Chicken down?

[UrbanChickie]

Has anyone made a down comforter from soft chicken feathers? I wash and store them in pillowcases after processing birds. I've made some art with the pretty hackle and tail feathers, but I've got a whole bunch of fluffy ones too. I'm not really sure how much I'd need to make a comforter, but I'm curious to try it.

 

[3KillerBs]

I remember having a cheap feather pillow when I was a kid. It wasn't proper goose down, but actual feathers much like you're describing and even having two pillowcases on it couldn't keep me from being poked by the feather quills.

 

[UrbanChickie]

I remember having a cheap feather pillow when I was a kid. It wasn't proper goose down, but actual feathers much like you're describing and even having two pillowcases on it couldn't keep me from being poked by the feather quills.

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. I was thinking I'd pull out the big feather and just leave the fluffy ones. Maybe those would still be too pokey. No harm in trying though.

 

[Ratchnick]

There is a special fabric that the feathers cant get through, make an inner bag with that.

 

[UrbanChickie]

There is a special fabric that the feathers cant get through, make an inner bag with that.

Thanks! I just looked it up, and it's called 'Ticking' fabric.

 

[NatJ]

I was just reading a book that talked about preparing goose feathers for a quilt:

"Holding one by the tip, she stripped the flat white sides from the center shaft, first one, then the other."
In the story, the entire family worked on this every evening for weeks, and they discarded the center shaft of all the feathers. (The book is Stairstep Farm by Anne Pellowski, and the author is telling about life when her grandparents were children.)


I had never before thought about removing the stiff part from every feather, but it might work just as well on chicken feathers as on goose feathers Given how much time it would take, I will probably never try it

 

[UrbanChickie]

I was just reading a book that talked about preparing goose feathers for a quilt:

"Holding one by the tip, she stripped the flat white sides from the center shaft, first one, then the other."
In the story, the entire family worked on this every evening for weeks, and they discarded the center shaft of all the feathers. (The book is Stairstep Farm by Anne Pellowski, and the author is telling about life when her grandparents were children.)


I had never before thought about removing the stiff part from every feather, but it might work just as well on chicken feathers as on goose feathers Given how much time it would take, I will probably never try it

Interesting, thanks. Might not be a bad project to do while watching TV! I'd prefer to use as many feathers as possible, so this could be helpful.