Cleaning feathers?

[MatthewS]

Hi all

A friend has given me a load of feathers from his farm. I have a dozen pheasant tails, a few dozen complete peacock tails, and several peacock swords, cinnamon wing quills and peahen feathers.

Should I clean the feathers? They're not dirty to look at, but I'm unsure if it's necessary with such fresh feathers. I've only had shop bought ones before. I've been dealing with them all day and have suddenly got a proper itchy cough and swollen throat. It's probably coincidence, but I'd like to be sure.

Thanks

[spidersplus]

MatthewS,

Even though the feathers may look "clean", there is a good chance that they have lots of nasty little bugs in them.

Put the feathers in a plastic bag and put the whole lot in the freezer for a few days to kill anything living in them, then thaw them out and shake them -you may be rather surprised!

Kind regards

Phil.
www.spidersplus.co.uk

[Peter Kealey]

MatthewS

Just to add to what Phil has said. All feathers in my collection " having been de-bugged" are then given a good wash in a hand hot solution of soapy water " WOOLITE" if you can get it is an excellent cleansing solution failing that "WASHING UP LIQUID". Leave the feathers to soak for an hour or two then rinse in clean water and leave to dry naturally. The feathers will look a bit second hand at this stage. When totally dry steam them over a boiling kettle and watch them pop back to life; gently stroke all the fibres back to their original setting. You will notice a difference if you keep one back that is not prepared in this manner. It may sound a bit OCD but we all have our own ways of going mad. I do believe that proper preparation of materials will produce a better quality fly. Hope this helps

Regards Pete

[MatthewS]

Thanks guys. We're on deep freeze at the moment. I was hoping to keep the peacock tails complete, but the freezer isn't big enough

[shuck raider]

Veniard's 'Venpol' is good for washing feathers. You can also nuke 'em in the microwave to de-bug them

[doonicus]

Mathew,
Er, if your freezer isn,t big enough, you could of course send them to me, and I will look after them for you!

Take care that there is no meat, or fat left on the tails, as this will cause you problems later on, unless you treat it with borax, or similar. The lads have given good advice on how to clean the feathers, but you can also use an insect spray on them for good measure.

I would not freeze feathers, even if it does kill bugs, better to do as above, and allow them to dry in a dark warm environment. The top shelf of the airing cupboard is ideal, as long as your missus cannot see or reach it!

Best wishes,
Sam