. This is how I started out and looking back on it I don't recommend it. A great deal of work washing and sorting.